ACEC Recognizes Davenport Park Project: Award-Winning Park Expansion Integrates Environmental Controls with Public Recreation

For years, Ed “Pops” Davenport Park offered North Long Beach some of its only recreational green space. Built on part of a closed landfill in 2006, the park provided recreational value in an area with limited access to public outdoor amenities.  

Today, Davenport Park has been revitalized. The City of Long Beach recently completed a major expansion that significantly increased Davenport Park’s accessibility, infrastructure, and range of uses while integrating a landfill gas control system directly into the site’s civil and recreational infrastructure. 

This innovative public improvement project received a 2026 Honor Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of California and 2025 American Society of Civil Engineers Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch, Outstanding Community Improvement Project Award, recognizing the Davenport Park Expansion and Landfill Gas Control System Project for its technical approach, collaboration, and long-term community value. 

Anchor QEA served as prime consultant for the City of Long Beach, leading the civil, structural, and site design for the park expansion while working closely with specialty consultants responsible for landfill gas control, irrigation, electrical engineering, and topographic surveying. 

Designing Within Environmental Constraints 

The central challenge was clear from the outset. To succeed, the project needed to expand recreational opportunities on a closed landfill site that generates methane gas while maintaining regulatory compliance and supporting safe public use over time. 

Rather than treating environmental remediation and park design as separate efforts, the project addressed them within a single, coordinated framework. A comprehensive landfill gas control system was integrated beneath the expanded park, including extraction wells, underground piping, perimeter probes, and a permanent treatment system. Together, these components continuously monitor and manage landfill gas conditions while allowing safe recreational use of the park. 

The park’s civil and landscape features were designed to accommodate the landfill cap and the associated shallow installation depths of park features. Layered soil systems and biotreatment features collect and treat stormwater on site, reducing runoff to municipal systems and supporting drought-tolerant, native landscaping. Drinking fountain overflow is captured and reused through gray water infiltration, contributing to the City’s overall water management goals. 

Expanding Use and Access 

The expansion more than doubled the existing park’s footprint, creating space for a multipurpose sports field, fitness stations, walking paths, shaded seating areas, improved lighting, and expanded parking. These amenities support a range of recreational activities, from organized sports and community events to informal exercise and daily use by the community. The expansion and revitalization increased the usage of the space, accommodating a wide range of community activities. 

Importantly, this expansion was achieved without acquiring new land or displacing surrounding uses. By expanding an existing park, the City increased recreational access within the existing site without disrupting the neighborhood context. The project demonstrates that land reuse can support community needs while addressing environmental considerations inherent to the site. 

Collaboration and Long-Term Value 

Delivering a project of this complexity required sustained coordination among City departments, engineers, regulators, and community stakeholders. Managing landfill conditions, regulatory requirements, and public-use goals to deliver a project that meets the community’s needs requires careful sequencing and long-term planning, underscoring the level of City commitment required to revitalize public spaces on constrained sites. 

The result is a community park that is safe, accessible, and built to endure. By integrating environmental controls directly into the park’s infrastructure, the project addressed site constraints while supporting sustainable long-term public use and meaningful community benefits. 

Jack Malone, PhD, is a Principal Scientist at Anchor QEA.

Get in touch with Jack Malone to learn more.