The Robert Group
Connecting People, Projects, and Progress
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In fall of 2025, the City of Long Beach Department of Public Works launched an important effort to connect Drake Park and Cesar E. Chavez Park into a single, unified regional park space through a master planning process. These projects are named the Drake-Chavez Master Plan Project and the Drake-Chavez Connection Project. These projects aims to expand public access to open space, strengthen connections between surrounding neighborhoods, and create a continuous recreation corridor along the lower Los Angeles River. Once complete, the projects will transform nearly 20 acres of existing and new open space and transform portions of the adjacent former industrial area into an accessible, multi-use public space for recreation, gathering, and environmental restoration.
Having last been updated in 1990, this comprehensive effort will modernize key elements of the City’s planning framework, including Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Safety, and Noise. The update process, expected to span approximately three years, will better position Hawthorne for future funding opportunities and ensure that equity and sustainability remain central to the City’s long-term vision.
