The Port of Los Angeles says that a newly passed city
ordinance is expected to streamline the permitting process for future port
construction projects, allowing the port to move ahead on its five-year, $1.2
billion capital improvement plan.
The ordinance amends the city’s building code by streamlining
it to provide a more efficient permitting process for maritime projects.
“Through the establishment of this project permitting
agreement with the Department of Building and Safety, the port can now move
forward in an expedited manner with projects that will increase cargo movement
capacity and terminal efficiency while simultaneously reducing the
environmental impacts of port operations to our surrounding communities,” Los
Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino said.
The port’s capital improvement projects include spending
$1.2 billion over the next five years to provide superior cargo terminals, rail
and warehouse infrastructure to retain and attract top business tenants from
around the world. The port is also spending a portion of its capital budget on
community, recreational and educational projects.
L.A. City Councilman Ed Reyes, who earlier this year led a
City Council policy discussion regarding the economic impact the Panama Canal
expansion would have in Los Angeles, said that the ordinance was needed in part
due to the Canal’s expansion, which he characterized as “an impending threat.”
“The Port of Los Angeles is one of our region’s greatest
economic engines, so it was vital that our city family work in unison to
streamline permitting operations for which the Harbor Department has unique
expertise,” he said.
