Long Beach Construction (Planned, Proposed, & Current)

[LAMetroGuy]

Comments Sought On Shoreline Gateway

By Kurt Helin
Editor

Long Beach officials are looking for comments on a development that would reshape the Eastern edge of downtown.

Called the Shoreline Gateway project, it is a three-building, 22-story project on the northwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue.

The draft Environmental Impact Report is done and the city will host a public meeting on that document at 9 a.m. this morning (Monday) at City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd.

The northwest corner of Alamitos and Ocean long has been planned as a site for development a site that currently is home to Long Beach Cafe, a Video Choice store, a parking lot and several apartment buildings. About 41% of the property is owned by the city.

However, controversy came up last April when one of the proposed projects for the site was a 40-story tower that would have been the tallest building in Long Beach. Eventually the developer pulled that plan and the Redevelopment Agency board started negotiations with a smaller development proposed by Anderson Pacific.

Current plans call for a 22-story residential tower (about the same height as the Villa Riviera) at the northwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue; a 15- to 19-story stepped slab building west of the existing Lime Avenue and Ocean Boulevard intersection; and a 10-story building northeast of the existing Artaban building.

This project would have 358 residences and in between the existing buildings would be walkways and public spaces, according to the designs shown to city planners. The plans also would include space for retail shops, restaurants and other businesses.

Prior to getting the backing of the RDA board, Anderson Pacific designers met with the Villa Riviera Homeowners Association and received its approval.

People have until Aug. 14 to make formal comments on the draft EIR. That EIR is available for public review at City Hall (on the seventh floor), at the Long Beach Main Library, 101 Pacific Ave., and online at www.longbeach.gov/plan/pb/epd/er.asp.

Comments will be taken at the July 24 meeting, as well as in writing. Written comments can be sent to Angela Reynolds, AICP, Planning Officer, City of Long Beach, Department of Planning and Building, 333 West Ocean Blvd, 7th Floor, Long Beach, California 90802; or via e-mail to: angela_reynolds@longbeach.gov.

[LAMetroGuy]

Ocean Blvd. project raises concerns
L.B. Cafe would be torn down to make way for three towers.

By Don Jergler, Staff writer

LONG BEACH - Increased noise and traffic from the Shoreline Gateway project on Ocean and Alamitos topped the list of negative impacts in an environmental report reviewed Monday by the Redevelopment Agency Board.

The three towers - 22-, 18- and 8-stories - will yield 358 residential units as well as retail and gallery space on 2.2 acres at Ocean Boulevard near Atlantic and Alamitos avenues.

The public can view the environmental impact report at www.longbeach.gov/plan/pb/epd/er.asp.

The public has until Aug. 14 to submit written comments to Angela Reynolds, AICP, Planning Officer, City of Long Beach, Department of Planning and Building, 333 West Ocean Boulevard, 7th Floor, Long Beach, Calif. 90802; or via e-mail to: angela_reynolds@longbeach.gov.

A public hearing to certify the final report will likely come in August, when the RDA Board will take a vote on whether to give the project the go ahead.

To make way for the project, several existing buildings would be torn down, including the Video Choice property and Long Beach Cafe on Ocean Boulevard.

"We would like to hold on to this ownership," said Ron Cole, an attorney for property owner Aphrodite Akopiantz, an 80-year-old woman who has owned the property for 40 years and who relies on the lease payments for income.

Developer Anderson Pacific offered her $2 million for the 18,000 square foot parcel, "which we consider to be a below-market offer," Cole said.

He added, "If it comes down to an eminent domain action then we will do what we can to protect her."

Should the owners of the building successfully stave off efforts to acquire the property, "it would require us to alter the scope of the project," said Ryan Altoon, with Anderson Pacific.

He said the offer to the property owner was fair market value.

The report released Monday points out that the project is in line with the city's, the RDA's and the East Village's long-range plans. However, it states that the project will result in "significant and unavoidable impacts" to the Alamitos and Ocean, and Alamitos and Seventh Street intersections.

"I am pro-development," said Anna Maria McGuan, a resident of Villa Riviera, across from the development. She is, however, concerned about increased traffic.

In other action, the board voted to hold meetings on the first and third Monday of each month to better align the board with other city agencies.

Don Jergler can be reached at don.jergler@presstelegram.com or (562)499-1281.

[LAMetroGuy]

LB fourmers.... where are u???

