For those tracking the Land Use Element

On December 11, 2017, the City of Long Beach Planning Commission voted to advance the proposed LUE and Urban Design Element (UDE) PlaceType and Height Maps, with recommended revisions to City Council Districts 2, 4, 5, 6 through height reduction and modified land use designations. These recommendations are in addition to the 686-acre reduction proposed by City staff in the previous November maps. City staff has scheduled the revised maps to go before the City Council for consideration on March 6, 2018. This will give the community almost seven weeks for comment and consideration.

The revised maps, and descriptions of changes, can be viewed by City Council district at: www.longbeach.gov/lueude2040.

“After review by the public and Planning Commission, there have been several changes to the land use maps based on feedback,” said Patrick H. West, Long Beach City Manager. “The revised maps, which will go before City Council, take into consideration the needs of current residents and those who will join our communities in the future.”

The City is in the process of updating its Land Use Element, a document required by the State of California to ensure every city is making wise and thoughtful decisions about land use, and appropriately planning for job growth and population increases. Over the past several years, Long Beach has adopted the Downtown Plan, Midtown Specific Plan, and the Southeast Area Specific Plan, all of which account for a portion of the future need. The Land Use Element builds upon these efforts by also planning for the City’s commercial areas and mixed-use corridors. Specifically, the revised maps include the following categories of land use:

• 44 percent of the City’s land is comprised of single-family neighborhoods, which will see no changes under the revised maps.
• Approximately 19 percent of the acreage includes regional serving uses such as Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach and other infrastructure.
• 16 percent of the City’s acreage would be planned for public and private open space and parks.
• Approximately 6 percent of the City would be planned for neighborhood-scale mixed-use projects along corridors, which combine retail and office uses with housing opportunities.
• Approximately 5 percent of the City includes existing multi-family residential buildings.
• 5 percent of the City would include job generating uses in industrial or neo-industrial areas.
• 2 percent of the City would be planned for Transit Oriented Development along rail transit corridors.
• 2 percent of the City’s land use includes the Downtown area, which remains an important driver of jobs and housing.
• 1 percent of the City would be planned for traditional commercial or retail shopping centers.

With no changes to many traditional shopping centers, industrial job centers, the Port, Airport, parks and open space, as well as no changes to single-family neighborhoods, only about 16 percent of the City is available to accommodate projected housing demands. Of that approximate 16 percent, the majority is proposed for lower-density development such as three-story apartments, townhomes and small mixed-use buildings.

The City will take input regarding the revised maps via email at LUEUDE2040@longbeach.gov. The community is encouraged to visit www.longbeach.gov/lueude2040 to get involved, to learn the facts, and to gain a better understanding of this effort. Maps available on the website include the revised maps, a map of existing land uses, and previous versions of the maps from November 2017, August 2017 and February 2017 for comparison purposes.

About the City of Long Beach

Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has a highly-respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 170 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.

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