Attachment C
SITE PLAN REVIEW FINDINGS
6700 East Pacific Coast Highway
Application No. 2208-36 (SPR22-093)
April 20, 2023
Pursuant to Section 21.25.506 of the Long Beach Municipal Code, the Site Plan Review Committee of Planning Commission shall not approve a Site Plan Review unless the following findings are made. These findings and staff analysis are presented for consideration, adoption, and incorporation into the record of proceedings:
1. THE DESIGN IS HARMONIOUS, CONSISTENT AND COMPLETE WITHIN
ITSELF AND IS COMPATIBLE IN DESIGN, CHARACTER AND SCALE WITH
NEIGHBORING STRUCTURES AND THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH IT IS LOCATED:
The applicant proposes to construct 281 residential units and 3,100 square feet of new ground floor retail space (see project plans in Applica tion No. 2208-36) within a ‘m’ shaped building with one basement level and six (6) levels above. The project is surrounded by Pacific Coast Highway ( designated a Major Highway in the Mobility element), the San Gabriel River, Marina Drive and Studebaker Road. Overall the project will have a minimum of 507 parking spaces tucked under the building and 27,534 sf of common open space areas. Private open space areas are capped at 4,990 sf in total and are balconies for some of the units which are interspersed among all of the elevations. It is well -planned and has consistent themes and treatments. High -quality and thoughtful materials choices are used throughout the buildings . There is nearly 50,000 square feet of common and public open space . Common (indoor and outdoor) and private open spaces for the tenants of the residential uses are mostly proposed on the upper floors and include a variety of amenities. Public open spaces featu re landscaping, raised planters, trees, seating, tables and chairs, a dog run area, water feature and public walkway access to the San Gabriel River trail.
The project site is located in the Southeast Area Specific Plan and has a Zoning designation of MU-CC, (Mixed-Use Community Core). The site is within the G eneral Plan Land Use District (LUD) No. 7, Mixed Use District, in the City's 1989 General Plan. As set forth in the General Plan, land uses intended for LUD No. 7 include employment centers, such as retail uses, offices, and medical facilities; higher d ensity residential; visitor -serving facilities; personal and professional services; and recreational facilities. This area was designated as a ‘Major Change’ area in the 2019 City’s Land Use Element, focusing on Introducing residential uses to an area whic h was primarily zoned only for commercial/retail uses. The project’s proposed architecture is of higher quality than the existing buildings within the surrounding area, which is predominantly, older retail commercial strip shopping centers.
The property and proposed mixed use building, which is one of the first in this area to turn over, is well-planned and has consistent themes and treatments consistent with the SEASP document. High-quality and thoughtful materials choices are used throughout the building.
There is an emphasis on the treatment at the Studebaker Road/Marina Drive corner elevation which has a corner cut out beginning at elevation three (3) to the sky. This area will be Attachment C
cultivated to provide visual interest with a public art piece or creative mural to compliment the mural along Pacific Coast Highway, and the one along the San Gabriel River elevation.
The project, designed to conform with all applicable development standards of the SEASP document, and is consistent with the level and intensity of development intended for the site by the document. Although this is the first residential, mixed use project in the area, the project is compatible in design, character, and scale with what is intended for the adjacent properties per the SEASP Plan. The project’s form and massing have been designed to be respectful of nearby buildings while making a positive contribution to the City not only at the primary entrance to the City, but also to the streetscape along Pacific Coast Highway, Studebaker Road, and Marina Drive.
2. THE DESIGN CONFORMS TO ANY APPICABLE SPECIAL DESIGN
GUIDELINES ADOPTED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION OR SPECIFIC PLAN REQUIREMENTS, SUCH AS THE DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR R -3 AND R-4 MULTI -FAMILY DEVELOPMENT, THE DOWNTOWN DESIGN
GUIDELINES, PD GUIDELINES OR THE GENERAL PLAN:
Currently the site is located within the MU-CC, Mixed Use Community Core Zoning District of the SEASP Specific plan, which does have specific design guidelines for Urban Design and Building Design. The building is sited generally in the center of the 3.37-acre lot surrounded by landscaping , pedestrian walk ways and bike pathways. The northwest and southwest elevations face Pacific Coast Highway and Studebaker Road, respectively, and the remaining elevations face the San Gabriel River and Marina Drive. Alamitos Bay is just beyond the parking area across Marina Drive from the project.
The project design is an ‘m’ shaped building with varying elevations and building materials including smooth plaster in white and gray tones, brown plaster as an accent color, inset windows a minimum of three inches, interspersed balconies with mesh guardrail systems, a wood-like cement board system, a storefront retail system along Studebaker Road, and a large mural along the East Pacific Coast Highway elevation which will provide visual interest and the pedestrian and vehicular level.
