Long Beach Construction (Planned, Proposed, & Current)

[LB Life07]

has anyone paid a visit to the olson website www.133promenade.com if you go to there gallery section they have some really nice images of what the projects will look like when there complete. The highlight is a virtual tour that you can select which is very impressing!!

[drisee]

133 promenade i'm not a fan of. reminds me of a stucco hospital or something. sure the rooms inside look contemporary and nice but the look from the outside leaves a lot to be desired. just nothing special about it at all...very blah in choice of architecture and materials.

Homeless problem, i have some info to share. The problem seems to be a combination of things. According to the law people are allowed to "picnic" in the park up to a certain time. The definition for picnic is a little loose so instead of people picnicking we get bums sleeping but it's hard to enforce. The real problem seems to be the following. One is that there is no law making it illegal for them to be fed/supported by outsiders. So that's why you see people roll up with food and clothing and it's legal for them to do that. The other problem is the church and cedar, one block away allows them to sleep there. So basically the hang out all day in the park until park closing, which i think is 8 and then a lot of them take up space at the church. So they're being supported from two downtown locations. So who is allowing this to happen, one of the main ones is bonnie lowenthal, councilmember.

so unless we can fight to get these rules changed they will continue to hang out. Most other cities just move to their support systems to the outskirts of town, which we should do as well. nothing "bums" me out more then seeing in the heart of our downtown, it's bull shit!!!

That are will eventually be redeveloped to some degree although it will probably take a few years.

[want2beaqui]

I live in downtown long beach and have to say i love it, i guess i am just more tolerable of the homeless around here. Its not bad to me at all i see about 10 walking the street sat dusk and i just mind my business and so do they. Actaully had a full on conversation with one walking by my apt the other day. Most are just people who have fell on hard times and are just mindin thier business and then there are the mentally ill which i do not knwo what to think about them out and about.

[downinit]

(Sorry for the long and rambling post, but I just had to get something off my chest.)

I want to see downtown lb prosper as much as anyone, and I noticed how much potential it has as soon as I moved here in 2004. One of the things that attracted me to the area is that there is was a vast array of different restaurants, ranging from fast food to fine dining, with everything in between. Especially when you venture a few blocks down to Anaheim street. There were very few national chains. Almost all of the restaurants were either one of a kind like or very small, local chains. L B had a personality to it that was very different from the vast suburban wastelands that are all clones of each other with the same exact stores and restaurants. Wal-mart was the biggest blight in the area, attracting all the trash that wal-marts attract wherever they open. Since then, all the restaurants that have opened are boring national chains that can be found in every other neighborhood, and the ones that are being pushed out are the smaller places that you don't have anywhere else. Someone in here complained that they wanted a cheesecake factory here, but aren't there enough of those everywhere else in the area already. Meanwhile, the Long Beach Cafe, which has a menu that is surprisingly almost as vast as the menu at the Cheese Factory, is soon to be ran out of town to build more high-rises. Then there is the new Quiznos, next to the Subway, when Modicas is only a block away, and much better. (I have no association to any restaurant, nor do I have loyalty to any one place. It is in variety that I find culinary happiness) It is so sad that people insist on eating over and over again at the exact same restaurants with food that tastes exactly the same at every one of their 1000+ locations. I dont even want to know what magic secret chemicals and processing they use to maintain such consistancy, but just look at how natural McD's is and you will see my point. The less chemists involved in the preparation of my meal, the better. Personally, I would rather drive 30 min to eat somewhere I have never been to before, than walk 5 minutes to get another boring meal at one of the chains by the aquarium.

Which brings about my second concern. A few years ago, there were apts all over dt lb, but condos were few and far between. Now that they are adding 4-5k over the next few years, it seems to be the exact opposite, and now some of the few apts remaining are trying to convert to condos. High rises and mid rises are going up in every vacant lot, and every one of them is a condo or "loft". All the parking lots are disappearing, with the price at the few remaining lots doubling. Thanks to ridiculous rules by the coastal commission, and greed of developers, the new housing going up is all being build with an insufficient number of parking spots for the number of units being built. If you have a couple living in a 1 bedroom(which is only given/allowed 1 spot, or if you have a couple and a renter in a 2 bed unit with 1 or 2 spots, then there is 1 more car per unit than there is parking, multiplied by lets say 1000 units(assuming 20% of the 5k units is included in one of the above scenarios) , is 1000 people who will need to find parking in a city that just tore out all the public parking lots to build condos.
In addition to the parking problems, the vast supply, combined with the dead real estate market means that the value of everyone's dt property will continue to plummet, including the value of the newly built units that are suffering to find buyers. I would like to know where the city learned about 5k singles or childless couples making at least low 6 figure incomes who would love to move to dt lb, into a 1 or 2 bed condo. Especially since with all this building boom, not a single building is adding any jobs that will employ these young professionals. The only jobs added to dt in the last few years are construction(which is temporary and fleeting) and restaurant (waiters and cooks cant afford $400-900k condos).

