450 The Promenade North
City Council Public Hearing – April 18, 2023
Background
• January 19, 2023 – Planning Commission approved Site Plan Review, Vesting Tentative Parcel Map, and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) Addendum for this project.
• January 27, 2023 – The Planning Commission’s approval was appealed by the Coalition for Responsible Equitable Economic Development Los Angeles (CREED LA), represented by Alisha Pember of the law firm Addams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo.
• April 18, 2023 – The project was in the normal jurisdiction of the Planning Commission, but the appeal is now in the City Council’s jurisdiction for final action.
2 Project Location
3 Project Site within CityPlace:
• Site is located within CityPlace but
is not all of CityPlace
• Includes only the blocks between
4th and 6th Streets east of Long
Beach Boulevard, west of The
Promenade
• Does not include City parking
garages
• Does not include any existing
residential
• Does not include uses south of 4th
Street such as Ross, Studio One
Eleven, and Portuguese Bend
Proposed Project Description
4 • Complete demolition of all improvements on site
o 197,523 sq. ft. of commercial retail to be demolished • Subdivision into three ground lots: two on north block, one on south block • Construction of three new eight-story apartment buildings o 900 residential units, 54 very-low income affordable units per Inclusionary Housing Ordinance
o Three stories of parking garage, at-grade to third story o 38,405 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail, including a 2,405 sq. ft. standalone retail pavilion
o Five stories of apartment and amenities
Proposed Project Description (continued)
5 • Closure of vehicular circulation on The Promenade between 4th and 5th Street to create pedestrian paseo and event space
• New pedestrian paseo between 5th and 6th Street
Project Renderings
6 Project Renderings (continued)
7 Affordable Housing
8 Inclusionary Housing Ordinance
• Project is subject to City’s Inclusionary
Housing Ordinance
• For 2022 submittals, 6 percent of for-
rent unit count required to be
affordable at Very-Low Area Median
Income (AMI) level for 55+ years
Compliance
• Project will provide 54 units (6 percent
of 900 units) as Very-Low AMI units
• Units evenly distributed throughout
development and among unit types
and sizes mix
Entitlements Required
9 • Site Plan Review (SPR) – Site Plan Review for building and site design • Vesting Tentative Parcel Map (VTPM) – VTMP No. 83693 to subdivide the northern lot of the project site into two lots; southern lot not to be subdivided
• Environmental Impact Review (EIR) Addendum – EIR Addendum to Downtown Plan Program EIR for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance
• Planning Commission Approved on January 19, 2023
• Appealed by CREED LA on January 27, 2023
CEQA Compliance - EIR Addendum
10 • EIR Addendum (Addendum) for the Mosaic Project was prepared in accordance with CEQA Guidelines (EIRA-02-22).
• Tiers off of the certified Program EIR for Downtown Plan, and the Land Use Equivalency Program (LUEP , adopted with the 636 Locust Avenue project and its separate EIR Addendum). The LUEP traded office, commercial, and hotel space in the Downtown Plan EIR impact analysis for 3,260 additional residential units.
• EIR Addendum for the Mosaic Project found that there are no potentially significant impacts that are new or greater than those studied in the Downtown Plan Program EIR (PEIR) that cannot be mitigated to a level of less than significant.
• Project will be subject to and will be required to implement the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Downtown Plan PEIR.
Appeal
11 CREED LA Appeal claims that:
• The project may result in new and more significant impacts than previously analyzed;
• The City’s air quality analysis fails to disclose back-up generator emissions, thus underestimating the project’s potentially significant air quality, greenhouse gases (GHG), and health impacts;
• The Addendum incorrectly claims to mitigate the project’s significant air pollution and GHG impacts with nonbinding mitigation; and, • The Addendum fails to disclose potentially significant health risks from construction emissions that are more severe than previously analyzed.
Appeal (continued)
12 • Staff has found the appeal to be without merit, and that the EIR Addendum is adequate and appropriate.
• Detailed responses to the appeal claims are included with the staff report and attachments.
• Position of staff and Planning Commission is supported by law. • Any portion of the appeal that relies on the previously adopted and certified EIR Addendum and LUEP adopted for the 636 Locust Avenue project is time barred.
Public Comments
13 • All public comments from Planning Commission hearing are included in the staff report, along with all comments timely received prior to the City Council appeal hearing.
• Comments are both in support and opposition to the project:
o Support for housing, construction jobs, affordable housing, and downtown revitalization; and
o Opposition due to CEQA or environmental concerns, labor concerns, and affordable housing concerns.
Timing Considerations
14 • Action on appeal is required by the Zoning Regulations within 60 days of receipt of the appeal by City Clerk from the Development Services Department. Originally scheduled for March 14, 2023.
• Appeal hearing was rescheduled to April 11, 2023 at applicant’s request. • Appeal hearing was then rescheduled to April 18, 2023 at appellant’s request.
• Timely conclusion of this matter is now required under the State Housing Accountability Act and Long Beach Municipal Code Section 21.21.504.
Recommendation
15 Receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing, and consider the third-party appeal by CREED LA;
Adopt a Resolution approving and certifying an EIR Addendum (EIRA-02-22) to the Program EIR for the Downtown Plan (PD-30) (SCH#2009071006), relating to the Mosaic Project (450 The Promenade North/501–599 Long Beach Blvd) and pursuant to the approved Downtown Plan Program EIR Land Use Equivalency Program; and
Deny the appeal and uphold the decision of the Planning Commission to approve the Site Plan Review (SPR22-060) and a Vesting Tentative Parcel Map (TPM22-002) for the Mosaic Project.
Thank you
16 Christopher Koontz, AICP
Director
Development Services Department
[email protected]