Long Beach Construction (Planned, Proposed, & Current)

[LAMetroGuy]

[citywatch]

^ That's AMAZING! However, I hope it's not like one of those sites that will sit vacant for months & months or yrs before any actual work is under way. I recall a major property on Wilshire in Westwood being like that several yrs ago, before the owner finally was able to complete his highrise condo devlpt.

I still think of DT LB as a place where only a few big projs, or no more than one, can be underway at the same time. But I don't think my raised expectations are now going to make me too demanding & impatient, because look at all the projs that are going on in DT San Diego or, hell, China. So I wanna say, more, more, more!

Now why the heck aren't there more highrise projs going on in DT LA too??!!

[LAMetroGuy]

It is my understanding that development will begin this month, June. The developers wanted to maxamize parking profits at the site for the last two big Long Beach events (Grand Prix and Gay Pride) which combined draw hundreds of thousands to downtown LB.

According to the developer, ground will break during the 2nd Quarter 2005.

[LAMetroGuy]

I've updated the first page to reflect the recent postings for Long Beach, including all the Promenade projects!

[LAMetroGuy]

[LAMetroGuy]

By Don Jergler
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — Pine Avenue businesses are pining for the days of old when bars and clubs could close late.
An association representing downtown interests plans to ask the City Council Tuesday to expand hours to 1:30 a.m. for all entertainment businesses on Pine Avenue.

Some businesses do stay open as late as 2 a.m., but business advocates said they want the rules more evenly applied to create a true entertainment district.

Downtown Long Beach Associates said Wednesday that it may even eventually ask the council to allow businesses to operate past the 2 a.m. cutoff for serving alcohol.

The decision by the DLBA Board comes in time to support Smooth's Sports Grille owner John Morris, who is battling efforts by the city to limit the operational hours of Pine Avenue bars and forcing him to install a sprinkler system under his new canopy.

Morris, who opened his business at 144 Pine Ave. as Mum's in 1988, changed the establishment's name to Smooth's last year and added the canopy to provide cover for patio diners.

The city has required Morris to reapply for his entertainment permit. Under the requirements, the city is asking the City Council to place restrictions on Smooth's entertainment permit that prevent amplified music from being played on the outside patio on the second floor after 10 p.m.

Those restrictions, which treat Smooth's as a new business, also require him to close earlier.

Morris, who won a lawsuit against the city for more than $75,000 for harassment two years ago, argues that Pine Avenue should be considered an entertainment district and businesses there should not have stringent restrictions on hours of operation.

"All the residents that are moving downtown, are moving down here for the downtown experience," Morris said. "And all downtowns have the late night experience."

Over the past five years, Councilman Dan Baker has asked the council to limit operation hours for all new entertainment permits issued in his 2nd District: midnight on Thursday through Friday and 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Baker said he would be willing to discuss extending hours for Pine businesses.

"I'm perfectly amenable to working with community members," Baker said. "I, for one, like the idea of an entertainment district with expanded hours of entertainment for residents and guests."

Baker said he established the standardized conditions to be fair to all new businesses opening in his district and to address concerns over police-involved incidents that occurred after closing time on Pine Avenue.

Official designation

The DLBA's request could result in Pine Avenue being declared an entertainment district by the City Council. The request is to allow all businesses, old and new, to remain open until 1:30 a.m. seven days a week.

"We want to be able to encourage a positive experience for all visitors," said DLBA President and CEO Kraig Kojian.

He said the added hours would provide visitors and residents the "true urban experience," which he views as "a place to work, dine, shop and be entertained 18 hours per day," from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m.

And Kojian could have his view of the urban experience expanded, if recommendations from an advisory group called The Pine Avenue Task Force are eventually followed.

That group has recommended that hours of operation be extended along Pine past 2 a.m. as a means to capture business from bar-goers after closing time and limit the number of drinking-related incidents that occur at that time.

Having a thriving nightlife is essential to the area's tourism and travel industry, said DLBA Board member Steve Goodling, also president and CEO of the Long Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"An entertainment district is an important element to evolve downtown," said Goodling.

Business conventions often require after-hours meetings and networking opportunities, which are key sales points when bringing conventions to the area, Goodling said.

Others hit

Smooth's isn't the only entertainment establishment being stung by the limited hours of operation.

Operators of Cafe Sevilla, a Spanish-style dining, bar and entertainment venue that serves tapas appetizers set to open in three months at 140 Pine Ave., say their locations in San Diego and Riverside are thriving at midnight.

