Arup announced that the City of Long Beach and Port of Long Beach have reached financial close for the $520 million Long Beach Civic Center Project.
The project includes a new city hall, port HQ, main library, public park, and street improvements. All the features are designed to be occupied within a week of a major earthquake and meet REDi Gold earthquake performance, an operational resilience rating system developed by Arup.
A public-private partnership (P3) was used to fund the project, which combines public infrastructure and private mixed-use real estate development into one design-build-finance-operate-maintain arrangement.
Arup, the global interdisciplinary consulting and design services firm, served as lead advisor to the city and Port of Long Beach. The firm led financial, commercial, real estate, design, engineering, and cost consulting advisory services.
Long Beach, Calif. Photo: Zen Skillicorn/Creative Commons.
The Arup team included HOK for architecture consulting, BAE for real estate economics, and MBI Media for outreach. Sheppard Mullin provided legal advice to the owners.
Plenary Group is the lead P3 developer, sole equity provider, and financial arranger for the consortium, which includes Clark Construction, Edgemoor, Johnson Controls, and SOM.
Allianz, in a private placement, is providing $237 million in long-term financing. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. is providing a $213 million loan. Long Beach would contribute $11.8 million in cash and land valued at nearly $30 million. Plenary is contributing $21 million in equity.
Arup managed the entire process from the RFP to the end of negotiations and helped the project become a reality quicker than expected.
"A significant value added for the city is how the P3 model accelerated what would more conventionally have been a three- to five-year project development process using traditional project delivery methods to a two-year process," Orion Fulton, Arup's project team leader, said.
Arup has served as an advisor for numerous projects, including Presidio Parkway in San Francisco, the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the New Champlain Bridge in Quebec.
Construction has begun, and the next phase of the project is being launched.
Related Stories
Affordable Housing | Jul 12, 2023
Navigating homelessness with modular building solutions
San Francisco-based architect Chuck Bloszies, FAIA, SE, LEED AP, discusses his firm's designs for Navigation Centers, temporary housing for the homeless in northern California.
Sponsored | Fire and Life Safety | Jul 12, 2023
Fire safety considerations for cantilevered buildings [AIA course]
Bold cantilevered designs are prevalent today, as developers and architects strive to maximize space, views, and natural light in buildings. Cantilevered structures, however, present a host of challenges for building teams, according to José R. Rivera, PE, Associate Principal and Director of Plumbing and Fire Protection with Lilker.
Building Owners | Jul 12, 2023
Building movement: When is it a problem?
As buildings age, their structural conditions can deteriorate, causing damage and safety concerns. In order to mitigate this, it’s important to engage in the regular inspection and condition assessment of buildings for diagnosis.
Mass Timber | Jul 11, 2023
5 solutions to acoustic issues in mass timber buildings
For all its advantages, mass timber also has a less-heralded quality: its acoustic challenges. Exposed wood ceilings and floors have led to issues with excessive noise. Mass timber experts offer practical solutions to the top five acoustic issues in mass timber buildings.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 11, 2023
Converting downtown office into multifamily residential: Let’s stop and think about this
Is the office-to-residential conversion really what’s best for our downtowns from a cultural, urban, economic perspective? Or is this silver bullet really a poison pill?
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 10, 2023
California updates building code for adaptive reuse of office, retail structures for housing
The California Building Standards Commission recently voted to make it easier to convert commercial properties to residential use. The commission adopted provisions of the International Existing Building Code (IEBC) that allow developers more flexibility for adaptive reuse of retail and office structures.
Laboratories | Jul 10, 2023
U.S. Department of Agriculture opens nation’s first biosafety level 4 containment facility for animal disease research
Replacing a seven-decade-old animal disease center, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility includes the nation’s first facility with biosafety containment capable of housing large livestock.
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 6, 2023
The responsibility of adapting historic university buildings
Shepley Bulfinch's David Whitehill, AIA, believes the adaptive reuse of historic university buildings is not a matter of sentimentality but of practicality, progress, and preservation.
Market Data | Jul 5, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending decreased in May, its first drop in nearly a year
National nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.2% in May, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $1.06 trillion.
Architects | Jul 5, 2023
Niles Bolton Associates promotes Jeffrey Smith, AIA, to President and C. Cannon Reynolds, AIA, to Managing Director
Niles Bolton Associates (NBA), a leading architecture, planning and design firm, announces leadership changes as a part of its ongoing commitment to future growth. Current Executive Vice President, Jeffrey Smith, AIA, has been named President and C. Cannon Reynolds, AIA, has been named Managing Director effective June 30, 2023.
