Community Development
Downtown Waterfront
Latest Updates
Since releasing the Draft Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan in March 2025, the City has received positive feedback on the vision. The City is now revising the draft plan to incorporate additional community-recommended concepts and respond to input that the plan should integrate the Queen Mary Entertainment District into the vision.
The updated vision plan will incorporate long-term land uses and infrastructure planning for both Downtown Shoreline and the Queen Mary Entertainment District, building on the 2016 Queen Mary Visioning Taskforce and aligning with the area's most recent improvements, including the F&M Amphitheater. An updated Downtown Waterfront vision plan that combines the Queen Mary Entertainment District and Downtown Shoreline project areas is expected to be released for public review in early 2027.
The City recently participated in an Urban Land Institute (ULI) climate resilience grant for the Downtown Waterfront Planning effort. The grant provided training, technical assistance and advising on how to maximize resilience and sustainability in the Downtown Waterfront through land use and real estate interventions. The grant included a Technical Assistance Panel of 12 real estate experts who donated their time to develop short- and long-term strategies to maximize the environmental and economic benefits the vision plan is designed to achieve.
The initial concept of developing the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan originated from a ULI Technical Assistance Panel in 2014. Receiving recommendations on how to implement and govern the Downtown Shoreline area effectively is key to achieving the community vision: "An inclusive oceanfront destination for our community and the world." The ULI report is now available for public review.
The initial concept of developing the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan originated from a ULI Technical Assistance Panel in 2014. Receiving recommendations on how to implement and govern the Downtown Shoreline area effectively is key to achieving the community vision: "An inclusive oceanfront destination for our community and the world." The ULI report is now available for public review.
- Urban Land Institute Report: Long Beach Waterfront – Building and Redevelopment with Resiliency (April 2026)
- Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan – Draft Vision Plan (English)
- Downtown Shoreline Plan de Vision – Borrador del Plan de la Visión del Proyecto (Spanish)
- Downtown Shoreline Interactive Draft Vision Plan
- Draft Vision Plan Overview Video (English)
- Borrador del Plan de la Visión del Proyecto (Spanish)
Stay Connected
The City collected public comments from April through June on the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan; the formal commenting period has now been closed. Sign up to be notified of upcoming meetings and project updates. For questions and inquiries, email DowntownPlan@longbeach.gov.Project Background and Goals
The Downtown shoreline area serves as the threshold between Downtown Long Beach and the city’s waterfront and covers the coastal area south of Ocean Boulevard from Golden Shore Drive to Alamitos Avenue. This area is home to iconic residences, offices, hotels and restaurants set amid the city’s convention center, harbors, marinas, shoreline parks and beaches. As the Plan has not been updated since the 1970s, the vision planning process underway aims to create a community vision and guidelines for creation of a world-class waterfront that will serve as a global destination. The Vision Plan will provide a foundation for a future plan update process to take place beginning in 2025.
The City has identified initial goals for the Downtown Shoreline Vision that will be refined and expanded with input from the community during the visioning process, which include but are not limited to:
- Inclusive outreach that engages, educates and empowers the community.
- A process and plan that respects the needs and perspectives of existing and future residents.
- Creation of an attractive local, regional and global destination.
- A vision and plan that is economically feasible and fiscally sustainable.
- Explore opportunities for hospitality, recreation, housing growth and investment in greater Downtown Long Beach and its waterfront.
- Embrace sustainable development and adaptability to future climate and technological shifts.
- Modernize regulations, support the City’s housing goals, and conduct appropriate environmental review.
Downtown Shoreline Opportunities Lookbook
To support the ongoing community visioning and engagement efforts, the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan Opportunities Lookbook was developed to summarize the area’s history and current conditions related to land use, urban design, and mobility.
View the Lookbook using the links below.
Past Community Outreach and Engagement
To gain a deeper understanding of local needs and ensure a community-centered approach, the City partnered with specialists, community-based organizations and neighborhood associations.
A key component of the City’s commitment to an inclusive planning process is the establishment of a Community Roundtable to represent the various interests in the plan area and provide input and guidance on visioning and design documents at key milestones.
