Signal tribune June 9, 2017

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S IGNA L T R I BU N E Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill

Your Weekly Community Newspaper

VOL. XXXIX NO. 24

What’s going down in downtown? Long Beach mayor believes housing in downtown is critical to boost economy. Sebastian Echeverry Staff Writer

Most films about futuristic civilizations envision bright, sun-glared skyscrapers and sleek flying cars zooming high above high-tech shopping centers and restaurants. Long Beach may not have flying cars in the next two or three years, but the City is planning a number of housing and residential developments for the future of the city. Those construction plans were shared with the public on Tuesday at an event hosted by the Long Beach Business Journal and titled “Building a Better Long Beach.” As members of Long Beach’s municipal government and other attendees settled into their seats inside the Beverly O’Neill Theater, the lights dimmed, and a film began to play on the projectors. The large auditorium screens displayed images of iconic Long Beach landmarks, accompanied by upbeat music. Following the short video, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia took to the stage to begin

the program. The presentation gave the mayor an opportunity to showcase many of the construction projects that are either complete, in mid-construction or planned for the future. These undertakings varied from affordable-housing projects to high-end commercial buildings. Garcia started his presentation by saying the unemployment rate in Long Beach was 4.7 percent– compared to 5.2 percent in December last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The mayor said that there are approximately 9,000 new jobs in development since the 2007 recession and that some of those jobs are a result of the ongoing construction labor happening throughout Long Beach. The mayor continued by discussing some of the residential units that are either complete or are in the planning stages. These projects include senior housing and living spaces for low-income families. “We are building affordable housing for all levels of affordability,” Garcia said. He believes the housing plans currently in development are financially feasible for low-income working families, seniors, previous

Courtesy City of LB

CSULB Downtown Village will house approximately 1,100 students and staff. The facility will include classrooms, living spaces and art galleries.

and current homeless veterans and recent college graduates. Garcia told the Signal Tribune, shortly after the event, that the City isn’t planning on expanding more

into the east side of Long Beach. He said that portion of the city stands as a suburban environment. He said that focusing housing projects in the downtown area of Long Beach

will improve the city’s economy. During the event, the mayor stated that government officials across the country are discussing the imsee DEVELOPMENTS page 14

For the birds

Plan for development near southeast LB whittles down height of hotel. CJ Dablo Staff Writer

Source Longbeach.gov

On June 1, the Long Beach Planning Commission voted to recommend that the city council approve the Southeast Area Specific Plan, known as the SEASP, which intends to create a vision for the next 50 years of a popular area in the city. The planned development area includes the MarketPlace, Marina Pacifica and parts of the Los Cerritos Wetlands. The above map highlights some of the new proposed land uses.

Bundt Bites

June 9, 2017

There’s a delicate balance that Long Beach city leaders and staff have to take when they dream about what the next 50 years would look like for a certain part of southeast Long Beach– an area that’s already home to commercial and retail development, upscale housing and a protected wetlands zone. The Planning Commission last week laid the groundwork for a new plan to take a next step in the approval process for the area. It took more than three years for a plan for the next half century to get to this point. The new one– the Southeast Area Specific Plan (SEASP)– aims to replace the for-

mer Southeast Area Development and Improvement Plan (SEADIP), which had been adopted in 1977. According to the SEASP documents available from the City’s website, the area is the city’s oldest planning district and includes several underutilized and aging properties as well as about 175 acres of undeveloped wetlands. On June 1, the Long Beach Planning Commission effectively voted to recommend that the city council approve the SEASP, which intends to create a vision for the next 50 years for the area that includes the MarketPlace, Marina Pacifica and parts of the Los Cerritos Wetlands. The goal of the new SEASP will provide a guide for future land use, mobility and environmental features, according to SEASP documents. There are specific guidelines that will also protect the wetlands,

see WETLANDS page 14

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