Residents Voice Concerns Over City’s Plan to Start Ximeno Avenue Project

In a clash between Long Beach homeowners and the city’s redevelopment plan, concerned Bryant neighborhood residents have petitioned and called out for the city to stop or alter part of its infrastructure investment plan.

In a March 13 letter to Eric Lopez, director of Public Works, and Tom Modica, Long Beach city manager, resident Lisa Gary called on the city to stop planned construction of a short median barrier at the intersection of Ximeno Avenue and E. 15th Street designed to block or limit existing driving access to Ximeno and 15th Streets, and reroute that traffic through that neighborhood’s other streets.

The emailed letter included an attachment with over 100 signed petitions, with more to follow, from Bryant neighborhood residents concerned about this construction project worsening access to their neighborhood that had been originally built on small streets with limited access.

The City of Long Beach had started the project in February that would place a meridian, or concrete barrier, on Ximeno Avenue at E. 15th Street, which was intended to block vehicles from turning left from 15th St. onto Ximeno, and to block all vehicles turning left from Ximeno to 15th Street.

The Department of Public Works had mailed out a letter on February 1 to area residents about the project as part of the city’s Elevate ’28 Infrastructure Investment Plan. This initiative has been dedicated to enhancing Long Beach parks, community facilities, mobility access and streets – and to prepare for the 2028 Summer Olympics.

The letter said that the construction project, that was expected to be completed by May 2025, would raise the median at the intersection to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, add new Class II bike lanes on both sides of Ximeno Avenue, along with ADA-compliant curb ramps, and bus pad installation to minimize wear from bus traffic, and that six parking spaces would be added through re-striping efforts on the street.

Residents say that they asked the city for a stop-work order on the project so that concerns and objections could be voiced, but that the city at first refused. They then contacted Councilmember Kristina Duggan asking for help to intervene with the city on the neighborhood’s behalf. The city agreed to the request, and a March 6 public hearing was scheduled at the Bryant Elementary School auditorium.

Gary said that neighborhood residents became even more upset from attending the public meeting. It was based on the city’s presentation on how the construction project was designed to make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians and to improve access overall. A PowerPoint presentation was shown on improvements that will be made to Ximeno Ave. between Pacific Coast Highway and East Anaheim St. that will bring gains such as enhancing pedestrian safety and visibility, and enhancing cyclist safety and visibility at the connection with what Elevate ’28 calls the East 15th Avenue Bike Boulevard.

The limited time for public comments was filled with attending cyclists looking forward to the improved bike access lanes, and a few of the area residents who expressed their frustration with how the city had not informed them of the project, and how it’s being pushed forward, Gary said.

“We deeply wish the city had been transparent about the project and allowed for comment and participation from us at any point during the six-year project development, during which time the project was never disclosed. The only notice to our impacted community in six years was the February 1, 2025 construction commencement notice once construction equipment was onsite to break ground,” Gary’s letter stated.

Public Works and Councilmember Kristina Duggan and staff have not responded to a request for comments on the March 6 public meeting, and what could be happening next on the intersection project.

Alternatives to the City’s Construction Project

Gary’s letter expressed concerns that the planned intersection project would create a number of problems. Adding the meridian would take away or limit the ability of 15th St. residents who live on both sides of Ximeno to come and go; it could significantly increase traffic on 14th St., Ransom, Termino, Belmont, Fountian and Park by rerouting traffic to those streets, which are already facing increased traffic from the impending housing project near Bryant Elementary; and it would eliminate any access to 15th St. between Ximeno and Termino for larger commercial and recreational vehicles, which can only access homes on 15th by swinging wide on Ximeno as the Termino roundabout limits the other end of the street, according to the letter. This can be particularly troubling when fire and paramedics need to make quick access to the neighborhood, Gary said.

One of the main concerns that local residents have had about the city’s project is that it doesn’t allow equal access for those living with disabilities, Gary said.

