Long Beach Construction (Planned, Proposed, & Current)

[LAMetroGuy]

DaveofCali, the West Ocean Towers are moving along nicely! Can't weight to see this thing built.

[LAMetroGuy]

Originally Posted by LAMetroGuy

Promenade Lofts (aka 3rd Street Lofts)



Architect: KTGY Group, Irvine, CA

Project Size:

30 units - 1,000 s.f. up to 2,500 s.f.
7 stories, ground floor commercial

Project Concept:

City Place is a mixed-use redevelopment masterplan in the heart of downtown long Beach. The project includes eight (8) city-blocks, including 450,000 s.f. of retail and 330 units of high-end market rate condominiums and apartments. Developers Diversified Realty is the developer for all retail portions of the project.

As part of this mixed-use project, Promenade Lofts will provide a combination of flats, lofts with internal mezzanines, and penthouse units as part of the for-sale housing component, starting at $259,990 and ranging up to $599,000.

Here is another image of the same project... I'm not sure which one will be final... both are cool and nice infill!

[DaveofCali]

Dang, the area around Pine Avenue is getting pretty damn built up. Pine Avenue looks a lot different now than just 5 years ago.

[LongBeachUrbanist]

Spent some time on Pine Avenue this past Saturday afternoon. Had lunch and coffee, then saw a movie.

Even very recently there used to be nothing going on in DTLB during the day, only at night. That definitely has changed. The Greek place where I had lunch was very crowded, esp. the outdoor seating. Bars and coffeehouses were full.

I still think the City Place area is ugly as all hell. But that's OK. I'll spend my time on Pine Avenue, and some other people prefer City Place. They are coexisting and complementing each other, and that's how redevelopment should work.

The deadzones are disappearing gradually. Too gradually for my taste, but oh well. I wish they had lined up the City Place path with the "Promenade". Then maybe there would be some new developments there.

[LAMetroGuy]

deadzones are disappearing, the gradual part is to be expected with all the red tape from goverment interest. But at least it's happening, eventually the turtle crossed the finish line!

[LAMetroGuy]

Appeals court reverses decision that cleared way for development.

By Don Jergler
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — A California Court of appeals has reversed a decision that cleared the way for building the Pike at Rainbow Harbor, handing a win to environmentalists who are seeking to replace or demolish the CineMark theater and GameWorks video arcade, restaurant and bar at the center.
It was not immediately clear whether any changes to the Pike could be forced by the ruling.

The decision by the 3rd Appellate District Court in San Francisco announced Thursday is a rare loss in a land-swap case involving the State Lands Commission, which lifted regulations to protect coastal area on the Pike property in exchange for applying similar protections to a Long Beach (710) Freeway greenbelt near the downtown offramps.

The decision came as a surprise to the SLC.

"We generally prevail," said SLC spokesman Paul Thayer, who was examining the ruling with attorneys Thursday evening.

The ruling forces the SLC board to either appeal the ruling, or bring the two businesses into compliance with usage regulations on the waterfront shopping and entertainment center.

"This puts the project back to ground zero," said environmentalist Don May, who headed the California Earth Corps' challenge to a decision to exempt certain parcels in the Pike from tidelands restrictions requiring ocean-or harbor-related uses, such as navigation, fishing, restaurants and limited commerce.

The ruling essentially reinstates those restrictions, leaving in the dark the future of the CineMark and GameWorks, which May wants replaced with other businesses that fit the approved usage for coastal areas.

Or, he suggested, "tear them down and put it back to the original use," a use that May believes was intended for open space, like a park or walkway.

The Pike has several national restaurants, such as P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Outback Steak House, Islands Fine Burgers and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and a handful of retail stores. May said the restaurants fit into the tidelands restrictions, and the environmentalists are not seeking removal or replacement of any eating establishments at the Pike.

Thayer said it is too early to determine whether the SLC will consider challenging Thursday's ruling in a higher court.

