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Just a few paces from the old City Hall, a new one is rising as part of a nearly $900-million innovative makeover of the public heart of Long Beach that will also introduce apartments, stores, restaurants and perhaps a hotel.
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But the mega project is notable for more than reconceiving the notion of what constitutes a civic center. It is the largest public-private development of its kind on the West Coast and is expected to serve as a model for other cities in the United States.
Officials from other cities including Charlotte, N.C., have visited Long Beach to see the project and learn how it is being financed without raising taxes or biting into the city budget ...