"If we have to shut down at 12 p.m., we are just going nowhere," said Eric Van den Haute.

Establishing an entertainment district and extending hours for all businesses in the area would require a change in the municipal code. That would require a City Council vote and a public hearing, said Jim Goodin, the city's business services officer, who oversees the issuance of entertainment permits.

Even if closing times are extended, limits on when alcohol can be served are set by the California Department of Alcoholic and Beverage Control, which has the ultimate say in that matter.

"Whatever they request is obviously not binding on the state of California," said local ABC official Rick Ryan, who noted that serving limitations are judged on a case-by-case basis.

For example, Cafe Sevilla's ability to serve alcohol is limited to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays because it is a high-crime district and in an area that's "over-concentrated' with alcohol serving establishments.

Earlier cuts

That means all new businesses that want to serve alcohol would likely face earlier cutoff times than established Pine clubs and bars that can serve until 2 a.m.

Ryan said businesses can request extended hours, but that is up to ABC inspectors, who place a lot of weight on input from the city.

At Tuesday's council meeting, Morris will not only ask that his hours of operation be not limited, but also that he be allowed to continue music on his patio until 1:30 a.m., like he has since he began operating Mum's on Pine.

He will also fight efforts to force him to install a sprinkler system in his canopy, which he says is made of fire proof material.

"In 17 years on Pine Avenue, I've never had one complaint on my music," Morris said. "All I want is the same entertainment license I had with Mum's."

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

God why does california have a 2 am cutoff. its so embarrassing as well as unneccessary. It should be until 4 or 5. Were not puritans. I cant wait for the day that the dumb law is changed. I think we all need to start a petition or write to our officials demanding that they change the law to accomidate us.

[LAMetroGuy]

Extend downtown hours



After years of false starts, downtown Long Beach is finally gathering momentum as a nighttime entertainment destination. Extending late-night hours for entertainment businesses on lower Pine Avenue, as the Downtown Long Beach Business Association is recommending, makes perfect sense.
The DLBA is planning to ask the City Council to create an entertainment zone that would allow businesses to stay open as late as 1:30 a.m. The current rules are uneven; some businesses are allowed to remain open until 2 a.m., while others must close earlier.

Equalizing the closing times ought to be an easy decision for the council. It's the next logical step in Pine's evolution.

Then, the council should consider the recommendation by a Pine Avenue advisory group to allow some businesses to close past the 2 a.m. drinking cutoff time. Late-night entertainment and dining options are the hallmark of a thriving downtown.

Downtown Long Beach could use that extra boost. The council, after addressing fairness and safety concerns, ought to make it happen.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

God why does california have a 2 am cutoff. its so embarrassing as well as unneccessary. It should be until 4 or 5. Were not puritans. I cant wait for the day that the dumb law is changed. I think we all need to start a petition or write to our officials demanding that they change the law to accomidate us.

SF Assemblyman Mark Leno (D) San Francisco, attempted to get the law changed to allow for 24 hour drinking in San Francisco.

His attempt was rather parochial, and quite frankly why should SF be the only city allowed to do so?

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

I remember reading his ballot measure that wa suppose to be on this years ballot. it would have been for all cities and i think it would have been 4 am for friday sat and holidays and three am for every other night. Anyone know if its still suppose to be on a ballot or did it get pulled?

[LAMetroGuy]

Shoreline Gateway (Northwest Corner of Alamitos and Ocean)

· Mixed-use, urban infill development
· 310 residential for sale units
· 20,000 sq.ft. of retail / live-work / art gallery space









Shoreline Gateway focuses on the planning and development of a "Gateway Project" worthy of being the entrance to both the East Village Arts district and the eastern edge of downtown Long Beach. It is comprised of approximately 20,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail, gallery, cafe and civic space, parking for 650 cars which accommodates the project and provides parking for the neighborhood, and houses approximately 310 units of primarily for-sale residential with associated amenities such as a pool and fitness center.

Conceived as an "urban village" inspired by the East Village Arts District, Shoreline Gateway includes a very wide diversity of residential unit types from artist/live-work space to medium size condominiums and possibly some apartments, to large elegant high-rise homes.

Through a collaborative process, involving the redevelopment agency, city staff, local community groups and property owners, AndersonPacific, LLC has created a mixed-use plan that responds to both the iconic city requirements, as well as integrating into the existing urban framework of the adjacent neighborhoods.