[citywatch]

^ Hey, it took an out of towner, KCgridlock, to take some of the best, most revealing photos I've ever seen of DTLB!

[ChrisLA]

^
Hey we all can't afford to take helicopter rides to take pictures over the city like KCgridlock

[kevininlb]

Originally Posted by LAMetroGuy

Ocean Blvd. project raises concerns
L.B. Cafe would be torn down to make way for three towers.

By Don Jergler, Staff writer

LONG BEACH - Increased noise and traffic from the Shoreline Gateway project on Ocean and Alamitos topped the list of negative impacts in an environmental report reviewed Monday by the Redevelopment Agency Board.

The three towers - 22-, 18- and 8-stories - will yield 358 residential units as well as retail and gallery space on 2.2 acres at Ocean Boulevard near Atlantic and Alamitos avenues.

The public can view the environmental impact report at www.longbeach.gov/plan/pb/epd/er.asp.

The public has until Aug. 14 to submit written comments to Angela Reynolds, AICP, Planning Officer, City of Long Beach, Department of Planning and Building, 333 West Ocean Boulevard, 7th Floor, Long Beach, Calif. 90802; or via e-mail to: angela_reynolds@longbeach.gov.

A public hearing to certify the final report will likely come in August, when the RDA Board will take a vote on whether to give the project the go ahead.

To make way for the project, several existing buildings would be torn down, including the Video Choice property and Long Beach Cafe on Ocean Boulevard.

"We would like to hold on to this ownership," said Ron Cole, an attorney for property owner Aphrodite Akopiantz, an 80-year-old woman who has owned the property for 40 years and who relies on the lease payments for income.

Developer Anderson Pacific offered her $2 million for the 18,000 square foot parcel, "which we consider to be a below-market offer," Cole said.

He added, "If it comes down to an eminent domain action then we will do what we can to protect her."

Should the owners of the building successfully stave off efforts to acquire the property, "it would require us to alter the scope of the project," said Ryan Altoon, with Anderson Pacific.

He said the offer to the property owner was fair market value.

The report released Monday points out that the project is in line with the city's, the RDA's and the East Village's long-range plans. However, it states that the project will result in "significant and unavoidable impacts" to the Alamitos and Ocean, and Alamitos and Seventh Street intersections.

"I am pro-development," said Anna Maria McGuan, a resident of Villa Riviera, across from the development. She is, however, concerned about increased traffic.

In other action, the board voted to hold meetings on the first and third Monday of each month to better align the board with other city agencies.

Don Jergler can be reached at don.jergler@presstelegram.com or (562)499-1281.

It looks like things are moving forward with this, despite concerns/controversy. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but there's now a giant sign on Video Choice saying something like "Going Out of Business." That thing's an eyesore...can't wait for a tower to take its place.

[dragonsky]

Above Long Beach...
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=111427

[LAMetroGuy]

Article Launched: 07/27/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT

Downtown's rise
Condo plan OK, but need for eminent domain is iffy.


Downtown Long Beach is in the midst of a makeover that many cities would envy. High-rise condos are filling in the cracked, unattractive and underutilized urban core with new units that not only house middle- and high-income earners but also improve the appearance of the city for everyone looking in.

But Long Beach needs more good projects to maintain the momentum. That is why we support the proposal before the Redevelopment Agency board to build three residential towers on and north of Ocean Boulevard between Atlantic and Alamitos avenues.

Trying to stop projects like these with suburban arguments - namely parking and traffic concerns - is unwise, since many of the continent's marquee downtowns - Chicago, New York, Toronto - are dense, busy, vibrant places. A little extra traffic never hurt the best cities, and it won't hurt Long Beach.

The proposed Shoreline Gateway project calls for 358 new residential units in a trio of towers that are 22, 19 and 8 stories. This is compatible with historic buildings like the nearby Artaban and Villa Riviera, as well as newer towers like The Pacific and Aqua.

With the proposal being reviewed by the Redevelopment Agency's board, critics are raising concerns about traffic forecasts. We believe those concerns should be set aside when considering the overall benefit of the project and the fact that a few hundred new residents won't make much of a difference - unless they all pull out of the garage at the same time.

Rush hour might be a bit more of hassle, but there are plenty of east-west routes to downtown other than Ocean: Broadway, Third, Fourth and Seventh streets among them.

