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Ford has officially opened its new Long Beach campus — a new 250,000 square-foot site, dubbed the Electric Vehicle Development Center, which will serve as the company’s main design and innovation hub in Southern California.
The company celebrated the opening of the new campus at 3555 E. Conant St. on Tuesday, Aug. 5, with hundreds of city officials, Ford leaders, and other business stakeholders in tow. The site currently boasts 350 employees, with enough capacity to accommodate 450 total.
Though Tuesday marked the facility’s official opening, many were aware that Ford officials had a skunkworks operation working on developing advanced electric vehicles beforehand.
Inside that operation was a brain trust of design and creativity — a small agile empowered team- that took the assembly line concept refined by Henry Ford and reinvented it. Now that team, filled with former Tesla, Rivian, and Apple engineers, has expanded into the two-building EV design center to develop Ford’s upcoming lower-cost, midsize mode truck.
The last time Ford had a presence in Long Beach was decades ago, when they had an assembly plant located at 700 Henry Ford Ave. on Terminal Island. It operated from 1930 to 1959 before closing due to subsidence issues caused by oil drilling.
Since that last Ford Fairlane passed through the assembly line, Long Beach has shifted gears from being an oil-focused economy to pursuing tech companies like Ford — earning itself the now-familiar “Space Beach” moniker.
With the recent opening of Nigel’s at Anchors Away restaurant in the Marina Pacifica shopping center, locals are curious about the location’s history — and its future plans, now that Nigel’s has reminded us of the great view it offers.
I sat down with the mall’s property owner and ground lease holder Avinoam “Ari” Lerner and his CEO and property manager Simon Festinesi on Monday August 10, to learn more about what the future holds for Marina Pacifica.
Lerner, who once was referred to as “Barnumesque” by a writer at The Atlantic Magazine, might be a showman in his role as an action film producer — but his approach to redeveloping Marina Pacifica is more of quiet elegance.
The center, originally approved in 1972, was designed by noted architect Ed Killingsworth and developed and owned by Ernest Hahn. Lerner hinted that Hahn’s wife Jean was fond of the Hawaiian garden look with generous views and access to natural ventilation — something Killingsworth was known for.
I have memories of shopping for nautical housewares at Buffum’s Department store, eating sandwiches after climbing in the barrels at Mike’s munchies, and dancing the night away at Bogart’s.
Other shops at Marina Pacifica over the years have included Gifted Hand, Finley’s Golden Earring, and Simply Smashing. There was a Bath Barn too — where you could buy Naugahyde padded toilet seats with tennis racket designs.
Those were the glory days of our waterfront mall, when there wasn’t a vacant commercial space in sight and the shopping center boasted 105 shops.
When Lerner purchased Marina Pacifica in 1995, it was already 80% vacant, and had fallen victim to years of deferred maintenance. At the time, it was a risky decision to invest in Long Beach — but Lerner decided to take the chance anyways.
Lerner credits luck for that decision — but his true gratitude goes to former Mayor Beverly O’Neil, who believed in both him and the success of the center. Lerner said he’s also thankful for local officials like Third District Councilmember Kristina Duggan and district representatives including Suzie Price and Gary DeLong.
Slowly but surely, over the past three decades, Marina Pacifica has changed significantly by recruiting top tier tenants.
Now, that transformation will be taken to another level with management planning to build out a new space dubbed “The Boardwalk,” which will connect the front of the center with the waterfront.
A remodeled Barnes & Noble store — expected to open in late October or early November — will sit on the street level, and there will be new tenants on the waterfront level along with a walkway to The Boardwalk, which will span the entire length of the center.
The new boardwalk should be complete by mid-September – just in time for “State of Arts,” an annual fundraising celebration event on Friday, Sept. 19. The evening will include several mural unveilings.
The event will kick off an hour early for a VIP reception, with free programming for the general public starting at 6 p.m. For more information and tickets, go to shorturl.at/mJZ4I.
The popular neighborhood pub on Pine Avenue downtown which serves beer, small plates and a variety of grab-and-go items will be opening a second location at 5351 E. Second St. Anna’s Joint is known for its tater tots, pickled eggs and pretzels.
The corner location was formerly home to Wine Beach in Belmont Shore, which officially closed its doors in October of 2024 after three years of operation.
Elliot and Anna Lewis, owners of Anna’s Joint and the Catalyst Cannabis dispensaries in both Downtown Long Beach and Belmont Shore, are currently customizing the 6,600 square-foot space with plans to open by Thanksgiving.
Curtis Fullerton will be managing the eatery, according to Elliot Lewis, who also noted that Fullerton did so much with the Downtown location that it will be great to see what he does with a “bigger canvas.”
In the past, the Lewis’ were considering opening the second Anna’s Joint location in the former Grunion Gazette office next door to Catalyst on Second Street. But that would have required major work to add a kitchen — something that the former Wine Beach location already has.
Lewis is currently exploring other options for the former Grunion Gazette office at 5225 E. Second St., including a potential clothing store.
The Belmont Shore Business Association has three events coming up.
The last Stroll and Savor events of the summer will get underway on Wednesday, Aug. 20 and Thursday, Aug. 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. each day. It costs $15 for a sheet of 12 tickets and $20 for 18 tickets.
Tickets can be purchased at Chase Bank, Nudu Salon, LB Swag, or Belmont Shore Business Center. View the menu and map at belmontshore.org/strollandsavor.
Then, on Sunday, Aug. 31, the BSBA will host a Labor Day luau and caftan bar crawl from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Organizers tout food and drink specials, photo opportunities, costume contests and lots of things going on and the shops and restaurants in Belmont Shore.
It’s all $10 to join. That entry fee unlocks discounts, tropical swag, entries into sweepstakes, and more.. The event starts at Chase Bank.
And the Belmont Shore Car Show is also just around the corner, with that event slated to get underway on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Visit belmontshore.org for more details about each event.
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