"One of the options available to us would be to petition a review for the California Supreme Court," Thayer said.

California Earth Corps filed its challenge in 2001 over the Queensway Bay land-use exchange between the city and SLC. The exchange paved the way for building six parcels on 10 acres of public-trust land.

Over the life span of the court battle between Earth Corps, SLC and the developer, the Pike has been slowly filling with tenants, but the center has struggled to fill some retail space, in part because of the coastal restrictions.

Attorneys for Developers Diversified Realty, the developer and operator of the Pike, were not immediately available for comment.

The appellate court heard the case on Feb. 18. In issuing its decision, the court said that the SLC's "approval of the exchange was not supported by the evidence."

Thayer said that because decisions against land swaps are rare, it's not clear whether the SLC will take the decision to a higher court.

The SLC has such challenges come up about five times per year, and the last time the SLC lost a major tidelands exchange ruling was in 1973, in a case involving the upper Newport Bay, Thayer said.

[LongBeachUrbanist]

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf::wtf:

[LAMetroGuy]

these environmentalists probably were unaware that before Gameworks and the Theaters there was a big dirt lot for over 20 years... and why didn't they "do something" about it back then?

honestly, do you really think they will tear down the Pike? I HIGHTLY doubt it!

[LAMetroGuy]

Segway store to open at the Pike

Long Beach to get Segway store at the Pike in May

By Don Jergler
Staff writer

LONG BEACH — In metropolitan areas around the world some day, people might step from trains and buses, slide a credit card through a kiosk and zip to work at 12 mph on a human transporter.
The commuter of the future is the focus of Segway's new President and CEO James D. Norrod, who sees cities like Long Beach as staging grounds on the path to his vision.

The Segway Human Transporter — is three years on the market.

Thanks to a marketing ploy touting a "revolutionary device" under secret development branded as a dud after the Segway's release four years ago, many people have heard of it .

Now, the battery-powered units, which look like an old-fashioned lawnmower in reverse, are beginning to appear in metropolitan areas under an aggressive campaign to market the device for commuting, recreation and tourism.

Bedford, N.H.'s Segway LLC has 90 dealerships in North America, including a Segway store set to open May 20 at the Pike at Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach.

Segways are also being sold through Brookstone and on Amazon.com.

"A year from now, you'll look up and see several areas where we are the connecting line between the end of the mass transit system to the workplace, and back," Norrod said.

The company is working with transit agencies and city governments worldwide.

In Seattle, Segways are available at the end of commuting lines. Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago are other cities where Segways are gaining popularity.

"Our goal is to have complete coverage in the metropolitan areas," Norrod said, adding that Long Beach is "a perfect market for us."

The Segway store at the Pike brings another retailer to a center heavy on restaurants and light on retailers. Aside from selling the $4,995 units, the store also rents the units, and has a tour of downtown Long Beach on Segway.

Because tourism is expected to account for at least half the store's business, it qualifies under state tidelands restrictions as an entertainment-related businesses. Because it is a coastal development and subject to tidelands regulations, the Pike is limited in the types of businesses it can open.

The one-hour and 45-minute tour will cost $75. An Apple ipod will provide a recording of historical facts about the city — the store owner is in talks with Olympic swimmer Janet Evans to provide the voice — with content generated from the Long Beach Historical Society and the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

After basic instruction, Segway riders are guided past the Aquarium of the Pacific, Queen Mary, Rainbow Harbor, Shoreline Village, Belmont Pier and Rainbow Lagoon.

The units are also available for rental at $45 an hour, or $125 for a half day.

Negotiations are under way with local restaurants to offer Segway renters discounts on meals, said store owner Barry Fulton, who plans to eventually set up kiosks around the area, including Belmont Shore, and near one of downtown's Metro Blue Line stations.

"It's fun, smart transportation," the 47-year-old Long Beach resident said. "Compare the cost of gas, the cost of parking, insurance, wear and tear on your car and the pain of going in and out of parking structures with leaning the Segway up the wall when you get to work. I think it will definitely revolutionize human transportation."