It wasn't so long ago that Long Beach boosters - and we were part of that chorus - were begging people to discover downtown. Now that they have, fellow residents and the city should not stifle new investment. In addition, those who already own property in the area only stand to gain in the long run from attractive neighboring structures.

Our support for the project, however, could change if the city employs eminent domain - at least one owner doesn't want to sell - to obtain the several parcels making up the project area. We'd need to hear a convincing argument for strong-arming owners into selling before changing our minds.

We generally oppose land seizures for private development, even at fair market value. It's one thing to take property to widen a freeway and quite another to take it to build condos.

Also, we think those who take a hard line against selling tend to soften as the offers get bigger. We'd like to see traditional negotiations exhausted first.

[LAMetroGuy]

The MTA Block developer was selected by the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency. The two finalists was Toll Brothers and Urban Growth/Related Companies.

The winner was "URBAN GROWTH LONG BEACH / RELATED COMPANIES".

Here are the preliminary renditions of the project. The taller tower is a carbon copy of Elleven (but at 22 stories) whereas the shorter tower is a copy of Luma (but at 14 stories). The developer used the same architect (ANKROM MOISAN) used by Williams and Dame.

MTA Block
URBAN GROWTH LONG BEACH / RELATED COMPANIES
Tower “One” is a 22-story loft- condominium building.
Tower “Two” is a 14-story soft-loft condominium building

Rendering:

[BrandonJXN]

I wanted that sail shaped tower to win. Ahh well. Hm..since this is basically another Elleven, should'nt they name it Twelve? Or mix up the spelling a bit and call it Twellve.

[LAMetroGuy]

I like this project!

[LAMetroGuy]

Don Jergler, Staff writer

LONG BEACH - Half this city of nearly 500,000 - the state's fifth largest and the 33rd most populated in the nation - is in a redevelopment area.

That means one can find chainlink fencing, graded dirt lots, half-erected high-rises and cordoned-off areas all around the city.

Progress appears to be everywhere, and more of it is on its way.

The Redevelopment Agency's budget for the upcoming fiscal year calls for more than $102 million in expenditures.

"The focus of the Redevelopment Agency is to continue development activity that we have, in Downtown, North, the Central area, to expand open space, and create new housing opportunities at market and affordable rates," said Craig Beck, director of the RDA.

Several housing projects, parks and street improvements are expected to kick in with the approval of the budget. Other projects are under way this year or about to break ground under previous RDA budgets.

The RDA Board gave its approval to the budget last week, and the City Council is expected to review and approve the budget sometime in September.

Redevelopment is a tool created by state law that enables local governments to eliminate blight to make way for economic development, and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of residential, commercial, industrial and retail districts.

Redevelopment money largely comes from tax increment, which is based on the assumption that a revitalized area will generate more property taxes. When a redevelopment project area is adopted, values of the property within the area are assessed. As assessed values and property tax revenues rise, the extra tax above that baseline - tax increment - is diverted back to the area for redevelopment.

California's Redevelopment Law requires that no less than 20 percent of tax increment be used to increase, or improve, the supply of low- and moderate-income housing.

The RDA budget outlines expenditures for the city's seven redevelopment project areas:

Central; Downtown; Los Altos; North Long Beach; Poly High; West Beach; and West Long Beach.

The North and Central areas are expected to yield some of the biggest changes for the upcoming year.

With a fiscal year 2007 budget that totals more than $28 million, several projects are taking hold in the Central Project Area.

The agency has big plans this year for the Menorah Senior Housing project at the northwest corner of Atlantic Avenue and Vernon Street.

The $14.7 million project includes the development of 66 units of affordable senior housing.

Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2007.

The project could be expanded, and Beck said the focus is currently on including medical offices and possible work force housing.

"We want to leverage the development of Memorial Hospital," Beck said, referring to Memorial Medical Center's planned $276 million expansion.

Under the expansion plan, Miller Children's Hospital will build a four-story, 120,000- square-foot addition with seven surgical suites, 48 neonatal beds and 28 general pediatric beds. The Medical Center also plans to realign entrances, build a utility trench and construct a central plant building. It is also asking for several zoning changes and variances.

The plan could take 10 to 15 years to complete.

Construction is already under way on Site 1 of the West Gateway project between 3rd and 4th streets and Golden and Maine avenues.

The $24.8 million project is expected to provide 64 affordable housing units and should be complete sometime in 2007, Beck said.

