State Overseeing Cleanup of Former Wood-Treating Plant in Long Beach

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Baker Cold Storage Inc. refrigerated distribution center in Long Beach on Wednesday. 

DTSC is overseeing soil and groundwater cleanup of this 13-acre site, formerly a wood treating plant that operated from 1925 to 2001 at the Port of Long Beach. This development, located at 1710 Pier B St., was established under the California Land Reuse and Revitalization Act. 

DTSC and the Port of Long Beach worked in conjunction with Baker’s contract developer to bring this facility to the construction phase. According to a Baker consultant, the construction project is expected to take 14 months, creating 450 construction jobs directly related to the project and 3,300 construction jobs indirectly related to the project. Also, when it opens, it is anticipated that 115 full-time jobs will be created directly related to the facility.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the building is scheduled to open in the spring of 2015. The facility will be used for the storage and distribution of frozen food products.