He also views the Segways as a perfect fit for people who live and work downtown.

Fulton, who founded computer financing firm The Partner Group in 1990 and sold it seven years later for $40 million to SCB Computer Tech Inc., got involved with Segway when he ran across a tour operation in Savannah, Ga..

About a year ago, he began working on plans to open a Segway warehouse in Long Beach off the San Diego (405) Freeway and Cherry Avenue along with the store at the Pike.

To generate buzz for the store, which will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fulton conducted a guerrilla marketing campaign.

He hired people to operate six Segways downtown during the three days of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. On each unit were affixed small billboards and advertisements on the hubcaps for the store, GameWorks and the Pike.

One Segway pulled around a cart with Long Beach View magazines to advertise the fledgling publication.

Invented by Dean Kamen — he's also invented a portable kidney-dialysis machine, a wheelchair that can handle stairs and a heart stent used by Vice President Dick Cheney — the Segway can go for nearly 26 miles on one electrical charge.

A Texas Instruments digital processor monitors the Segway and rider and uses information to determine if a rider is leaning forward or backward, then orders the batteries to deliver power to the motors through a set of 12 high-power, high-voltage transistors.

A set of gyroscopes balance the machine, and the motors are adjusted at up to 1,000 times per second, responding more quickly than the human body is capable of perceiving, according to its makers.

The Segway is legally considered a pedestrian in most states in the country.

Private and public entities are purchasing Segways for a variety of tasks ranging from maintenance to security.

The Long Beach Police Department has purchased six Segways, according to Nancy Pratt, a department spokeswoman.

"We expect to have them in service soon," Pratt said.

Police officers are now training to use the Segways, however Pratt declined to specify how the units will be used until the program is ready to be unveiled, which is likely to occur this week, she said.

Segway also has several ongoing research and development contracts with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for robotics applications, and the company is currently working with the NASA's Johnson Space Center to test a robotic mobility platform for the Robonaut. As the name implies, it's a robot built to carry out autonomous tasks in space.

The privately held company doesn't disclose the unit sales, but in the three years on the market the number of sales are in the "tens of thousands," Norrod said.

"Each year we're growing substantially. We see this year as being a record year for us."

If the growth continues at this pace in the next two years, "we'd like to focus on a public offering at some point," he added.

The company recently introduced three new Segway models: the XT, an off-road model that sells for $4,995; and the GT, a version for golfers equipped with a holder for a golf bag. The GT costs $5,995.

International reception has been mixed.

A BBC News article published earlier this month asked why the Segway was "nowhere to be seen on the streets of Britain?" It sourced Segway's UK distributor with estimates of only between 30 and 50 of the machines in that country.

British law prohibits motorized vehicles on pedestrian walkways outside electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The company is working to get the law changed.

On the other hand, Segway has been a hit in France, where Segway kiosks are already operating in several cities, with tours of Paris and Nice already up and running.

The company expects European sales to grow faster than U.S. domestic sales.

In the United States, Segway has been aggressive with efforts to have the Segway recognized as a pedestrian and allowed to operate on sidewalks in 42 states, including California.

The vehicle is not regulated by the Department of Transportation.

"We've done really well getting the states to accept this thing," Norrod said.

[LA rehab]

Originally Posted by LBCJeremy

A developer is building 30 luxury condo units next to the Broadlind on a current surface lot on Linden Av. He's including 100 extra parking spots for the people who live in the Lafayette. I

I believe that one can still find some VERY REASONABLY priced units in the Lafayette. Now you have me itching to go check it out.

[LAMetroGuy]

Check out the West Ocean LB condo project website... they added a video on their home page which shows the two new towers from the vantage point of flying in from the harbor towards the project site... the towers are digitaly added and look almost real.. like they are really there! This is slick... I actually saw this on a 40" plasma they have in their sales office and looks like they finally put it up on their website.

http://www.westoceanlb.com/

Wish this could be done for downtown LA with all the new projects!

