Los Angeles plans second cruise terminal

The Port of Los Angeles is planning a second cruise terminal as part of its proposed San Pedro Waterfront Project.

Other elements of the 400-acre infrastructure and public access improvement project are new downtown-adjacent harbors, entitlements for up to 375,000 square feet of future commercial and conference center development in the Ports O’Call area, and expanded Pacific Electric Red Car line service to Cabrillo Beach and other points along the waterfront. The project is expected to take between five and seven years to complete.

The new cruise complex would be located at Kaiser Point in the Outer Harbor, the longtime site of a supertanker terminal. It would consist of two two-story terminals totaling up to 200,000 square feet. The Outer Harbor Cruise Terminals would incorporate environmental building principals designed to attain LEED-Gold status. Ships would be required to use cleaner fuels and plug in to shore-side electric power to substantially reduce smokestack emissions while the ships are at berth. Security measures would also be implemented as approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Outer Harbor Cruise Terminals would accommodate larger cruise vessels as they are introduced into service by the cruise industry over the next two decades and also serve the anticipated continued growth in demand for cruises. The existing Inner Harbor berths would serve smaller cruise ships.

Based on economic modeling, the port says the expanded cruise operations and increased commercial development it proposes for the San Pedro waterfront would spawn a variety of economic benefits, including:

• 1,083 new jobs.

• $37.9 million in new wages.

• $30.8 million in additional passenger spending.

The San Pedro waterfront plan is in the public comment phase until Dec. 8. Details are available on the port’s Web site, www.portoflosangeles.org.