The Long Beach City Council has approved a proposal to develop a 14-acre piece of vacant land near the Los Angeles River into a self-storage, RV parking and car wash facility.

The late 8 to 1 vote Tuesday night authorized an environmental impact report and a zoning change that effectively paves the way for the project to be built. The lot is bounded by the 405 Freeway, the L.A. River and the Metro A-line. To its east, there’s the quiet, upscale Los Cerritos neighborhood, along with another park.

Environmentalists and some local residents have fought the project since it was first proposed in 2020, pushing for the land to instead be turned into a park.

“We will continue to fight,” said Leslie Garretson, board president of the grassroots group Riverpark Coalition and nearby resident, afte

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