[LongBeachUrbanist]

NEIGHBORLY ADVICE
Fashioning new homes from downtown relics
By Helene Lesel
Special to The Times
May 8, 2005

Rising next to the Port of Long Beach is a burgeoning community of high-rise condos, town houses and rentals catering to urban dwellers. Fueled by redevelopment funds, downtown Long Beach is experiencing a renaissance, with several 1920s-era commercial properties, such as the old Kress store, being converted to residential housing.

How it grew

Long Beach, incorporated in 1888, was named simply for its long, wide beaches. The Port of Long Beach was established in 1911, bringing jobs and residents to the downtown shoreline. When oil was discovered in 1921 on Signal Hill, a building boom spurred downtown construction.

After the 1933 earthquake, downtown Long Beach recovered quickly and the port was expanded.

More oil was discovered in 1936, which in turn fueled the building of nearby housing to accommodate workers. With the Pacific Streetcar network providing local and distant transportation, the downtown area was a thriving commercial and residential center during its heyday in the 1930s and 1940s.

But after World War II, returning GIs and their families were less interested in urban living. Downtown was no longer chic, and by the 1950s port expansion had converted a quaint coastline downtown into a gritty commercial port area.

Renewal

More than 1,500 new residential condominium units were in the works or completed by the end of last year. An additional 2,000 units are slated to break ground this year.

Besides modern lofts, quaint Craftsman bungalows and Victorian homes can be found in several downtown locations. One of the city's grand reminders of the past, the 1904 Queen Anne Victorian known as the Bembridge House, is home to the Historical Society of Long Beach.

Downtown Long Beach includes the area inland from the Pacific Ocean to 10th Street to the north and bordered by Alamitos Avenue on the east and the 710 Freeway on the west.

Commuter options

With the Metro Blue Line providing transportation from Long Beach Boulevard to downtown Los Angeles, many residents commute to L.A. by train. Others travel by way of the 710 and 405 freeways.

For cyclists, Bikestation Long Beach provides bicycle storage and links to buses, light rail and shuttle service. Long Beach has more than 65 miles of paved bike paths along the beach and throughout the city.

Insider's view

Scott Kato and his wife purchased a downtown loft 2 1/2 years ago after relocating from Huntington Beach. "Having come from another beach community, my first instinct appreciated the value here," said Scott Kato, a local real estate agent. "Besides, our home on the 21st floor has views of the coastline, the city and the Queen Mary, plus we can take the elevator down and we're in a pedestrian-friendly place."

Downtown redevelopment efforts encompass 120 blocks with about 364,000 full-time residents. An array of shops and restaurants includes the Pike shopping center and the East Village Arts District. There are more than 100 places to eat, according to the Downtown Long Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Clean and safe

The "Clean and Safe Program" was initiated by the Downtown Long Beach Assn. to keep the district shining and to project a feeling of security. A uniformed group of ambassadors and a crew of sanitation workers help keep the sidewalks, streets and storefronts clean and tidy.

Report card

Downtown Long Beach is served by the Long Beach Unified School District. On the 2004 Academic Performance Index, International Elementary scored 724 out of a potential 1,000. Franklin Middle School scored 579, and Long Beach Polytechnic High School, 697.

Historical values

Residential resales:

Year...Median Price

1990...$154,500

1995...$108,000

2000...$150,000

2003...$275,000

2005...$419,000*

*Year to date

Stock report

Several recent sales have topped $1 million in a condominium complex on Ocean Boulevard that features a fitness center, conference room and community pool with spa. Currently, about 80 condominiums are listed in the area, with a dozen priced at more than $1 million.

About 14 single-family homes are for sale, ranging from $203,500 for a 520-square-foot, one-bedroom home to a two-story updated Craftsman with five baths for $725,000.

Sources: api.cde.ca.gov, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, http://www.downtownlongbeach.org , http://www.downtownluxuryliving.com , http://www.longbeachlocal.com , DataQuick Information Systems.

