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Mostly Cloudy Developers make case for Superblock
Zoning board hears mixed reaction from residents
With a plan to build the two tallest structures in Long Beach — and the first mix of retail shops along the boardwalk in recent memory — a Manhattan-based developer went before the Zoning Board of Appeals on Jan. 23 and asked for approval to build on the long-vacant Superblock property.
iStar Financial, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, asked the zoning board for a height and density variance to develop a new mixed residential and commercial development on the 6-acre parcel between Riverside and Long Beach Boulevards, East Broadway and the boardwalk. The project would include two 15-story buildings — approximately 50 feet taller than the city’s current height limit of 110 feet — with 522 one- and two-bedroom luxury rental apartments, along with 11,000 square feet of retail space for a handful of shops along the boardwalk.
Additionally, a 6,000-square-foot promenade would “integrate” with the new boardwalk and be devoted to public space with café tables, benches and other amenities.
“We’re inviting the public into the space off the boardwalk, with a couple of shade structures and a little common area for folks to hang out, and have … retail on the boardwalk,” iStar Executive Vice President Karl Frey told the Chamber of Commerce on Jan. 22. “We don’t know how many stores will be in that 11,000 square feet — you can guess six or seven — it might be [fewer] if we have a larger restaurant take up one of those spaces.”
There would be 937 parking spaces for residents and guests, and 23 spots would be designated for retail parking.
iStar already has approval to develop the property: In 2006, the city rezoned the Superblock, allowing for two 110-foot-tall buildings with 425 condominium and hotel units. Frey, however, said that that plan would not be economically viable in today’s market.
The current project, he said, would take up significantly less space on the property. Though the new towers are taller, Frey described them as more slender, offering better ocean views than the previous plan.