North projects
In the North Long Beach project area, Admiral Kidd Park at Willard Street and Santa Fe Avenue will undergo landscaping to improve the park under a $6.7 million project expected to begin this winter.

The North Village project figures into the budgets, though it may take longer than a year to see some changes.

Expect to see changes on Atlantic Avenue just north of South Street on both sides of the street.

Existing buildings there are slated for removal and a historic theater is to be adapted for reuse under a project expected eventually to yield a new library with traditional library services featuring a community room that could also be used for art galleries. The library could also include an Internet cafe, Beck said, adding, "It would be a kind of a Borders books with a community center."

The $25 million-plus project could have a groundbreaking within a year.

The North area benefited from higher tax increment figures than originally believed. Revenue for the North are now projected to reach $37 million for 2007.

"Now it appears that those projects can be fully funded," said Martha Thuente, chair of the North Project Area Committee.

"I think North's time has come," she said.

Downtown projects
A focus on downtown continues, with several projects on The Promenade under way or set to break ground.

Construction on the Hotel Esterel, formerly the D'Orsay Embassy Suites, is expected to begin in the fall. The long-delayed project at Broadway and The Promenade is expected to yield a 155-room, 6-story hotel by sometime in 2007.

Construction on the 22-story high-rise Edgewater on Ocean residential development, 155 residential condominium units at the southeast corner of Ocean Boulevard and Pine Avenue, is also set to begin in fall and wrap up in 2008.

Completion is expected on both towers of West Ocean, at 400 W. Ocean Blvd., this year. Tower 1 will have 132 units in 29 floors and Tower 2 will have 114 units in 20 floors. Retail space totaling 3,569 square feet will be on the project's street level.

Construction on the Press-Telegram Lofts at 604 Pine Ave. is also expected to begin this year. The adaptive reuse is expected to provide work force housing, plus up to 60 units for tenure-track faculty at Cal State Long Beach.

Lyon Realty's apartment project on the north portion of the block, bounded by The Promenade, 3rd Street and Long Beach Blvd is expected to begin this year, and yield 104 apartments. Don Jergler can be reached at don.jergler@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1281.

[LAMetroGuy]

Updated the first page with the Hotel Esterel.

[LAMetroGuy]

Spruce Goose dome may get `Laserium'
By Wendy Thomas Russell, Staff writer



LONG BEACH - It was Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose that inspired the construction of the expansive geodesic dome in downtown Long Beach 25 years ago. Now, another Howard hopes to bring tourists back inside with a decidedly more modern attraction: lasers.

Howard Ehrenberg, a bankruptcy trustee for Queen's Seaport Development Inc., which leases and runs the Queen Mary and the former Spruce Goose hangar, announced plans Tuesday to turn the unused portion of the dome into the Laserium - an updated version of the show once featured at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.

The attraction is expected to be renamed the "Cyberdome Laserium."

"I have signed a lease to bring the Laserium laser light show into the dome," Ehrenberg said, adding that the show would be running by late fall, barring any problems attaining city permits.

The announcement came as a court hearing in QSDI's bankruptcy case publicized the most recent appraisal of the company's lease with the city. That appraisal concluded that the lease to run the historic ship was worth $48 million, Ehrenberg said, and would be worth $56 million after the completion of an environmental impact report.

QSDI, which has leased the Queen Mary and its surrounding land from the city since 1993, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year amid growing legal and financial problems surrounding rent the city claimed it was owed. Until Ehrenberg was appointed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court as interim CEO in April, the case had been languishing with no resolution in sight.

Ehrenberg's duties have included negotiating with the company's creditors, opening an auction-style sale of the company through confidential bids, and overseeing general operations of the city's largest tourist attraction.

So far, he said, QSDI has already stabilized significantly.

"The bills are being paid, we have money in the bank, and we are even building up a modest reserve," he said.

The laser light show would be Ehrenberg's first major contribution to QSDI's event lineup.

Ivan Dryer, creator and founder of Laserium and the CEO of Laserium Interactive Corp., said the "Cyberdome Laserium" would incorporate lasers, videos, pictures and sounds through a patented technology called LightDancer, which his company has acquired.

He described a platform with sensors and an infrared light source that would trigger changes to the video, lights and sounds when someone moved around on the platform.

"When you move around the LightDancer," Dryer said, "you're essentially a VJ, a DJ and a laserist without even thinking about it."

His Van Nuys-based company already uses a prototype of LightDancer and would make the "Cyberdome" its flagship location, he said.