[LAMetroGuy]

WEST OCEAN IN LONG BEACH
Interest list being compiled for Tower 2; sales to start soon



Registration is underway for the 114-unit Tower 2 at West Ocean in downtown Long Beach, a $185-million twin-tower development offering 246 luxury condominiums.

The homes have one to three bedrooms and one to 2 1/2 baths.

Nearly all of the 132 residences in Tower 1 have already been sold.

“ With the tremendous sales success in Tower 1 as an indication, we’re anticipating a strong pre-sales start for the condominium homes in Tower 2. Prospective buyers are x joining our interest list, and many have already begun the process of pre-qualifying before we start pre-sales,” said Joanne Rowland, vice president of sales and marketing for developer Intracorp.

A number of the popular Tower 1 homes are still available at prices from the mid-$600,000s. Prices for the homes in Tower 2 have not yet been determined.

West Ocean is located near restaurants, coastal shops and entertainment. The development also is near such entertainment venues as the Queen Mary and the location of the Long Beach Grand Prix.

Tower 2 will present homes in six floor plans ranging from 980 to more than 3,200 square feet.

Features include gourmet-style kitchens with granite counters and stainless-steel appliances, maple cabinets, master bedroom suites with baths, large secondary bedrooms and convenient laundry rooms with washers and dryers. Floor-to-ceiling windows will accent most rooms.

The development will feature a lobby with round-the-clock concierge services.

The residents also have access to a fitness center, a swimming pool with a spa, pool cabanas, a media/club room, a wine storage room, a game room, a guest suite, a conference/meeting area, an outdoor entertainment area, and a private barbecue and outdoor dining area.

An off-site sales center is nearby, at 444 W. Ocean Blvd., Suite 110, in the lobby of the California Bank and Trust Building.

To get there from the San Diego Freeway (405) in Long Beach, head south on the Long Beach Freeway (710) until it curves east, becoming Shoreline Drive. Go left on Chestnut Place and then left on Ocean Boulevard to the sales gallery, which is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

West Ocean Tower I is being developed by Viewcor Long Beach I, and West Ocean Tower II is being developed by Viewcor Long Beach II, both of which are affiliated with Intracorp Los Angeles LLC.

Intracorp Los Angeles is affiliated with the Intracorp group of companies. The firm has more than 15 years of experience in developing residential and commercial real estate in the United States and Canada.

For more information, call Scott Wilkie or Georgia Romero at (562) 436-2326.

Or, visit the website at www.WestOceanLB.com.

[LAMetroGuy]

Check it out:

http://www.downtownlongbeach.org/PDF...d_R5_loRes.pdf

[LAMetroGuy]

By Don Jergler, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News


May 12--LONG BEACH - A group of developers said Wednesday that they hope to build the city's largest residential condominium project on a lot behind the Long Beach World Trade Center.

Plans call for three, 20- to 30-story towers with 1,050 upscale condominiums -- nearly twice as many units as any of the newer high-rise developments on nearby Ocean Boulevard -- and ground floor retail.

"It would be the largest single residential development," said Greg Carpenter, the city's planning manager.

Molasky Pacific California LLC purchased a 5.6-acre parcel -- a parking lot used by the Hilton Long Beach Hotel and World Trade Center -- for $18 million in March.

Rumors of a high-rise development on the parcel at the southeast corner of Broadway and Golden Avenue have echoed throughout the development community and City Hall for weeks.

Molasky is the same developer that last week proposed a 40-story tower -- what would have been the city's tallest building -- on Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue.

The project was scrapped by Molasky following public opposition, particularly from neighbors across the street in the historic Villa Riviera condominiums.

The high-powered Molasky team includes Kenneth Wynn, who has overseen development on several of brother Steve Wynn's Las Vegas casinos, Camden developer Peter Cosavella and Aqua developer George Medak.

"We're very early in the process," Cosavella said.