[LAMetroGuy]

Officials favor entertainment zone

By Don Jergler
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — Party on Pine Avenue.
A resounding boost for nightlife on Pine came from an endorsement on Tuesday by several City Council members for making a downtown entertainment zone and extending operating hours for entertainment businesses.

In doing so, the council also handed what appears to be a victory to Pine dean John Morris, who has been battling to maintain operating hours at his Smooth's Sports Grille.

The council voted to allow Smooth's to temporarily remain open until 2 a.m. seven nights a week until plans for extended hours of operation for all entertainment businesses on the street can be voted on.

"I have been an advocate of making (Pine) an entertainment district with expanded hours of operation," said Councilman Dan Baker, who said he would consider revising recommended restrictions made by his office for all new entertainment businesses in his 2nd District, which includes Pine up to Third Street.

Baker was one of five council members to speak in favor of declaring Pine an entertainment zone.

The council put off a vote on limiting hours at Smooth's until Sept. 20, when the council will hear from two downtown groups putting together a plan to have Pine declared an entertainment zone.

Those plans may seek hours beyond the 2 a.m. alcohol serving cutoff to allow dancing and dining for club and bar patrons a move advocates of the plan see as a way to give intoxicated people a place to sober up and to boost business .

Several older bars and clubs on Pine remain open until 2 a.m., but entertainment permits issued in the last several years have been more restrictive.

Morris converted Smooth's from Mum's more than a year ago. By renaming the business and opening it under a new ownership corporation, Morris was treated by the city as a new business. City staff recommended Smooth's be required to close at midnight on weeknights. "Now I will have what I had with Mum's," said Morris, who opened the dining and drinking establishment at 144 Pine Ave. nearly 18 years ago.

The council's endorsement for Pine's nightlife and the at least temporary victory for Morris were applauded by those working to market the area.

"This is huge," said Kraig Kojian, president and CEO of the DLBA, which assesses downtown property owners to pay for safety, cleaning and marketing.

Tied to Morris' entertainment permit were safety requirements set by the Long Beach Fire Department, which has taken issue with Morris' new canopy and asked that he install a sprinkler system.

It was Baker who made the successful motion to allow Morris to temporarily operate until 2 a.m. That motion also separated those safety requirements from Morris' license.

Morris, who had originally argued that his canopy did not need to be sprinklered because it was constructed with fireproof material, agreed last week with the Fire Department to make the changes.

In another matter, the council put off a vote until its next meeting to increase hours on downtown parking meters until 9 p.m.

[LAMetroGuy]

By Don Jergler
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — Fans of the popular Mai Tai Bar in Honolulu can say "Mahalo' next month when a local version opens at the Pike at Rainbow Harbor.
The first West Coast location of the small chain is scheduled to open July 9 above the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. The 1940s-style bar will feature antiques, bamboo chairs, colorful fabrics, warm lighting and couches.

A promotion describes the tavern as "an island-style wonderland complete with Polynesian dancers."

"It's a really comfortable place to come and relax and enjoy the music," said Gail Taggart, vice president of the Mai Tai Bar. "It's cool, but it's not snotty. It's very friendly, very engaging service."

The Long Beach location will be the third in the Mai Tai Bar chain. Since opening in Hawaii in 1999, the flagship location has earned MTV's "hottest bar in Honolulu' for two years and was named by Honolulu magazine as 2005's top bar. A second location opened in 2002 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Taggart called downtown Long Beach an "up-and-coming spot."

"This whole area is really coming to life," she said.

While Bubba Gump owns the property, the family-style restaurant has no other ties to the operation.

The bar will be open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. There will be live entertainment, including reggae and island contemporary music, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and from 9:30 p.m. to midnight. There will not be a cover charge.

Half of the proceeds from the opening, which will feature music by Local Culture and Natusol, will benefit Music for the Cure, Newport Beach charity that raises money for cancer research.

The Mai Tai Bar will serve a menu of Asian-inspired fusion food, including sashimi with wasabi and flat bread. The name indicates the feature drink, of course.

"I would challenge anyone to find a better mai tai," Taggart said.

[ChrisLA]

I'm pissed off because all of these things are beginning to fall in place as I'm planning to move. Maybe I should rethink this, and keep my condo. Well its probably too late since I already have a buyer, darn. Oh well if escrow don't go through perhaps I'll rent it out. At least I'll always have a home to come back to. Anyone looking to rent a 2 bedroom condo in downtown Long Beach (lol) ?

[LAMetroGuy]

Yeah, LB is coming together pretty quick! Maybe you should rethink leaving this great city!