About 40 percent of the dome - which was vacated by the Spruce Goose in 1993 - is now partially used as a passenger terminal for Carnival Cruise Lines. The other 60 percent is used for filming, storage and occasionally for conferences.

That space, Ehrenberg said, would still be available for conferences - at least initially.

Dryer said long-term plans include expanding the show to include a dome theater and 1,500-seat arena, as well as an interactive museum and an overhead "spherical screen" for larger laser shows.

Ehrenberg sees the dome plans as good news for a company that has seen its share of bad news lately.

QSDI is involved in several legal disputes, including one with the city involving $5 million of rent credits.

QSDI's $48 million appraisal, made public Tuesday, was conducted at a cost of $50,000 and driven by a motion filed by QSDI's primary lender and biggest creditor, Bar-K, Ehrenberg said.

Bar-K's motion would have essentially dismissed QSDI from bankruptcy, foreclosed on QSDI's interest in the lease and taken over the operation of the ship. But the court ruled that there was enough "equity cushion," based on the lease's appraisal, to offer plenty of protection to Bar-K.

In short, the court found, Bar-K - which is owed roughly $24 million - eventually will get its money back when the lease is sold.

Wendy Thomas Russell can be reached at russellwendy.@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1272.

[regboi21]

Does anybody know when the developer is going to start demolition of the parking lots and construction of the mta block 22 and 14 story condo buildings and whats the update on the acres of books site including the whole block and the bank of america and the city hall east buildings.

[InsExchLoft_dweller]

So the city is not that fast but it's progressing with the Art Exchange... this is from todays "Gazette". You can go to longbeach.gov and what the city council meeting talk about this subject.

Art Project Downtown New Target

By Kurt Helin
Editor

Plans to bring an Art Exchange building downtown are moving ahead after the City Council unanimously approved the next step in the process last week.

But what had been expected to be a non-controversial item became a more than hour-long discussion of the lack of affordable housing in Long Beach and how to bring more of it to downtown.

The city can now negotiate with two different developers — Toll Brothers and Williams & Dame Development — to develop “the Broadway block” east of Long Beach Boulevard, between Broadway and Third.

It is considered a key block because it is adjacent to the MTA and City Hall East developments, both considered key to the growth of downtown and the East Village. Second District Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal said that those three developments really need to be considered as one.

“This is a block that I’m eagerly looking forward to its development,” Lowenthal said.

But a host of public speakers — as well as some council members — wanted to make sure that affordable housing for lower income families was part of the project.

“While the city has an obvious interest in gaining maximum sales value for the land, we hope that the interest of putting shelter over the heads of our lowest income residents will outweigh that,” said Suzanne Brown, a housing attorney for the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles.

While the council had already directed city staff to look into adding affordable housing for the City Hall East and MTA projects, it was not a part of this request.

That was in part because to make the Arts Building idea — a building where artists can live, work and sell their art — work for developers, the city already is going to have to sell the land at a discounted rate, said City Manager Jerry Miller.

Still, the City Council wants to at least look at the idea.

“We’re not building housing our families can afford,” said Seventh District Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga. She went on to cite figures saying the city has met only 29% of its low income housing goals while being well over capacity for higher income brackets.

Uranga made a motion asking the city manager to come back with a report to the council about the feasibility of having affordable or mixed-income housing in the Broadway block project, along with City Hall East and the MTA space.

The vote to move forward with developer negotiations was unanimous. The low income report passed 7-2. Third District Councilman Gary DeLong and Sixth District Councilwoman Laura Richardson voted no.

[LAMetroGuy]

Thanks InsExchLoft_dweller... I really hope that Toll Brothers gets this one... it looks more dramatic and has more visual interest than Williams & Dame. Either way, both are pretty cool. I think Williams & Dame had two versions, a high-density version and a minimual density version... if they get it I hope they go with the high-density versioin. I wish they would hurry the process~!

[longbeachnik]

So many changes to my beloved city...keep the updates up!

[LAMetroGuy]

longbeachnik, where have you been????

[LAMetroGuy]

Originally Posted by regboi21

Does anybody know when the developer is going to start demolition of the parking lots and construction of the mta block 22 and 14 story condo buildings and whats the update on the acres of books site including the whole block and the bank of america and the city hall east buildings.

That won't happen until 2007 or 2008. They have to do an EIR then a design review, answer all the NIMBYs concerns... and then they can break ground... takes forever!