He said the project is still in the planning phase and is subject to change. Condominiums in the towers will likely start in the $500,000s.

Drawings are expected to be finalized later this year. The project requires City Hall approval, putting any groundbreaking on the parcel at between 18 months and 2 years away.

Construction would take two years, and developers estimate completion in 2009 or 2010.

The seller of the property is the new owner of the Hilton, HEI Hospitality, which acquired the hotel property and adjacent land in January. An assessment conducted by Los Angeles County in late 2003 valued the property at nearly $9.4 million.

The prospect of bringing more affluent residents to downtown piques the interest of those marketing the area.

"We've advocated for five years now to create more residential density downtown," said Kraig Kojian, president and CEO of the Downtown Long Beach Associates, which assesses landowners for marketing, cleaning and security for the area. "The residential component is key to our future."

Other high-density projects in downtown Long Beach include the Camden Harbor View, which has 538 units near The Pike at Rainbow Harbor, and Aqua Long Beach, which has 556 units set to open in July. Both projects are on Ocean Boulevard, where much of the city's high-rise residential projects are slated.

-----

To see more of the Press-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.press-telegram.com.

Copyright © 2005, Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

[LA21st]

LB is really booming now. With all of these proposals, someone should put togther the rundown.

[LAMetroGuy]

check the first page... it sums it all up

[LAMetroGuy]

133 PROMENADE WALK



Units: 97 (for-sale)

133 Promenade Walk offers a unique residence for unique residents. Promenade Walk combines the latest in innovative design, natural materials and finest amenities to create the ultimate sophisticated urban environment. A place where you can be you.
• State of the art fitness center / yoga room
• Private club room with catering kitchen
• Outdoor living environment with fireplace
• Tranquil water features
• Exposed open ducting
• 10 ft. + Ceilings
• Open floor plans & commercial style windows offering true soft loft living
• Stainless steel appliances and finishes
• Live/Work Units
• 20+ floor plans to choose from

This unique residence is conveniently located to all major public transportation. It is also only 6 miles from the Long Beach Airport and 20 miles from Irvine or Downtown Los Angeles. Homebuyers are strongly urged to add their names to the interest list as soon as possible.

Visit www.theolsonco.com to register.


Construction has begun for this project. I took these pictures on Saturday (May 15) for the site of the 133 Promenade Walk

(sorry for the bad quality it was my cell phone camera):










The Oson Company is one of four projects which make up the Long Beach Promenade. The others are as follows:

-Lyon Realty Advisors
-Greystone Homes
-Long Beach Embasy Suites Hotel

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LAMetroGuy

(sorry for the bad quality it was my cell phone camera

It's more than good enough, LAMG, & way better than not seeing any shots at all of ongoing work in DT LB. And there's nothing better to me than seeing one more deadzone getting erased & replaced by the various projs described in postings under this thread.

BTW, I saw a CBS news segment today on the amt of construction, much of it highrise, taking place in many of the cities of China & was stunned at how sleek, expensive & ambitious they are. They showed one proj that contained a whole series of highrise condos, none of them yet even under construction, & the sales rep said they already were sold out. The reporter mentioned that the joke making the rounds in China is that the construction crane has become the country's official bird. I'd sure like to see the same joke applied to this part of the world in the immediate future.

OTOH, I don't want to see DT LB (or LA) moving in the direction described in this article in the NY Times, because when too many speculators become a part of the devlpt scene that implies a bubble may form (and then pop) in the future:

Salsa Dancers and Stunt Men? Must Be a Miami Condo Project

By ABBY GOODNOUGH

MIAMI, May 22 - In the last month alone, you could salsa with dancers in fringed hot pants at Aqua, hear a drag queen D.J. at Cynergi or watch stunt men ricochet off a trampoline at Soleil. Nightclubs? No. Carnival acts? Not quite. These were launch parties for condominium projects, one of the stranger forms of nightlife in a city obsessed with real estate. Alcohol and music were abundant, but so were sales agents and brochures with statements like, "It is the impeccable aesthetic of textures and calming shades - limestone and blue marble - that further distinguish these voluminous spaces."