I'm all for the construction of skyscrapers and building up dt lb. But would it kill these developers to build an office building, along with the condos? The low vacancy rate in the area was already discussed earlier in the thread, so that is not the issue. But if you want to attract young professionals with 6 figure incomes, you need to add jobs for these people, since adding 5k commuters leaving dt lb every morning will make the lb traffic much worse. And that reminds me of the last thing I liked about lb- the traffic was much lighter here than most other parts of socal.

The traffic, the location(on the water), and the fact that it offers a different ambience than any other parts of socal are the biggests assets this town has to offer, and I am afraid those advantages will become nullified in the years to come, which will discourage people from coming here in the first place. At least we will still have the ocean, even though it is too toxic due to the ports to actually swim in.

[LB Life07]

Originally Posted by downinit

(Sorry for the long and rambling post, but I just had to get something off my chest.)

I want to see downtown lb prosper as much as anyone, and I noticed how much potential it has as soon as I moved here in 2004. One of the things that attracted me to the area is that there is was a vast array of different restaurants, ranging from fast food to fine dining, with everything in between. Especially when you venture a few blocks down to Anaheim street. There were very few national chains. Almost all of the restaurants were either one of a kind like or very small, local chains. L B had a personality to it that was very different from the vast suburban wastelands that are all clones of each other with the same exact stores and restaurants. Wal-mart was the biggest blight in the area, attracting all the trash that wal-marts attract wherever they open. Since then, all the restaurants that have opened are boring national chains that can be found in every other neighborhood, and the ones that are being pushed out are the smaller places that you don't have anywhere else. Someone in here complained that they wanted a cheesecake factory here, but aren't there enough of those everywhere else in the area already. Meanwhile, the Long Beach Cafe, which has a menu that is surprisingly almost as vast as the menu at the Cheese Factory, is soon to be ran out of town to build more high-rises. Then there is the new Quiznos, next to the Subway, when Modicas is only a block away, and much better. (I have no association to any restaurant, nor do I have loyalty to any one place. It is in variety that I find culinary happiness) It is so sad that people insist on eating over and over again at the exact same restaurants with food that tastes exactly the same at every one of their 1000+ locations. I dont even want to know what magic secret chemicals and processing they use to maintain such consistancy, but just look at how natural McD's is and you will see my point. The less chemists involved in the preparation of my meal, the better. Personally, I would rather drive 30 min to eat somewhere I have never been to before, than walk 5 minutes to get another boring meal at one of the chains by the aquarium.

Which brings about my second concern. A few years ago, there were apts all over dt lb, but condos were few and far between. Now that they are adding 4-5k over the next few years, it seems to be the exact opposite, and now some of the few apts remaining are trying to convert to condos. High rises and mid rises are going up in every vacant lot, and every one of them is a condo or "loft". All the parking lots are disappearing, with the price at the few remaining lots doubling. Thanks to ridiculous rules by the coastal commission, and greed of developers, the new housing going up is all being build with an insufficient number of parking spots for the number of units being built. If you have a couple living in a 1 bedroom(which is only given/allowed 1 spot, or if you have a couple and a renter in a 2 bed unit with 1 or 2 spots, then there is 1 more car per unit than there is parking, multiplied by lets say 1000 units(assuming 20% of the 5k units is included in one of the above scenarios) , is 1000 people who will need to find parking in a city that just tore out all the public parking lots to build condos.
In addition to the parking problems, the vast supply, combined with the dead real estate market means that the value of everyone's dt property will continue to plummet, including the value of the newly built units that are suffering to find buyers. I would like to know where the city learned about 5k singles or childless couples making at least low 6 figure incomes who would love to move to dt lb, into a 1 or 2 bed condo. Especially since with all this building boom, not a single building is adding any jobs that will employ these young professionals. The only jobs added to dt in the last few years are construction(which is temporary and fleeting) and restaurant (waiters and cooks cant afford $400-900k condos).