“The planned intersection with the median barrier is fully accessible to cyclists but not drivers, and therefore creates a barrier for individuals with disabilities who rely on motorized transportation. Under the principle of equal access, public streets should be equally accessible to people with disabilities. Removing the barrier or modifying it to allow drivers to make all turns would seem a reasonable modification to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities,” Gary wrote in the letter.

The Public Works letter also said that after project completion, only one southbound lane would be in place on Ximeno Ave. with one lane removed, while two northbound lanes would remain in place.

Merry Colvin, a 15th St. resident who’s been active in getting neighbors informed and voicing concerns to the city, said that she has received feedback from Duggan’s staff. Work on the project will be paused for about six-to-12 months, and no actions will be done without public notification well ahead of time, she said. The pause period could be over sooner than six months, the staff member said to Colvin.

How Safe Has It Been at the Intersection?

Improving safety has been a priority stated by the city and one affirmed by neighborhood residents. However, it’s not clear whether the current state of the intersection has been dangerous and whether making the city’s planned changes would improve the safety factor.

Looking at a Long Beach Police Dept. report from its East Division on vehicle crashes at the intersection of Ximeno Avenue and East 15 Street over the past decade shows zero fatalities but 10 incidents with injuries. There were 17 vehicle accidents during that time, five hit-and-run with injury and one hit-and-run without injury; four traffic accidents with injury and one traffic accident without injury; four DUI alcohol without injury and one DUI alcohol causing injury; and one ‘not spec’ accident, meaning that the cause of the accident was not specified.

Nine of the accidents were after 6 p.m. and before 6 a.m. Only one occurred after midnight, at 12:10 a.m., and it did involve DUI alcohol but without injury.

Another significant fact from the police report is that there were zero bike accidents at this intersection, Gary said. That fact, and the zero fatalities, makes the point that the intersection is already safe for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, she said.

Local residents want to see the project stopped or an alternate plan put in place – that wouldn’t block the left turns left from 15th St. onto Ximeno, and to block all vehicles turning left from Ximeno to 15th Street, Colvin said.

Those turning from, and onto, Ximeno have the challenge of a blind spot being there on the north side coming up from PCH. Drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians have to be very careful about vehicle traffic coming up Ximeno at a fast speed.

Traffic on Ximeno tends to be light, which makes for another strong argument of leaving the intersection in its current state or adding the bike lines but not the meridian, Colvin said.

What Impact Would Fountain Street Housing Have?

Colvin, Gary and their neighbors are especially concerned about the 73-unit affordable apartment construction project for lower-income residents that’s been the subject of a lawsuit from homeowners against the city’s actions. Bryant Neighbors for Responsible Development vs. City of Long Beach, a legal action filed at LA County Superior Court, could determine whether that housing project will be carried out – or at least when it will be carried out.

Two addresses were used in the construction project city document – 4151 Fountain St. and 4220 Wehrle Court, in the Bryant Neighbors suit. They’re both located on narrow streets with little available parking. The Fountain Street address is a block away from Bryant Elementary School that can be packed with parents dropping off or picking up their kids.

A 73-unit housing complex will easily have residents with one-to-two passenger vehicles, which could bring the neighborhood traffic up to about 150 more vehicles.

Colvin said that adding those two multi-story apartment buildings will increase the problems and potential dangers at the Ximeno and 15th St. intersection and it will push the traffic out to other nearby, narrow streets as well.

The city says that it will be investing about $2.17 million into the Ximeno Ave. project between PCH and Anaheim. However, those funds won’t be used for installing a traffic light at the Ximeno and 15th St. intersection.

“The city was quite vocal that it won’t be putting a streetlight there,” Gary said. “It would be too expensive, they said,” during the Bryant Elementary presentation.

Jon LeSage is a resident of Long Beach and a veteran business media reporter and editor. You can reach him at jtlesage1@yahoo.com.