Port of L.A. Unveils Plans for Marine Institute

A century-old pier at the Port of Los Angeles is poised to become a 28-acre marine research campus, with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joining harbor officials and city leaders Monday in unveiling plans for the $155 million first phase of the project to be completed by 2018.

The Port of Los Angeles will invest $32 million into building a 47,800- square-foot site for the Southern California Marine Institute, which will serve as the anchor for a mix of academic and entrepreneurial research entities.

The nonprofit Annenberg Foundation also committed $25 million to the project.

"Our goal is to forge deep and profound partnerships on every level and engage the entire Los Angeles community—from government agencies to university researchers, to science educators and industry leaders—in marine research that will transform the future," said Dr. Daniel Pondella, director of the institute and chair of the biology department at Occidental College.

The marine institute will be part of a mix of public and private marine research entities at the complex, dubbed AltaSea. It will house government and university laboratories, berths for research ships, classrooms, offices, interpretive centers and potentially a seawater wave tank to study rogue waves and tsunamis.

The full project cost is estimated at more than $500 million over a 15- to 20-year construction period.

Villaraigosa said Los Angeles is a "premier location for addressing ocean-related environmental issues," adding that the space will "create jobs, draw new industries to the city, provide tremendous educational opportunities and enhance the overall quality of life in Los Angeles."

Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz said AltaSea fits into a "grander vision" at the port.

"We will continue our growth and expansion as America's leading trade gateway and at the same time facilitate some of the most innovative and collaborative marine research and solutions possible," she said.

An advisory panel was formed earlier this year to guide lease negotiations at AltaSea. The campus' nonprofit status, as well as a board of directors and a yet-to-be hired CEO, will be decided in the coming months.

"Our oceans and waterways are among our most precious natural resources," said Annenberg Chair/CEO Wallis Annenberg, a member of the advisory panel. "We champion collaborative projects such as AltaSea and eagerly anticipate the impact this private-public partnership will have."

—City News Service.