Massive Marine Research Complex On The Way To Port Of LA

The Port of Los Angeles is going to be seeing some big changes soon now that the LA City Council has approved a 50-year lease for the funders of AltaSea, which will turn City Dock No. 1, an out-of-use 100-year-old pier, into a $500-million "urban marine research center." According to a press release, the first phase of work on this private/public project is due for completion in 2018 and will see the arrival of the Southern California Marine Institute, an organization of 12 SoCal universities that have existing marine research programs. When AltaSea is fully finished in 15 to 20 years, the 35-acre complex will house an interpretive center, labs, classrooms, and lecture halls that will be used by multiple private and public universities, as well as by AltaSea and the Port to study things like rising sea levels, freak weather, climate change, and food supply, plus how all those things affect, well, everyone. But AltaSea is just the first step: in the official press release (pdf), Mayor Garcetti highlighted that "public/private partnerships like AltaSea represent an innovative way to encourage investment and redevelopment in our communities."
· Los Angeles City Council Approves "AltaSea," An Urban Marine Research Campus At The Port Of Los Angeles [Port Of LA]
· Port of LA Getting Giant Marine Research Center AltaSea [Curbed LA]