Deep-pocketed developers, forced to be ever more creative in the pursuit of buyers for condos still years from being built, pay for these lavish affairs - another take on the "froth" in the housing market that Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chairman, described last week. Though the parties emulate the club scene, most take place in hastily erected sales centers or parking lots near the future construction site. Guests encounter model kitchens and scan price lists while sampling mojitos and tuna tartare.

"Everyone needs to one-up each other more and more with these things," said Jorge Luis Garcia, a real estate agent attending a party for Vitri, an unbuilt project in South Beach where prices start above $600,000. "The food's got to be better, the lighting's got to be better, the D.J.'s got to be really good. The new norm is the quarter-million-dollar party."

No expense is spared because the stakes are high: about 70,000 condo units are planned, under construction or newly finished in Miami proper, home to fewer than 400,000 people. Builders need early deposits to get construction loans, so they work hard to entice the buyers they covet - image-conscious people, many from Latin America and Europe, with money to burn on a second home, a speculative investment or a status symbol. The bait includes small initial down payments, slick marketing - and parties. Usually held just before a project begins selling units, the events are meant to create buzz among brokers, who make up the bulk of invitees and bring clients and hip, attractive friends.

Jon Graney, who owns two condos in South Beach and is looking to buy more, said launch parties were beginning to rival clubs. "I mean, look at the women here," Mr. Graney said at the party for Vitri, a smallish project with about 70 units next to a busy overpass on Biscayne Bay. He gazed around the sales office courtyard. "Look at all these pretty women." He added, however, that he would probably not buy at Vitri because the building was too low. "If I spend six hundred grand," he said, "I want to go high."

To stir up fresh interest in a project called Aqua, Craig Robins, the developer, held a party so sprawling that arriving guests got maps with their promotional packets. Aqua's 105 condo units sold out this month, but 46 town homes, which start at $2.65 million, have been a tougher sell.

Across the bay in Miami, where developers are snatching up land in scruffy neighborhoods being reinvented as arts districts, the parties have a funkier vibe.......Ricardo Aue, a financial adviser who said he has bought and sold about 20 condos and houses here over the last three years, was crunching numbers as he watched the trampoline act. "I bet you 70 percent of the people buying here are investors," Mr. Aue said, "so 70 percent of the units will be for sale again by the time this thing opens."

"That's too much supply for this kind of building, such a high-end thing," he said of the overall market.

[LAMetroGuy]

Hey citywatch... thanks for the comments... didn't know anyone was reading this thread... LOL. Anyway, here is an article in todays Press Telegram about people who live in a downtown high rise who are opposed to new high-rises.... HA! They make me sick... I wrote them an email (see http://www.savelbcskyline.org/) expressing my opinion on their cause!

Criticism still surrounds residential project plan

But RDA board, developers enter agreement

By Don Jergler
Staff Writer

LONG BEACH - The battle over a high-profile development proposal at Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue continues, despite broad support voiced less than a month ago for a three-tower residential project.
In a letter that also proposes taxing downtown residents for police and safety and assessing developers of luxury residential projects to pay for low-income housing, City Manager Jerry Miller questioned the terms of the sale of city-owned land to make way for a proposed 310-residential unit project spread out in three buildings of 8, 15 and 22 stories.

However, Miller's concerns didn't stop the Redevelopment Agency Board on Monday from entering into an exclusive negotiating agreement with Anderson Pacific, the developer of Shoreline Gateway.

The RDA board's decision also flew in the face of Save Long Beach City Skyline, a group of nearby residents who formed within the last two weeks to call attention to the impact that high-rises can have on the surrounding community.

Their Web site, www.savelbcskyline.org , airs concerns that a high-rise on the Ocean and Alamitos parcel will greatly increase traffic congestion and noise pollution, reduce access to the beach and available parking and obscure the existing skyline of historical buildings.