I'm all for the construction of skyscrapers and building up dt lb. But would it kill these developers to build an office building, along with the condos? The low vacancy rate in the area was already discussed earlier in the thread, so that is not the issue. But if you want to attract young professionals with 6 figure incomes, you need to add jobs for these people, since adding 5k commuters leaving dt lb every morning will make the lb traffic much worse. And that reminds me of the last thing I liked about lb- the traffic was much lighter here than most other parts of socal.

The traffic, the location(on the water), and the fact that it offers a different ambience than any other parts of socal are the biggests assets this town has to offer, and I am afraid those advantages will become nullified in the years to come, which will discourage people from coming here in the first place. At least we will still have the ocean, even though it is too toxic due to the ports to actually swim in.

A few things here bother me about your perspective on the issues going on in long beach!! Number one is the parking spaces.....if you have noticed one thing about long beach.....they are trying to create a pedestrian oriented environment! pedestrian friendly environments cater to the pedestrian much more than they cater to the person with the car!! housing in downtown areas where you don't need to have cars to get from point A to point B because most of it is around you........you say you don't want to see the traffic problems that the rest of greater LA faces but you want more opportunity for traffic issues. Right now long beach has the blue line, it has a good bus system! The MTA, Torrance transit, OCTA, and LBT, all run through parts of the city.....There also looking into implementing street cars into some of the east west corridors in the city. Another issue is the chain restaurants.....while I feel you on the subject, long beach is a big city! part of keeping people on there feet and within there city is to create options they can have close by without having to travel to Marina Del Rey, Downtown LA or Hollywood to have a Cheesecake factory or a PF changs! True it does suck for the little man but the little man can still survive under these conditions.....especially if they fill in near areas of highly populated residential areas where people can go right outside there door and find them there!! Long Beach is and will stay a unique city!! it's one of the few southern california cities with this type of urban environment that's near the water!! The only other city that has this is SD!! I think that the big name restaurants has restored bringing people back to our water front!! which has also improved business for the people who make a living on the water front by conducting tours of the harbor, renting jet ski's and whale watching tours!! The dissapearance of dead zones like parking lots are always a beautiful thing to see, especially when it's replaced with a mixed use residential or retail building!! I like the direction long beach is heading in.......as for the condo conversions....I've posted an article for you below! it's from the Gazette!

[LB Life07]

Originally Posted by downinit

(Sorry for the long and rambling post, but I just had to get something off my chest.)

I want to see downtown lb prosper as much as anyone, and I noticed how much potential it has as soon as I moved here in 2004. One of the things that attracted me to the area is that there is was a vast array of different restaurants, ranging from fast food to fine dining, with everything in between. Especially when you venture a few blocks down to Anaheim street. There were very few national chains. Almost all of the restaurants were either one of a kind like or very small, local chains. L B had a personality to it that was very different from the vast suburban wastelands that are all clones of each other with the same exact stores and restaurants. Wal-mart was the biggest blight in the area, attracting all the trash that wal-marts attract wherever they open. Since then, all the restaurants that have opened are boring national chains that can be found in every other neighborhood, and the ones that are being pushed out are the smaller places that you don't have anywhere else. Someone in here complained that they wanted a cheesecake factory here, but aren't there enough of those everywhere else in the area already. Meanwhile, the Long Beach Cafe, which has a menu that is surprisingly almost as vast as the menu at the Cheese Factory, is soon to be ran out of town to build more high-rises. Then there is the new Quiznos, next to the Subway, when Modicas is only a block away, and much better. (I have no association to any restaurant, nor do I have loyalty to any one place. It is in variety that I find culinary happiness) It is so sad that people insist on eating over and over again at the exact same restaurants with food that tastes exactly the same at every one of their 1000+ locations. I dont even want to know what magic secret chemicals and processing they use to maintain such consistancy, but just look at how natural McD's is and you will see my point. The less chemists involved in the preparation of my meal, the better. Personally, I would rather drive 30 min to eat somewhere I have never been to before, than walk 5 minutes to get another boring meal at one of the chains by the aquarium.

