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NIMBY victory: Long Beach scales back its plans for dense development
New maps will constrict high-density development in the coastal city
After much contentious back-and-forth between community residents and officials, the City of Long Beach has decided to side with the NIMBYs in town.
New plans for the city will reduce allowable density by a total of 686 acres citywide, Curbed reported. Officials announced on Nov. 10 they will be unveiling new maps that illustrate where development would be allowed.
According to the city, the revised maps ensure that the majority of new development in coming years will be constricted to “lower-density development, such as three-story apartments, townhomes, and small mixed-use buildings.” They will be used to accommodate the 18,200 new residents and 28,500 jobs expected to hit Long Beach by 2040, the city said.
Similar to the previous proposal, 44 percent of the land currently zoned for single family residences will be preserved, while another 19 percent will be occupied by large-scale infrastructure developments. Roughly 16 percent will be devoted to open space and parks.
Long Beach has not updated the Land Use Element maps since 1989, a year before the Metro’s Blue Line opened. Mayor Robert Garcia called for four town hall meetings to discuss a full-blown rewrite of the plan in September, which ultimately propelled a large opposition for high-density development.
Just like much of the county, the city is grappling an affordable housing problem – it consistently fails to meet the state goal to add 783 units of housing annually. [Curbed] – Natalie Hoberman