Miller's letter and recent public opposition come weeks after several citizen's groups, nearby residents and city staff expressed overwhelming support for the Anderson development over a high-density project that would have yielded the city's tallest structure.

The RDA board's approval is essentially a nonbinding agreement allowing the Anderson team to conduct community meetings and work with the RDA staff on the plans for the project.

The letter is addressed to RDA Board chair John Gooding on May 17. It outlines Miller's concerns about the Anderson project and future high-density development in Long Beach and calls an appraisal of $1.3 million on the property "overly conservative."

Molasky Pacific, a developer of a proposed 40-story tower that withdrew its plan weeks after it was made public, offered $20 million to acquire the entire site, including $2 million for the parking lot at 619 E. Ocean Blvd., belonging to the owner-participant on the project, Maverick Investments.

Anderson owns a 33-unit apartment building at 635 E. Ocean Blvd.

State law requires redevelopment projects to seek owner participation before using eminent domain to condemn property. A letter sent by the RDA seeking owner participation resulted in the two proposals.

The land being eyed for development encompasses property held by six owners, including the city, which owns the land occupied by Video Choice, at 777 E. Ocean Blvd. The lease on the land can be terminated by the city with 12 months notice.

Anderson is offering $10 million for the property. Molasky's price came to $230 per square foot versus Anderson's $128 per square foot.

Should the RDA Board move ahead with acquiring the land from the other owners, it could put the board, also considered an arm of the city government, in an odd position.

"I don't think we've ever had to use eminent domain on the city we work with," said RDA Board member Bill Baker.

Miller's letter also suggests the establishment of an assessment district to tax future homeowners for the increased cost of city services, which are increasingly taxing the city's general fund budget shortfall, which city finance officials estimate will be $28 million when the next fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Miller, who is not currently proposing how much homeowners would be charged, said he plans to take the proposals to the City Council in the future.

Redevelopment project areas get more property tax increment as property values rise, but the city does not.

"If you juxtapose what's happening in the general fund budget, and the momentum in downtown, and most of downtown is in downtown project areas or central projects area, the general fund gets no benefit," Miller said.

Miller also suggested the RDA consider assessing the Anderson team to assist the city with building low income housing.

The suggestions in the letter are a departure from normal development practices in Long Beach, Gooding said.

"The comments in the letter are fairly groundbreaking," Gooding said.

But James Anderson, president and CEO of Anderson Pacific, was baffled by the letter.

"It's not really clear to me exactly how (Miller's suggestions) fit in," he said.

If the efforts at having an owner-participation development are derailed and a public request for proposals is issued, that would open up public bidding, possibly putting Molasky back into the picture, Anderson said.

"I'm sure that somehow, if this were pulled to go to (a request for proposal), (Molasky) would re-enter the game along with many others," Anderson said.

Molasky developers were not immediately available for comment.

This isn't the first time Miller has stepped in on the Ocean and Alamitos project. He pulled a vote to choose between the two projects from the RDA's agenda earlier this month, saying more public discussion was needed before a developer was picked.

Anderson has been largely successful in garnering community support for its project.

Anderson has met with residents at the Villa Riviera, at Ocean and Alamitos, and the Artaban building at Ocean Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue. The company has offered 70 parking spaces to the Artaban and 30 to the Riviera.

Despite what some say is "unprecedented' public outreach by a developer, the Ocean and Alamitos project heard some opposition on Monday from residents.

"That corner speaks to the public as to what Long Beach is," said William McKinnon, a tenant in Villa Riviera and a member of Save Long Beach Skyline.

While high-rise towers are nice for those on the inside, "they are not so wonderful to the people on the outside," McKinnon added.

Members of the group say the Ocean and Alamitos parcel is "a gateway to the city," and that a high-rise could block views and further crowd the intersection.

"Not only does it block the view of the entire left leg of the Villa Riviera, but it blocks the area's view of the Villa Riviera," said Kristen Autry.