Which brings about my second concern. A few years ago, there were apts all over dt lb, but condos were few and far between. Now that they are adding 4-5k over the next few years, it seems to be the exact opposite, and now some of the few apts remaining are trying to convert to condos. High rises and mid rises are going up in every vacant lot, and every one of them is a condo or "loft". All the parking lots are disappearing, with the price at the few remaining lots doubling. Thanks to ridiculous rules by the coastal commission, and greed of developers, the new housing going up is all being build with an insufficient number of parking spots for the number of units being built. If you have a couple living in a 1 bedroom(which is only given/allowed 1 spot, or if you have a couple and a renter in a 2 bed unit with 1 or 2 spots, then there is 1 more car per unit than there is parking, multiplied by lets say 1000 units(assuming 20% of the 5k units is included in one of the above scenarios) , is 1000 people who will need to find parking in a city that just tore out all the public parking lots to build condos.
In addition to the parking problems, the vast supply, combined with the dead real estate market means that the value of everyone's dt property will continue to plummet, including the value of the newly built units that are suffering to find buyers. I would like to know where the city learned about 5k singles or childless couples making at least low 6 figure incomes who would love to move to dt lb, into a 1 or 2 bed condo. Especially since with all this building boom, not a single building is adding any jobs that will employ these young professionals. The only jobs added to dt in the last few years are construction(which is temporary and fleeting) and restaurant (waiters and cooks cant afford $400-900k condos).

I'm all for the construction of skyscrapers and building up dt lb. But would it kill these developers to build an office building, along with the condos? The low vacancy rate in the area was already discussed earlier in the thread, so that is not the issue. But if you want to attract young professionals with 6 figure incomes, you need to add jobs for these people, since adding 5k commuters leaving dt lb every morning will make the lb traffic much worse. And that reminds me of the last thing I liked about lb- the traffic was much lighter here than most other parts of socal.

The traffic, the location(on the water), and the fact that it offers a different ambience than any other parts of socal are the biggests assets this town has to offer, and I am afraid those advantages will become nullified in the years to come, which will discourage people from coming here in the first place. At least we will still have the ocean, even though it is too toxic due to the ports to actually swim in.

A few things here bother me about your perspective on the issues going on in long beach!! Number one is the parking spaces.....if you have noticed one thing about long beach.....they are trying to create a pedestrian oriented environment! pedestrian friendly environments cater to the pedestrian much more than they cater to the person with the car!! housing in downtown areas where you don't need to have cars to get from point A to point B because most of it is around you........you say you don't want to see the traffic problems that the rest of greater LA faces but you want more opportunity for traffic issues. Right now long beach has the blue line, it has a good bus system! The MTA, Torrance transit, OCTA, and LBT, all run through parts of the city.....There also looking into implementing street cars into some of the east west corridors in the city. Another issue is the chain restaurants.....while I feel you on the subject, long beach is a big city! part of keeping people on there feet and within there city is to create options they can have close by without having to travel to Marina Del Rey, Downtown LA or Hollywood to have a Cheesecake factory or a PF changs! True it does suck for the little man but the little man can still survive under these conditions.....especially if they fill in near areas of highly populated residential areas where people can go right outside there door and find them there!! Long Beach is and will stay a unique city!! it's one of the few southern california cities with this type of urban environment that's near the water!! The only other city that has this is SD!! I think that the big name restaurants has restored bringing people back to our water front!! which has also improved business for the people who make a living on the water front by conducting tours of the harbor, renting jet ski's and whale watching tours!! The dissapearance of dead zones like parking lots are always a beautiful thing to see, especially when it's replaced with a mixed use residential or retail building!! I like the direction long beach is heading in.......as for the condo conversions....I've posted an article for you below! it's from the Gazette!

[LB Life07]

Market Forces Reduce Condo Conversion Pace


By Kurt Helin
Editor

From 2004 to 2006, just about every Planning Commission meeting seemed to involve the approval of converting an apartment building or two into condominiums.

It’s not something seen in many other parts of Southern California, in part because Long Beach has such a high percentage of rental units (56% of residents rent) and because the city’s ordinances are more lenient in allowing the conversion.

But in the wake of all the changes, there are questions. At the top of that list are questions about the renters forced to move — were they given enough notice and help in finding new homes?

Last week, the Planning Commission got an update on the trend, the market forces behind it, and the impacts.

“I think it’s clear we have a problem,” said Commissioner Matthew Jenkins. “But it’s not just one thing, but a comprehensive problem.”

One thing the Planning Commission learned — for now, the trend has stalled.

In 2006, 1,073 apartments were approved to be converted into condominiums in 78 different buildings, and since 2004 more than 2,000 condo conversions have been approved. This year, owners have sought conversions of just 350 units in 18 buildings, although half of the unit total comes from one building (110 W. Sixth St., near Pine Avenue).

The conversions have slowed as part of an overall slowdown in the real estate market in both the region and city, the Planning Commission was told. What’s more, many of the already-approved conversions have yet to be put on the market because of the slow market.

The reasons for the rash of conversions in the first place — and why city staff almost always recommended approval — also was a topic of discussion.