[citywatch]

Yea, chrisla, stick around! I like to think the best is yet to come.

[ChrisLA]

Borders at the Pike?


Restaurant owners hope talks to land the store are successful.

By Don Jergler and
Jason Gewirtz
Staff writ! ers
Thursday, June 30, 2005 - LONG BEACH � Seeking new retail tenants to drive foot traffic, developers of the Pike at Rainbow Harbor said Thursday that they are in talks with Borders Books & Music.

John S. Kokinchak, vice president of property management for specialty centers at Beachwood, Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty, said DDR is negotiating a deal with Borders in hopes of attracting shoppers and retailers alike.

"One, it's a home run. Two, it becomes a catalyst for more to happen," he said.

Negotiations are centered on 20,000 square feet of vacant space below the CineMark movie theater at the shopping center on South Pine Avenue.

Kokinchak declined to state whether DDR or the city were offering financial incentives to attract Borders.

"There's nothing that we're willing to share until the deal is done," Kokinchak said.

City spokeswoman Kathy Parsons said, "There are no city incentives at all, and we wish the developer the very best with Borders working it out."

Executives at Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Borders, the nation's No. 2 bookstore chain after Barnes & Noble, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Though filling up with restaurants like Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and California Pizza Kitchen, the Pike has been short on retailers. Some eatery owners have complained of a dearth of customers to go around.

"It's a huge food court with not a lot of other things," said Trent Warner, a co-owner of Extreme Pizza. "They promote this place with 'Shop the Pike," but maybe it would be better to say, 'Eat the Pike."

The pizza parlor has managed to stay open because of the solid lunch crowds from the Long Beach Convention Center and a brisk delivery business. Getting Borders as an anchor tenant, and neighbor, would be a welcome boost, Warner said.

The Pike's few retail offerings have failed to bring in the foot traffic "lifestyle centers," a developers' term for outdoor shopping centers, often generate. Southern California examples include the bustling Metro Pointe in Costa Mesa and The Block at Orange.

One eatery Big Dippers Belgian Fries has failed. Owner Anu Fergoda closed her specialty restaurant last month after frustrating attempts to generate business. She complained that the area of the center she was in was sometimes blocked off by construction and that the adjacent Ferris wheel took too long to open.

"The vision we were sold was there would be a bookstore, a big bookstore, that would be going in as an anchor," Fergoda said. "We waited and waited for retail because retail is the draw that brings in foot traffic. All the leases they have sold are for food. We simply can't compete. We're a snack. We can't compete for people whose destination is to go to a restaurant."

Mark Taylor, an aide to 2nd District Councilman Dan Baker, said his boss met with Borders representatives to discuss the store during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April.

There is one Borders in Long Beach in the Los Altos MarketCenter.

The 369,000-square-foot Pike is 58 percent occupied. With deals pending, Kokinchak estimates the center is close to being more than 80 percent filled.

"There are a number of conversations that are taking place with multiple tenants," he said.

The center currently is facing a court challenge as well. The state Court of Appeals in April reversed a lower court decision that allowed certain types of businesses in the 2001 construction of the Pike.

The decision could one day impact the Pike's attractions, including CineMark and the GameWorks arcade, which the environmentalists suing the city and DDR assert are not acceptable uses for coastal development. (State regulations call for uses compatible with the coastline.)

DDR and the city are waiting to see whether the state Supreme Court will hear their appeal.

Staff writer Felix Sanchez contributed to this report.

[LAMetroGuy]

Finally, a bookstore to downtown LB!!! and at > 20,000 sqf that is gonna be a big one! i hope it happens soon!

[SaF9]

what about burtrums (sp?) acres of books? I havn't been there in ages but from what I remember they have quite a selection of new and used books.

[LAMetroGuy]

Originally Posted by SaF9

what about burtrums (sp?) acres of books? I havn't been there in ages but from what I remember they have quite a selection of new and used books.

Yes, Acres of Books. That bookstore is actually on a lot which is currently planned for redevelopment. The Long Beach RDA has an RFP for that parcel and a few others, look here:



My guess is that Acres will not sourvive the redevelopment proposed for this location.

Mid-rise and high-rise developments are permitted: unlimited heights are allowed for the two parcels south of Broadway (suface parking lots to the west and old Bank of America and City Hall East to the East). While heights up to 5 stories, or 80 feet, are permitted on sites north of Broadway (vacant lot, surface parking lot, Acres of Books, and a liqour store).

You can read all about this here:

http://www.longbeach.gov/cd/project_...p)/default.asp