Plans for the former Boeing Co. land north of Long Beach Airport originally called for an ambitious development that mixed office, retail and housing.
But the 1,400 residences included in the massive Douglas Park project now appear to be a casualty of the sinking housing market. Developers plan to replace the homes with additional office space elsewhere on the 261-acre project site, as part of an aggressive push to bring more jobs to Long Beach.
“Clearly the residential market is a key” factor in the project’s revision, said Stephane Wandel, a Boeing project leader helping to oversee Douglas Park. “There is not a whole lot of demand in the marketplace today.”
Douglas Park has provisions for an estimated 3.1 million square feet of commercial space.
Under the new plan, that figure could increase to 4 million square feet of space for offices, light industry and research and development, Wandel said.
Although formal changes to the plan must be submitted to the City Council for approval, Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske applauded the proposed revisions.