According to a 2005 census track, 56% of Long Beach’s 173,000 housing units are rentals. City Council policy long had been to try to increase home ownership in the city, so for the most part, conversion of apartments to condominiums was encouraged, staff said.

Those conversions did have to meet certain standards, city staff said.

The usual sticking point has been parking. City code requires one space for one-bedroom units and 1.25 spaces for every two-bedroom unit, and those standards were held almost across the board with few variances, staff said. That basically eliminated every apartment building in the city built before 1964 from being converted, officials said.

However, the biggest and most emotional topic of the day was the treatment of those in the apartments who were forced to move.

Several speakers from Long Beach Housing talked of cases where tenants forced to move to make way for condos either got little notice or were given no guidance regarding the benefits available to them to help them move.

While the city has a relocation process in place — one that allows up to $4,000 to help tenants move — that information has rarely gotten to the tenants. City staff said the details on how to move are posted on the city’s Web site.

“I’m sure all these tenants look at your site,” Commissioner Charles Green-berg said sarcastically.

Often what happens is that the building owner gives 30 day notice and less money in an effort to push tenants out before Long Beach officials get involved, said Elina Green of the Legal Aid Foundation.

“I think if the city had a heavier hand in this relocation process we wouldn’t see some of the problems that go on,” she said.

The commission agreed to take another look at the city’s housing relocation process at an upcoming meeting. However, and changes of substance would need City Council approval.

[CityKid]

^^^ I am from Long Beach and live in San Francisco. Whenever you live in a desirable location, parking is going to be scarce. I applaud Long Beach for trying to create a pedestrian friendly environment. Downtown still has a long way to go to improve its ambiance, but increasing parking will only increase traffic. Ultimately, they will have to improve upon the public transportation network, which I understand they are taking steps toward.

I agree about the chain restaurants; however, as time progresses and downtown begins to build its character, I think more of those will appear. It has been difficult for new upcoming neighborhoods even in San Francisco to get mom and pop type of businesses (Mission Bay). Those will come later.

On a different note, I love to see how Long Beach changes. Whenever I go home, I avoid driving into Hollywood like the plague and support businesses downtown. It's the urban environment I have grown accustomed to living in San Francisco and Madrid, and I hope to see it manifest itself in its own unique Long Beach way.

[LAMetroGuy]

By Sandi Cain - 7/23/2007
Orange County Business Journal Staff

Long Beach and Anaheim are friendly rivals, vying with each other for tourists and once squaring off in a bid to land Walt Disney Co.’s second Southern California theme park.

Anaheim ended up getting the park, Disney’s California Adventure, which opened in 2001.

Since then, the two cities have taken different redevelopment paths.

Along with the new park, Anaheim expanded its convention center, saw hotels built or upgraded as well as other developments in and around the 1,100-acre Anaheim Resort District.

The redevelopment regenerated what had been a sagging tourism industry in the late 1990s.

Long Beach, which enjoyed a heyday in the late 1990s, lost some luster early in the decade due to financial setbacks and lawsuits that delayed the completion of its waterfront redevelopment and neighboring projects.

One project ran into trouble when Newport Beach-based Edwards Theatres Circuit Inc. filed for bankruptcy.

A Carnival Cruise Line facility was delayed by environmental challenges. Several hotel projects languished with a lack of financing.

Now, Anaheim faces a struggle over the resort district’s future. Developers are trying to cement zoning that would allow them to put homes within the 2.2 square mile area currently reserved for theme parks, hotels and shops.

The controversy—which could come to a citywide vote this fall—has led other property owners to hold off on plans within the resort district until the matter is settled.

Just outside the resort district at the Platinum Triangle, as many as 9,500 homes are in the works, along with 5 million square feet of office space and 2 million square feet of commercial space.

In nearby downtown Anaheim, the Colony Park development stands to add another 339 townhomes, while Harbor Lofts is bringing 129 homes.

But the issue of bringing homes next to Disneyland—or near a planned third Disney park in the area—has divided the city, with some trying to turn the zoning issue into a debate about affordable housing for Disney workers.

Across the county line, Long Beach redevelopment again has taken off on the strength of an improved economy and the efforts of Downtown Long Beach Associates, which lobbied for zoning changes to encourage development—including housing.

“We were able to change the zoning ordinance for the (waterfront) promenade in order to be able to develop residential,” said Kraig Kojian, president and chief executive of the downtown group.

More than 6,000 homes are completed or in some phase of development in downtown Long Beach. They sell for $300,000 to $3 million. Affordable housing also is part of the mix.

