Long Beach's new outdoor shopping center breaking ground

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Crews in Long Beach are breaking ground Thursday on a brand new outdoor shopping center just steps away from the ocean.

The groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. at 2nd Street and Pacific Coast Highway to celebrate the future of the new CenterCal Properties location - appropriately named 2nd and PCH.

When complete, the mall will be an all-purpose destination, officials say. The shopping center will feature retail, restaurants, a fitness center and a massive, 55,000-square-foot Whole Foods.

The structure will be framed around a central courtyard area. There will be outdoor seating and water features. On the second level, there will be more outdoor seating as well as landscaped walkways.

A mid-century hotel was demolished to make room for this new development. The project is slated to cost approximately $100 million and is expected to completed in 2019.