Long Beach officially kicked off the demolition of two city-owned commercial buildings along the Atlantic Avenue corridor Wednesday, signaling a major step in the economic revitalization of North Long Beach.
The properties, located at 5641-5649 Atlantic Avenue, have been vacant and posed safety concerns for years. However, their removal is expected to open the door to future development opportunities and breathe new life into the highly transited corridor.
“It’s really about transformation, it’s really about a new life for North Long Beach and the Atlantic Avenue corridor,” said Bo Martinez, Director of Economic Development for the city. “The demolition of these existing buildings here that you see today and structures is not just clearing the way for opportunity but it’s also clearing the way for new investment for a new chapter on Atlantic Avenue.”
The site is scheduled to be cleared by next month.
The demolition is part of a broader effort by the city to address deteriorating and underutilized properties.
According to a memo from earlier this year, which Martinez wrote to the Mayor and City Council, three city-owned sites, one of them being 5641-5649 Atlantic Avenue, have been evaluated for demolition after being declared surplus under the state’s Surplus Land Act.
All three properties will be cleared over the next several months in a staggered process, with each demolition estimated to cost around $300,000 and funded initially through the General Fund. These funds will later be reimbursed upon sale of the properties.
Two of the sites have been issued Notices of Substandard Building due to fire damage and repeated vandalism, posing ongoing safety risks to the public and surrounding neighborhoods.
The third site, where Wednesday’s ceremony was held, is being cleared to enhance its viability for ground-up development.
“For too long, we’ve seen a lot of underinvestment within the corridor. We’ve seen vacancies, we’ve seen underutilized properties,” Martinez said. “We continue to have big visions for this corridor and how we’re going to move it forward.”
Councilwoman Thrash-Ntuk, who represents the area, spoke of the deep personal and community investment in the site.
“I talked with a neighbor who said to me that she had just about given up on what the possibilities might be for this corner, she looked at it every day and dreamed of what it could be,” she said. “Today we honor that dream to everyone who hoped and never stopped believing because today we stop waiting.”
She also announced that her new field office will open just a few doors down from the site, reinforcing her commitment to remaining present and accessible to the North Long Beach community.
The project is part of a broader wave of development activity in the area, including new housing from KB Homes and Edgewood Point, a Long Beach City College Higher Education Center, and a planned workforce development hub by local nonprofit Central CHA.