The zoning move in Long Beach—along with an improved economy—helped jumpstart the long-awaited Pike at Rainbow Harbor, a 369,000-square-foot retail, dining and entertainment complex valued at $130 million.

The complex helped bolster attendance at Aquarium of the Pacific, which struggled in its early years as the lone bastion of entertainment on the downtown side of the harbor. Today, it is surrounded by restaurants, a Segway store, GameWorks, shopping and nightlife at places like the trendy V2O.

That appeals to convention planners seeking a compact district where restaurants, shopping, entertainment and hotels are within walking distance of the convention center. With the completion of the Pike at Rainbow Harbor and Pine Avenue’s emergence as a dining and nightlife hot spot, Long Beach has most of those components in place.

It’s about a 10-minute walk from the convention center to the waterfront, the aquarium and to water taxis and catamarans that take visitors to Seaport Village or Catalina Island. There’s a wine-tasting bar across the street from the convention center, next door to an Irish pub. Pine Avenue is just another block away.

Both cities have turned unattractive or run-down areas into thriving spots in the past decade. And despite the recent tussle over housing, Anaheim continues to prosper.

From 1996 to 2006, revenue from Anaheim hotel occupancy taxes almost doubled to $80 million. Hotel occupancy is at 70% to 75% for the past three years—partly on the strength of convention business and Disneyland’s 50th anniversary that peaked in 2005.

Through May of this year, Anaheim hotels are 75% full, up about half a percentage point from last year.

But retail and dining projects have been slow to develop, though this year did see the debut of Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Morton’s. Some meetings and convention planners lament the lack of non-Disney shopping close to the convention center.

GardenWalk project, a 19.3-acre outdoor mall and hotel complex across from Disneyland, is under construction.

As for conventions, the nod goes to Anaheim, which has the largest facility on the West Coast at 1.6 million square feet, versus 400,000 square feet at Long Beach.

Both cities could use an expansion to draw more business.

Anaheim has explored several options for expansion, though none have been approved and funding could be an issue without the help of a business improvement district that would raise money by taxing area businesses.

An economic impact study on expansion is due back within weeks, according to Charles Ahlers, president of the Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau. But a proposed business improvement district has generated little enthusiasm from local hoteliers.

This year, Anaheim landscaped the outdoor area around the convention center’s arena to create an outdoor venue for special events.

Long Beach has no plans for expansion. Instead, Kojian said the Downtown Long Beach Associates wants to work on getting more retail into downtown.

“We have entertainment and dining and we’re getting residents (downtown),” he said. “Now we need to work on a stronger retail base.”

Anaheim, acutely aware of the same need, eagerly is awaiting the first phase of GardenWalk this fall. It stands to add restaurants Roy’s, Johnny Rockets and PF Chang’s.

Anaheim also has more hotel rooms than Long Beach. Anaheim has more than 8,000 rooms within a mile of the convention center, while Long Beach has 2,000 rooms downtown.

Several hotels are slated to open in Long Beach in the next year. Hotels planned for Anaheim are unlikely to open that soon.

Long Beach probably has the edge in ground transportation, with free mini-bus transportation in and around downtown that carried 944,000 people last year. That’s in addition to its own bus system, a light rail station that runs to downtown Los Angeles and the AquaLink catamaran that ferries passengers to visitor attractions in and around Long Beach Harbor.

Long Beach also has a cruise terminal near the Queen Mary and Catalina ferry service.

Anaheim’s resort district is served by an electric fleet of trolleys under the Anaheim Resort Transit banner. The trolleys carried about 2 million people last year.

But travel outside the resort district still is cumbersome without a car—a situation the city hopes to remedy with a long-range plan for an Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center. The city has purchased the land for the site, but faced a setback when the project failed to secure federal money.

In his 2007 state of the city remarks earlier this year, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle suggested another way to build the center: through private funding. The plan would ask businesses if they would be willing to provide funding in exchange for development rights nearby.

“We won’t dictate their vision for this 17 acres of land,” Pringle said, “but ask them for creative ideas on how to make it work.”

Both cities have significant selling points, not the least of which is their attraction as tourist destinations—a factor often considered by convention planners who want to bolster attendance.

Long Beach estimates it had about 5 million visitors last year, who spent $343 million while in town. Figures for Anaheim alone aren’t available. But Orange County had 45 million visitors—the bulk in Anaheim—who spent $8 billion.

In Anaheim, convention planners often cite the family-friendly atmosphere and proximity to Disneyland as reasons for choosing the city.

In Long Beach, proximity to the waterfront is a plus.

