Long Beach looking to overhaul zoning code

Officials say comprehensive plan is a tool against overdevelopment; residents concerned about gentrification

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A rendering of a redeveloped bayfront, where residents would be able to walk, bike, shop and dine.
A rendering of a redeveloped bayfront, where residents would be able to walk, bike, shop and dine.
Courtesy City of Long Beach

The city released a draft of its proposed comprehensive plan in January that, if approved, could lead to an overhaul of decades-old zoning laws to address future development in Long Beach.

The City Council hit the pause button on adopting the plan last month, however, with some members saying that more community outreach was needed — and a number of residents raised concerns about overdevelopment and gentrification at Tuesday’s council meeting.

The plan includes conceptual proposals such as a new City Hall on the Stop & Shop property, a bayfront esplanade and marina to create a “Bay Mile,” and an oceanfront park and a parking garage in the West End, as well as increased storm-mitigation measures throughout the city, all aimed at spurring economic development and greater resiliency.

The recommendations are part of a 30-year comprehensive development and economic revitalization plan that city officials said they hope to pass this year. The draft is based on public feedback gathered during a two-year public engagement process that included meetings and surveys.

The city held its 15th public information session on Feb. 16 at the Long Beach Public Library, and city officials said that additional public sessions focusing on the second phase of the plan, an update of the city’s zoning laws, would be held later this year.

Adoption of the plan by the council is required in order to update the city’s zoning code and provide a clear, long-term direction for the city.

“Our zoning code is 30 years old,” Patricia Bourne, the city’s director of economic development, said at the Feb. 16 meeting. “It was done at a different time, a different generation, and didn’t take into account walkable downtowns, transit-oriented development and making places exciting. It was more traditional at that time, and it reflected a different population. We need to bring it up to date to reflect what this community wants for now and for the future.”

Residents raise concerns

The council was expected to hold a public hearing this month before adopting the plan, but voted 4-1 in February to postpone it, and residents have since raised a number of concerns. Civic groups have called on the city to host a detailed presentation of the plan, as opposed to the public information sessions it has held around town, in which residents broke up into groups.

“I still believe that we need sufficient time to educate our community with respect to the comprehensive plan as well as provide additional access to the information,” Councilwoman Anissa Moore said in February.

City officials insist that the plan — along with the creation of a planning board — would mitigate overdevelopment and gentrification. “What I think is cool about the comprehensive plan is that the city and residents put out there what we want to see, and then we create the zoning regulations to fit that,” council Vice President Anthony Eramo told the Herald earlier this month. “In essence, the comprehensive plan is a tool to prevent overdevelopment, because if developers come in and want to build something, instead of having to seek a variance, the zoning code is up to date based on the community’s input.”

But a number of residents aren’t convinced that the plan is a good idea. North Park residents protested outside City Hall before Tuesday’s council meeting, and cited past redevelopment efforts that they said had displaced many residents and black-owned businesses, including the construction of the Waldbaum’s shopping center in the 1980s.

“Residents feel that their voices aren’t being heard,” Marcus Tinker, a member of the Concerned Citizens of North Park, said after the meeting. “We feel that this is going to displace a lot of residents. We’re not against development; we’re against people being displaced.”

Other residents say the plan does not directly address overdevelopment.

“The reality is, once the zoning changes to match the comprehensive plan, developers would be able to build things that will probably anger some residents, without having to get a variance,” John Bendo, president of the West End Neighbors Civic Association, told the Herald. “Or they would still have the option to go for a variance if they want to go higher and denser. That’s why it’s important for residents to participate in the informational meetings, so they are aware of the proposed changes and can provide their input to the city.”

Council members and city officials emphasized that their goal is to prevent overdevelopment and residents from being displaced. “My view of the comprehensive plan is in fact to protect the people and everyone where they already live,” Eramo said at Tuesday’s meeting.