Houghton Park Parking Lot and Gathering Area Improvements

Background

The Houghton Park Parking Lot and Gathering Area project will revitalize the existing gathering and parking lot areas to improve safety, accessibility and the overall visitor experience. The project addresses aging infrastructure, including extensive pavement cracking, potholes, faded striping, deteriorated gathering area surfaces and outdated amenities that have been subject to vandalism and misuse.

Houghton Park’s gathering area serves as a valuable community asset, supporting summer programming and accommodating approximately 100 users. It is also the only reservable gathering site outside of El Dorado West Park, making it an important gathering space for residents and community groups. The parking lot adjacent to the gathering area will also be rehabilitated to improve circulation and accessibility.

Collectively, these improvements will create a safer, more functional and welcoming gathering space that better serves park visitors and supports community programming for years to come.

This project is part of the Elevate ’28 Infrastructure Investment Plan, a historic initiative dedicated to enhancing Long Beach parks, community facilities, mobility access, and streets. Learn more at lbelevate28.com.

Timeline

Project timeline is set barring weather delays and other unforeseen circumstances.

Objectives

• Ensure accessibility and inclusivity for people of all age groups and abilities
• Enhance recreational opportunities
• Enhance visitor experience

Project Features

• Parking lot improvements, including crack and slurry sealing, restriping of parking stalls, directional arrows and ADA markings and installation of curb stops
• New site layout and hardscape improvements, including concrete paving for the gathering area and pedestrian access paths and a refined seating area layout to enhance circulation and usability
• Installation of a new pre-engineered steel shade structure
• New site furnishings, including 16 concrete gathering tables (14 standard and two ADA-accessible), trash receptacles and a standalone bench near the parking lot
• New landscaping and irrigation improvements, including sod replacement in select areas, new planting beds featuring California-native and drought-tolerant species, updated irrigation and the addition of three new trees

Project Funding

This project is supported by Measure A.

More Information

• 09.16.26 Houghton Park Projects Community Meeting Presentation
• 08.27.26 Public Notice - Community Invited to Learn More About Improvement Projects Coming to Houghton Park         

Project Updates

September 2026

On Wednesday, September 16, the Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine hosted a community meeting at the Houghton Park Community Center to share upcoming improvement projects at the park. Councilmember Dr. Joni Ricks-Oddie and Parks, Recreation and Marine Director Stephen Scott gave opening remarks, followed by a presentation from the project team and a question-and-answer session with attendees.

The presentation covered four projects at Houghton Park: improvements to the parking lot and gathering area; a rebuilt playground with new accessible and music-themed play equipment; a new Bike Mobility Hub that will convert an underutilized space into a community hub supporting bike repair; and replacement of the Community Center roof with a new energy-efficient roofing system. The project team shared the scope, current status and estimated timeline for each. Residents are also encouraged to sign up for project updates to receive construction schedules and notice of future community meetings.

Contact

For inquiries about this project, please contact ParksCIP@longbeach.gov.