Central Long Beach could soon be the site of new types of development

The next meeting for Long Beach’s City Council includes key decisions affecting future development from downtown to the city’s north side.

The council may adopt new plaing rules intended to promote investments along a stretch Long Beach Boulevard ruing from Anaheim Street to Earlier Road. Other decisions on Tuesday’s agenda include the potential sales of three city-owned lots that would be dealt as part of city govement’s continuing efforts to sell former redevelopment agency properties to private developers.

Midtown Plan

Long Beach plaers are seeking to transform Long Beach Boulevard and its adjacent parcels into a corridor that can attract transit-oriented development, while also being more accommodating to pedestrians. The plan would create new standards for future development along Long Beach Boulevard between Wardlow Road and Anaheim Street.

According to a staff report, Long Beach Boulevard had been a central location for car dealerships and related enterprises during the 1960s and 1970s, but an exodus of businesses occurred in the 1980s and the area has never completely regained its lost economic vitality.

The new plan, formally dubbed the Midtown Specific Plan, is the product of city plaers’ efforts to ease the rules goveing 369-acres of land on either side of Long Beach boulevard, making them more amenable to developments that cater to people who get around by using public transit, bicycles or walking.

Elements of the plan:

• The plan would create four kinds of districts, called transit node, corridor, medical and open space, along the boulevard.

The three transit node districts would be centered on Blue Line stations at Anaheim Street, Pacific Coast Highway and 27th Street, north of Willow Street. Development guidelines for these places would allow for buildings to be as tall as 10 stories with residential units or office space on top of stores, restaurants, entertainment venues or other types of businesses at ground level.

• The corridor district, by contrast, would generally be the designated as places for residential buildings and businesses, but buildings would not be allowed to be as tall as they would within the transit node districts.

• The medical district would continue to be the site of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and other health care facilities. The open space district would be set aside for parks and community spaces.

• New gas stations, drive-thru restaurants or bus yards would be prohibited from the midtown plaing area.

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Land deals

City govement’s efforts to sell off former redevelopment agency properties may continue with a trio of proposed sales. The new proposals follow the council’s approval of the $7 million sale of the 100 E. Ocean Blvd. lot to American Life, Inc. for a new luxury hotel. Officials also approved a tax sharing deal with American Life.

The lots:

• A 1,250-square foot lot at 120 E. Third St. in the downtown area may be sold for $480,000 to William Morris Commercial, Inc. The developer, which has its office in Long Beach, would convert a vacant two-story building into an office building with space for a business incubator and co-working space for small businesses and firms in creative enterprises.

• The council may also approve the sale of a 45,280-square-foot parking lot at 127-135 E. Broadway, which is also in the downtown area, for $8.2 million. The prospective buyer, Raintree-Evergreen, LLC of Laguna Niguel plans to invest $53 million to develop an apartment complex with electric vehicle charging stations, bicycle storage space. Twenty parking spaces would remain available for the Insurance Exchange Lofts condominium project, next door to this property.

• The third potential deal on Tuesday’s agenda involves the proposed sale of a 75,376-square-foot property at 5100 Long Beach Boulevard, in North Long Beach, to the Irvine firm of City Ventures, LLC for $2.5 million. A sale would allow City Ventures to invest $15.6 million to develop 42-townhome project with guest parking and a garage for each dwelling.

The council is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.