The Roundtable will reflect and represent residents, business operators, workers, property owners, and other stakeholders. Its special focus will be on economic development and tourism, resiliency, equity, mobility, housing, recreation, and sustainability. The Roundtable members will assist the planning and design team by identifying priorities, opportunities, and constraints for the Downtown Shoreline; supporting the development of a comprehensive planning vision statement, providing feedback on vision design alternatives, and helping to solicit the participation of the broader community at key points in the process.
Community Roundtable #1
Community Roundtable #2
The Roundtable will reflect and represent residents, business operators, workers, property owners, and other stakeholders. Its special focus will be on economic development and tourism, resiliency, equity, mobility, housing, recreation, and sustainability. The Roundtable members will assist the planning and design team by identifying priorities, opportunities, and constraints for the Downtown Shoreline; supporting the development of a comprehensive planning vision statement, providing feedback on vision design alternatives, and helping to solicit the participation of the broader community at key points in the process.
Community Roundtable #1
A key component of the City’s commitment to an inclusive planning process is the establishment of a Community Roundtable to represent the various interests in the plan area and provide input and guidance on visioning and design documents at key milestones.
The Roundtable will reflect and represent residents, business operators, workers, property owners, and other stakeholders. Its special focus will be on economic development and tourism, resiliency, equity, mobility, housing, recreation, and sustainability. The Roundtable members will assist the planning and design team by identifying priorities, opportunities, and constraints for the Downtown Shoreline; supporting the development of a comprehensive planning vision statement, providing feedback on vision design alternatives, and helping to solicit the participation of the broader community at key points in the process.
The first Community Roundtable meeting was held on November 9, 2023. View the meeting materials below:
- Community Roundtable 1 Agenda
- Community Roundtable 1 Presentation
- Community Roundtable 1 Materials
- Community Roundtable 1 Photos
Community Roundtable #2
The second Community Roundtable meeting was held on January 24, 2024. In development of a comprehensive planning vision statement, the community roundtable provided input and guidance in the draft guiding principles and supporting aspirational statements. The community roundtable provided feedback on priorities, opportunities, and constraints for each of the guiding principles and will assist in development of the vision design alternatives and solicit participation from the broader community.
View the meeting materials below:
- Agenda - English & Spanish
- Community Roundtable 2 Draft Guiding Principles - English
- Community Roundtable 2 Draft Guiding Principles - Spanish
- Community Roundtable 2 Presentation - English
- Community Roundtable 2 Presentation – Spanish
Community Roundtable #3
The third Community Roundtable meeting was held on June 15, 2024, as part of the Community Design Charrette. To think big about how the Downtown Shoreline area could be improved to meet community needs and values, the roundtable group was prompted to discuss eight Big Ideas that gave a snapshot of possibilities for the future of Downtown Shoreline. These eight Big Ideas illustrated the guiding principles and addressed the key themes differently across three geographical areas: East, West, and Central.
The eight Big Ideas were not design recommendations, but rather discussion prompts to tangibly envision a Downtown Shoreline with limited constraints. Feedback from these Big Ideas helped inform a preferred scenario in which a unified vision for the area is evaluated for feasibility and shared with the community prior to presenting a vision plan to Planning Commission and City Council.
View the meeting materials below:
- See the eight Big Ideas
- Community Table Round 3 Presentation - English
- Community Table Round 3 Presentation - Spanish
Community Roundtable #4
The fourth Community Roundtable meeting was held on April 2, 2025, to debut the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan – Draft Vision Plan in a public forum for the first time. Roundtable members were able to go through the Draft Vision Plan, ask questions, and provide feedback in a collaborative forum. An overview of how to use the project website to provide feedback on each strategy was provided.
- Communtiy Roundtable 4 Presentation – English
- Communtiy Roundtable 4 Presentation – Spanish
The Community Development Department (Department) hosted the Community Design Charrette, an ideas exchange, that kicked off Thursday, June 13, 2024, with a presentation at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Throughout the series of events, interested stakeholders, the public and Downtown Shoreline planning team members engaged in educational and thought-provoking activities to help shape the Vision of Downtown Shoreline.
- Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 6 p.m., Aquarium of the Pacific (100 Aquarium Way)
Kickoff event with an overview of planning efforts and charrette activities. - Friday, June 14, 2024, Studio One Eleven (245 E. 3rd St.)
Small roundtable discussions (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) on specific topics like environmental, economic and youth and emerging adults-focused planning considerations. - Saturday, June 15, 2024, Studio One Eleven and other locations around the Shoreline area
A day of community events starting at 9 a.m. with an "Everyone's Shoreline" roundtable discussion. Walk and bike tours and "open studio hours" throughout the afternoon and evening. - Thursday, July 18, 2024, City Council Chambers
The feedback provided throughout these events was analyzed and presented to the Planning Commission on Thursday, July 18, 2024, at a study session during the Commission's regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall.- View the meeting materials below:
The Department hosted a joint open house for the Long Beach Downtown Plan Update and Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. View the Open House presentation video
Those who were not able to attend the event are invited to provide input by completing our Feedback Form.
In addition to the Community Open House, staff hosted pop-up booths or provided a presentation with Q&A opportunities at the following events to provide more information on the efforts and receive feedback:
- Black Everywhere – Friday, Nov. 25, 2023
- Latinos in Action California – Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023
- Northeast Village Neighborhood Association Community Open House – Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023
- Promenade Neighborhood Association – Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023
- Long Beach Forward and Libre Open House – Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023
- Council District 1 Night at the Aquarium - Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023
- DTLB Roller Disco - Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023
- Taste of Downtown Waterfront - Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023
- LA Design Fest - Friday, June 23, 2023
- Beach Streets - Saturday, May 20, 2023
- Victory Park Design Guidelines Open House - Saturday, May 20, 2023
- Taste of Downtown – Wednesday and Thursday, August 14-15, 2024
- Marine Advisory Commission – Thursday, October 10, 2024
- The Pike Merchants Meeting – Thursday, October 24, 2024
- Shoreline Village Local Business Outreach – Tuesday, November 12, 2024
- Catalina Landing Local Business Outreach – Wednesday, December 4, 2024
- Aquarium’s Teen Climate Council – Saturday, January 14, 2025
- Aquarium’s Teen Science Cafe – Sunday, January 16, 2025
- Marine Advisory Commission – Thursday, May 8, 2025
- Pop-up at the Beach Streets West – Saturday, May 10, 2025
- Planning Commission – Thursday, May 15, 2025
The Department hosted Everyone's Shoreline Community Celebration, a community event showcasing the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan Concept! Attendees participated in feedback stations, a free and interactive art activity led by the Arts Council of Long Beach, a free water taxi ride aboard the AquaLink and free refreshments.
- Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 5 p.m., Seashell Park (100 Aquarium Way)
Eight Big Ideas – A Snapshot of Possibilities
Informed by the opportunities and challenges identified in the Opportunities Lookbook and driven by the Community Vision Statement & Guiding Principles, eight BIG IDEAS were generated to prompt discussion about what the future of Downtown Shoreline could look like.
BIG IDEAS were intended to provide a starting point for discussion during summer 2024 community events and a snapshot of possibilities for the future of the Downtown Shoreline in 2075 and beyond.
Each of these BIG IDEAS illustrates the guiding principles and addresses the overarching themes differently. Between June 2024 and January 2025, the City hosted an online forum to collect community input on the challenges each would create and the opportunities each might afford. The BIG IDEAS online forum is now closed but remains available to view.
Each of these BIG IDEAS illustrates the guiding principles and addresses the overarching themes differently. Between June 2024 and January 2025, the City hosted an online forum to collect community input on the challenges each would create and the opportunities each might afford. The BIG IDEAS online forum is now closed but remains available to view.
Contact
For more information or questions related to the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan, contact us by email at DowntownPlan@longbeach.gov or by phone at 562.570.6194.