“Everybody wants to be by the sea,” said Mary Russell, president and chief executive of Hamilton Group Meeting Planners in Tustin, who has arranged conventions in both cities.

Long Beach is “very affordable” compared to other waterfront locations, Russell said.

Still, competition for tourist dollars is fierce. A couple of conventions have used both Anaheim and Long Beach in recent years, most recently Anime, a convention of about 15,000 fans of the Japanese animation sensation.

And no one yet knows what impact the addition of housing to the resort district would have on convention business in Anaheim.

“Right now, we have a shortage of first-class rooms in Anaheim,” Ahlers said. “If those aren’t developed as intended, it could stunt our growth.”

Sports Towns

Long Beach and Anaheim share something in common—they often play second fiddle to Los Angeles in the national mindset.

In many other states, Long Beach and Anaheim would be the leaders.

Long Beach, No. 5 among California cities with about 475,000 people, has roughly the same population as Atlanta.

Anaheim, No. 10 in California with 334,000 people, is about the same size as Cincinnati.

Together, the two cities have almost as many people as the state of Montana.

But in Southern California, they have to be noticed for something other than size or tourist attractions. Sports is one way.

Both cities have hosted Olympic trials—swimming in Long Beach and gymnastics in Anaheim. Long Beach now is part of the AVP volleyball tour and hosts several sailing regattas. The annual Long Beach Grand Prix showcases downtown Long Beach each spring. The city lost its popular Ice Dogs minor league hockey team earlier this year.

Anaheim’s teams—hockey’s Anaheim Ducks and baseball’s Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim—each have reached the top of their sports in recent years, bringing the Stanley Cup and World Series trophy to Anaheim.

Last year, a new NBA developmental team, the Arsenal, began play in Anaheim, and it hosts several cheerleading and college basketball tournaments each year.

—Sandi Cain

[regboi21]

What are some ideas do you all have about what Downtown Long Beach will look like 30 or so years from now below are my ideas.

1. long beach could have a fantastic skyline like downtown los angeles has now with 40 to 80 storey buildings most of them probably where the east village is example in the alamitos ave area.

2.More light and heavy rail lines like extending the metro blue to the orange county area example seal beach.

3.More parks and recreational buildings in the downtown area.

4.Improving the popular corridors like long beach blvd and atlantic ave exp tearing down and redeveloping all the buildings along those streets.

[LB Life07]

LONG BEACH - Designers for the ambitious Shoreline Gateway project have revised their plans for a "squat" 22-story tower to a 35-story residential tower, giving the new version a lean sail-like

The Gateway Tower s newest proposed design is a 35-story building on the northwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue in downtown Long Beach. This view is looking north from Shoreline Drive. (Artist s rendering)look.

The building, dubbed the "Gateway Tower," is planned for the northwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue, and would join the historic landmark Villa Riviera and the distinctive International Tower at the intersection.

A community meeting on the project will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at the First Congregational Church, 241 Cedar Ave.

The revised Gateway Tower prompted high praise by the city's Planning Commission members, who heard a presentation on the plans


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on July 19. The project is undergoing further environmental reviews before any final approval can be granted.

"This new proposal is a vast improvement of the previous scheme, which was not elegant in its massing or design," said Leslie Gentile, Planning Commission chairwoman. "The 'gateway' was a squat building with little of the apparent character warranted by this corner."

The project, by Los Angeles-based Anderson Pacific, LLC, remains consistent with the developer's September 2006 plans, except for the first tower.

Anderson Pacific officials told the commission that plans for the revised Gateway Tower are the first part of a two-phase effort. Developers want to start the project so construction will not be held up while adjacent properties are purchased to make room for the other buildings: a 15- to 19-story "Terrace Tower" and a 10-story "Courtyard Tower."

The height of the proposed 35-story residential tower, according to planners, will be about 417 feet with 358 units, including townhouses, one- to three-bedroom apartments, penthouses and 13,561 square feet of retail and gallery spaces.

There also would be amenities, including a rooftop pool, planners said.

They told the commission that the revised project is more pedestrian friendly.

For example, they said, Lime Avenue would be cleared between Medio Street and Ocean Boulevard for an elliptical-shaped paseo.

The leaner tower, the planners said, provides a wider separation between the buildings, giving the surrounding area more light and shoreline breeze.

Gentile agreed, saying that the revised project "maintains and complements the rhythm of Ocean Boulevard."

She also predicted the lean tower's distinctive style - including its ability to catch the reflection of the shoreline water - would draw visitors to the city.

"These are the type of projects that make great cities - iconic towers and buildings can create excitement beyond their city limits," she added. "Although a tall order to place on one building, this project's direction promises to do so."