The project design, as discussed above, consists of high -quality architecture and materials choices, typical for new multi-family, mixed use buildings in Long Beach. The finish, texture, and color of the design is compatible with the chosen materials across the building. The massing is appropriately -scaled per development standards in the SEASP documents that future development on adjacent properties will be required to meet.
3. THE DESIGN WILL NOT REMOVE SIGNIFICANT MATURE TREES OR STREET TREES, UNLESS NO ALTERNATIVE DESIGN IS POSSIBLE.
Consistent with the project plans, all structures, asphalt, trees, shrubs and other landscaping will be removed to facilitate the construction of the new building. The proposed landscaping for the site, include a lushly landscaped setback with trees, shrubs and groundcover along Pacific Coast Highway . Numerous street trees are proposed which will complement the proposed setback landscaping along Pacific Coast Highway Attachment C
and the public outdoor gathering spaces along Studebaker Road and Marina Drive .
Conditions of approval will ensure that these trees, over 30 of them and especially those within the outdoor gathering spaces on the project site are not only larger in size, but also will provide a shade canopy and mature quickly. The proposed design will replace the turf that is currently along the setbacks.
All of the passive and active outdoor common open space areas have a landscape palette which includes permanent and portable planters with shade trees , planters with seat walls, and multi-purpose lawn areas. The common areas adjacent to the bikeway turn off from Pacifi c Coast Highway bike lane to the San Gabriel River Bikepath is also landscaped with trees, groundcover and hardscape.
4. THERE IS ANESSENTIAL NEXUS BETWEEN THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT
REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED BY THE ORDINANCE AND THE LIKELY IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT; AND
Improvements to the public right of ways include modifications to Pacific Coast Highway per approval by the California Department of Transportation, ADA improvements to various corners of street intersections, street tree improvements and upgrades and upgrading of storm drain lines impacted by the proposed development. Public improvements are required per the conditions of approval in accordance with the Southeast Area Specific Plan document.
5. THE PROJECT CONFORMS WITH ALL REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH IN CHAPTER 21.64 (TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT), WHICH REQUIREMENTS ARE SUMMARIZED IN TABLE 25-1 AS FOLLOWS:
TDM Requirements
New Nonresidential Development
25,000+ Square
Feet
50,000+ Square
Feet
100,000+ Square
Feet
Transportation
Information Area X X X
Preferential
carpool/vanpool parking X X
Parking designed to
admit vanpools X X
Bicycle parking X X
Carpool/vanpool loading
zones X
Efficient pedestrian
Access X
Bus Stop Improvements X
Safe Bike access from
street to bike parking X
Attachment C
Transit Review For all Residential and nonresidential projects subject to EIR
The proposed project is a mixed-use residential project with 281 residential units and only 3,150 square feet of retail space. The requirements of Chapter 21.64 do not apply since the commercial/retail space is only 3,150 square feet in size.
6. THE APPROVAL IS CONSISTENT WITH THE GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS
FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DEV ELOPMENT, AS LISTED IN SECTION
21.45.4000.
Above and beyond what is required by Section 21.45.400 for the project as meeting the intent of LEED at the certified level, the project applicant is proposing to construct the project at the LEED Silver level.
7. THE PROJECT IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE HOUSING REPLACEMENT REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 21.22.050 OF CHAPTER 21.11 (NO NET LOSS) OR SECTION 21.68.040.E OF THIS TITLE, AS APPLICABLE, AND WILL RESULT IN THE SAME OR GREATER NUMBER OF DWELLING UNITS; AND IN
THE CASE OF EXISTING AFFORDABLE DWELLING UNITS, THAT THE
DWELLING UNITS WILL BE REPLACED AT THE SAME OR DEEPER
AFFORDABILITY LEVELS, AND THAT APPLICABLE TENANT PROTECTIONS OF THE LONG BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE WILL BE MET.
The project involves the demolition and removal of the existing 73,706 square foot building on the property which currently is used for office type uses. The subject project is a ‘m’ shaped building which will contain 281 residential dwelling units and a minimum of 507 parking stalls. Of those 281 residential dwelling units, thirteen (13) of the units will be available for very-low-income individuals/families for a period of not less than 55 years.
The subject site is on the site inventory in the City’s 6 th Cycle Housing Element, certified by the State of California’s Department of Housing and Community Development in April 2022 and shows the potential build-out of 95 low-income units.
Sites on the site inventory were analyzed and selected to demonstrate that the City has land use and zoning capacity to facilitate the 2021 -2029 Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) figure of 26,502 housing units in accordance with Housing State Law. Sites were selected for the inventory based on a set of objective criteria for analyzing the likelihood of housing being developed on the site, including based on lot size, improvement-to-land ratio (with a higher ratio indicating lower feasibility for dwe lling unit potential), and whether the underlying zoning or PlaceType allows residential uses. In this case, the property is zoned MU -CC, meets the criteria and was included in the Housing Element site inventory as mentioned above. The subject site, which has an existing 40 year old commercial/office building has been contemplated for a total of 95 potential low- income units.
