‘A Dream for King Park’ enters final stages of visioning, heading to City committees

On a warm night in late August at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, six children kick around a soccer ball in the unmarked field as a woman jogs along the sidewalk, a small group of friends sit at one of the picnic tables and a nearby church holds a Spanish service. 

A few feet away in the park’s community center, over 50 residents—many of whom grew up at the park and its surrounding neighborhoods—put the finishing pieces on “A Dream for King Park,” the vision plan for the 5-acre park’s future Tuesday night. 

The visioning process began this year and has included over 10 steering committee meetings, community workshops, surveys and audits. Almost 500 responses and suggestions have been collected through these efforts. 

While Long Beach has created 10 vision plans for various parks in the past 10 years, Public Works Director Eric Lopez told the Signal Tribune that it’s the first time funding has been identified and approved before the vision plan is complete. 

Long Beach has set aside $2.5 million for the MLK Jr. Park Vision Plan through Measure A funds and Park Impact Fees, a fee developers are required to pay the city when undergoing a project in Long Beach. The city is waiting for Congress to approve another $3 million that Robert Garcia requested in April. 

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