According to the project planners, vehicular access would be available from Ocean Boulevard, Atlantic Avenue and Medio Street.

Bronce Way alley would be relocated, according to the plans, to the northern edge of the project site, serving as a one-way access to the townhouse units.

Parking for about 820 vehicles would be made available, the planners said, in three subterranean parking levels and in concealed parking structures - hidden by townhouses and retail sites.

[LB Life07]

^ LA Metro Guy if you go to the press telegram website there is a render of the new project attached with this article, I don't know how to post these things but I know you do, I was hoping you could post it on the thread in place of the old gateway project!

[CityKid]

^^^ The image that accompanies the above article from www.presstelegram.com:

[LB Life07]

thanks for posting the image CityKid!!!

[Echo Park]

Is there anything slated for the parking lot across the street from the 1st st. blue line station? I haven't been keeping up with this thread but I'm just wondering why a great location like that has been empty for such a long time.

[downinit]

I have taken the blue line as much as anyone who has a car and doesn't commute to work on it would ever ride it. It is a great idea which is very poorly implemented. In any other city I've been in, right of way is given to the train in an intersection, yet on the blue line in LB, you pull out of every station, only to stop a few feet down at the light, which just turned red. Then you stop at 2 or 3 other lights before getting to the next station. It takes almost as long to go 4 miles in LB than it does to go the rest of the way to LA, where the train gets traffic right of way, because people in compton have to yield to the train, where in LB, the train has to yield to the people. And god forbid you have to catch the train at 6th st or 1st street(where all the housing is being added), since the train is 1-way, with an often lengthy stop-over at the transit plaza, it may be 30 minutes before you get 2 miles north to PCH. The bottom line is it just takes too long to get there, but the bigger problem is that most people do not work near a metro rail station, and getting most people on a bus is just not gonna happen. I wish I could get rid of my car and take the train everywhere, but that is not a reality here like it is in many other large urban centers. Especially when everyone votes against mass transit, complaining about the cost and not wanting to have it in their own backyard. Everyone who has a job in socal needs a car, so if 2 people are buying a condo together in LB, they need 2 cars(and a place to park 2 cars). Maybe if they added jobs to the area, which no one seems to be doing, then they could live/work here and not need a parking spot, but that is not what is happening. If you look at any large downtown area, SF/NY/LA/SD, you will notice most of the buildings are office buildings, not residences, the residences are only there because people work there already. You cannot just build condo after condo and expect a metropolis to rise. And part of the problem with parking in other metro areas is that the need for parking arose after the building up of the area, with LB, they are often working with a clean slate, since so much of the area was empty lots a few years ago. Would it really be too much for the city to demand all these new buildings add 1 more level of parking to their structures, to accommodate all the growth they wish to attain.

I do understand the chain restaurant thing, I just don't like to see it over and over again. Its like mcdonalds and walmart, appeal to the lowest common denominator and you will make a ton of money, because the lcd is a very large percentage of the population. I just hope some independents can survive, otherwise LB will become just another subdivision, with taller buildings. Especially if the developers get their way and bulldoze the east village arts district to build more boring condos. Its just sad to see so much of the world starting to look alike, even the mini-malls in asia are starting to resemble our suburbs, with home depots, best buys, and sports authorities anchoring a mcdonalds, subway, and a denny's. Globalization is making the world a very boring place to explore.

[LAMetroGuy]

Originally Posted by downinit

Especially if the developers get their way and bulldoze the east village arts district to build more boring condos.

I'm for bulldozing even more boring surface parking lots and have mixed-use condos. To me the East Village Arts district seems a bit forced and it needs some thing more iconic to bring visitors.

[LAMetroGuy]

Originally Posted by Echo Park

Is there anything slated for the parking lot across the street from the 1st st. blue line station? I haven't been keeping up with this thread but I'm just wondering why a great location like that has been empty for such a long time.

URBAN GROWTH LONG BEACH / RELATED COMPANIES are planning on building two towers, a 22-story loft- condominium building and a 14-story soft-loft condominium building.

[LAMetroGuy]

Originally Posted by CityKid

^^^ The image that accompanies the above article from www.presstelegram.com:

The Gateway Tower (35 floors at 417 feet) will be Long Beach's tallest building by 20 feet! It will surpas the 27-story World Trade Center which currently stands at 397 feet.

[kevininlb]

Originally Posted by CityKid

^^^ The image that accompanies the above article from www.presstelegram.com:

Neat. That corner needs something fantastic and this looks like it.