Attachment C
Pursuant to Government Code Section 65863, cities must maintain, at all times during the planning period, adequate sites to meet t heir unmet share of RHNA. Under this law, cities generally may not take any action that would allow or cause the sites identified in its Site Inventory to be insufficient to meet its remaining unmet share of the City’s RHNA for lower and moderate-income households. Therefore, because the project parcel is on the site inventory, based on this the above -cited government code section known as “housing element no-net loss,” an analysis is required to ensure that future development of the proposed project site d oes not preclude the City’s ability to meet its RHNA obligations.
The City must demonstrate that its plans, policies and zoning facilitate the production of the 26,502 -unit RHNA allocation. Although the site inventory is the most well -known method for mee ting this obligation, the City may meet its RHNA obligation through a combination of: the following:
(a) Projected number of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) anticipated to be permitted based on recent trends;
(b) Approved and proposed residential develop ment projects in the pipeline; and
(c) Thorough an inventory of sites with demonstrated zoning capacity to accommodate the RHNA allocation.
Below provides an analysis and update summary related to each available avenue for meeting the RHNA obligation to demonstrate the City’s ability to meet its RHNA obligations despite the loss of potential units because of the proposed project.
Since 2018 the City has seen significant increases in applications and permits for ADUs across Long Beach; production of ADUs is shown below between 2018 and 2020. • 2018: 59 units
• 2019: 151 units
• 2020: 268 units
• 2021: 445 units
• 2022: 508 units
The above three-year period (2018, 2019 and 2020) yields an annual average of 159 units.
To be conservative and based on the observed development trends in the City, the 6 th Cycle Housing Element assumes an annual average of 159 ADUs between 2021 and 2029, for a total of 1,275 units, representing nearly five percent (4.8 percent) of the City’s 6th Cycle RHNA . This the average number of ADUs permitted between 2018 -2020 (Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element Technical Appendices, p. C-2). About two-thirds of those units were designated in the affordable categories of the RHNA based on guidance from the Southern California Association of Governments.
Attachment C
Since Junior ADUs, which are attached accessory units that occupy the existing square footage of a housing unit and therefore, are typically smaller in size, less expensive to construct, and a more affordable housing option, the City anticipates that the construction of ADUs will continue to increase. ADU production in 2021 totaled 445 units and in 2022, 508 ADUs were permitted. Based on the more recent data, using a five -year average (2018-2022), the City now estimate s 2,290 ADUs will be developed during the Housing Element period, which is a net increase of 1,015 units (an annual average of 476 units ).
Given that 45% of AD Us for the City’s RHNA were allocated within the “low -income” category, the revised projection represents additional capacity for 452 units in the “low - income” RHNA category. This increase alone more than accounts for the lost potential of low income units for the proposed project.
In Appendix C Site Inventory of the Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element, the project site was identified as potentially accommodating 95 Low -Income affordable residential units on the site. Because the project entails market rate and very low-income units, and no low- income units, the project represents a deficit of 95 low-income units from the total that was envisioned for the site in the 2021-2029 Housing Element. The project is not entirely void of countable units toward the City’s RHNA and contributes 13 units toward the very low - income category and 268 units toward the market rate category.
Consistent with Government Code Section 65863(b), the City finds that there is sufficient vacant land that is either not identified in the 2021-2029 Housing Element Sites Inventory or that is identified in the site inventory but is proposed with an excess amount of affordable units to meet the 95 low-income unit RHNA need despite the proposed residential capacity at the project site. While the project does not include a residential component to specifically meet the 95 low -income units allocated for the site, the City has identified that it has the additional capacity, capability, and feasibility based on projects currently in process by the Development Services Department’s Planning Bureau on sites not previously included on the Sites Inventory List. The project identified below shows additional capacity of approximately 39 low-income RHNA units, which would offset the some of the deficit that would be created by the approval of the current project.
Application
Number Address Zoning
District Description Status Site
Inventory
Net Affordable
Units
2210-12
4151
Fountain
St. and
4220
Wehrle Ct.
R-2-N
Site Plan Review
for a new multi-
family project
including
affordable 72
affordable units
and one
manager’s unit in
Approved
by the Site
Plan
Review
Committee
March,
2023
No
A mixture of 39 low
income units and 33
very low income
units.
Attachment C
Application
Number Address Zoning
District Description Status Site
Inventory
Net Affordable
Units
two 3 and 4-story
buildings for
families and
disabled persons
TOTAL 72 Affordable Units