LUE Approved by the City Council

After years of debating, Long Beach City Council approves the controversial Land Use Element (LUE) measure.

The plan was passed on March 7 on an 8-1 vote. The measure increases density and height requirements in specific areas in the city. It took the City Council over 10 years to get it to a vote. There was an almost seven-hour long hearing about the measure. The hearing gave the public the opportunity to speak out about the measure.

The public hasn’t been too keen on the new LUE having voiced their displeasures last year due to the density changes concerning housing. At one-point last year the council decided to change the format to the public meetings after screaming matches ensued during one of the meetings.

Some of the concerns many residents have is that by increasing the height limits of buildings could cause parking issues. As buildings are going to allowed to be bigger they will attract more people, therefore taking parking spots in nearby residential areas.

There is also a concern that bigger buildings could attract more crime.

Many organizations have either come in support of the measure or have voiced some skepticism.

The Council of Neighborhood Organizations released a statement prior to the final vote outlining some of the provisions they were looking to be included. One of these provisions include “an architectural design commission to review all developments for design, form and appropriateness.”

They emphasized that they wanted to see language in the proposal that said the city council had final say in the “submissions plans and adjustment and alteration by the development department.”

One organization supporting the measure is the Downtown Long Beach Alliance. According to its website, the DLBA is “dedicated to the management, marketing, security, maintenance, advocacy, economic and community development of its two assessment districts in cooperation with the City of Long Beach and the private sector.”

According to the Long Beach Report, the measure also had many different provisions including requiring staff members to provide information on traffic studies, historic district, parking future development and “the feasibility” of including education as part of the plan.

All nine council members had specific changes in the measure each that affected areas in their respective districts. Some of these amendments decreased building height requirements.

One of the specific changes is on Council District 8 that reduces the height limit from four stories to three stories along Long Beach Boulevard from Scherer Park to the 710 Freeway.

Some of the other changes include in District 7 a reduction in height limit from four to three stories on the south side of the Wardlow Road, an increase in height limit from five stories to seven stories on the north side of the Pacific Coast Highway and many more.

Councilman Daryl Supernaw was the only dissenting vote. He did however also make changes to the measure that included height reductions in many parts of his district. He was unavailable to comment on the measure.

There still needs to be a revision and recirculation of a “Program EIR,” which needs to be approved by the City Council along with the revised maps.

The last time the LUE was updated was in 1989. Issues involving land and building requirements are politically risky, as many residents have strong opinions on issues that could affect their way of living. Now that the LUE has passed it is a measure that could affect them for years to come.

eduardo@beachcomber.news