It seems there's at least one idea for the Superblock for every adult in town; unfortunately, taxpayers are more or less disenfranchised from this issue. What is going to happen is, Philips International is going to build its hotel and convention center. It's the worst proposal, except perhaps for all the others.
There are many, many people in town who would like to see the space preserved as parkland, citing the lack of available open space in Long Beach. The city, located on a small island, has only a finite number of unoccupied lots, and some elbow room would be nice.
Unfortunately, not a single billionaire showed up at Tuesday's meeting with an offer to build that park the city deserves, so we're stuck with this tax-revenue-generating resort idea instead. This may be a small point, but the city is already blessed with miles of open space. It's called the beach. For that Long Beach is the envy of most of America.
We're not crazy about the city's using a very loose definition of "blighted" to seize the lot through eminent domain, especially when the lot's majority owners - the Haberman family - say they can't get their calls returned by the city.
That previous administrations in our fair city did not give the Habermans a fair shake does not obligate the current administration to follow suit. The public was told by the city manager, an attorney, that if this plan is not approved, the Habermans could win their suit against the city. It was one of the weirder arguments we've heard. We're not sure the Habermans aren't entitled to a little more justice than the (presumed) market value they're getting for their land.
But putting all that aside, there is something to be said for the Philips plan. It's the best possible outcome, frankly; ask any Long Beach bride about the area's curious lack of a good hotel. This project has the potential to usher in a new chapter in the continuing rebirth of the city. In fact, if done properly, it could be the rising tide that lifts all merchants' boats. The renderings look nice, and the hotel-condos offer rather interesting investment opportunities. The area's economy can only benefit.
The approval of this project would be a seminal moment in the city's history, but only our grandchildren would know if we did right by them. Now it's time to put the politics behind us and get this project started.
