PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - The City of Long Beach General Plan Housing Element update has been certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), signifying the City’s compliance with State Housing Element law. The certification enables the potential for considerable grants and State funding opportunities for various implementation efforts in Long Beach, including the production of additional affordable housing.

“Long Beach continues to make housing a top priority, and the Housing Element update is a testament to this commitment,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “I am thankful to the Development Services Department for leading this important process and developing a plan that can serve as a model for other cities in the region and beyond.”

Long Beach is now among the first cities in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region to have a certified Housing Element update. SCAG is the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, representing six counties, 191 cities and more than 18 million residents. Other certified jurisdictions include the City of Duarte, City of San Gabriel, City of Westlake Village, County of Imperial and County of Ventura.

Adopted by the Long Beach City Council in February 2022, the 2021-2029 Housing Element is the sixth update and guides the City’s policies and programs related to housing through 2029. The Housing Element update builds on previous City plans, goals, objectives and strategies to ensure that the City meets the housing needs of current and future Long Beach residents and provides fair housing options for all.

The plan aims to achieve several overarching goals and provides the City with a roadmap for accommodating projected housing demand, increasing housing production, improving housing affordability, preserving existing affordable housing, improving housing conditions, and facilitating the development of housing for all income levels and household types. The update focuses on removing barriers to housing production to address challenges related to housing shortages and homelessness in the city, and introduces important new strategies to address documented fair housing disparities in Long Beach, including inequities in access to quality, affordable housing.

“Housing is essential to health, quality of life and the economy of the community, and the Housing Element update is a critical step in making Long Beach more livable and equitable for all,” said Long Beach Development Services Department Director Oscar Orci. “We thank HCD for their partnership throughout the update process and look forward to continuing this important work for Long Beach residents.”

Pursuant to State law, the primary strategy for implementing the Housing Element is to update the City’s zoning code to demonstrate that the City has sufficient zoned capacity to facilitate its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), which estimates the number of additional housing units, including affordable housing units, needed for current and future Long Beach residents over the eight-year cycle. This work is already currently underway in Long Beach through the City’s rezoning efforts to implement the 2019 Land Use Element (LUE) update, which provides sufficient zoning capacity to meet the RHNA.

As part of this effort, the City currently has two major planning efforts underway: the Uptown Planning Land Use and Neighborhood Strategy (UPLAN), a collaborative effort between the City and North Long Beach community to guide future development through new zoning; and Zone In: City Core (ACZIP), a collaboration between the City and community to update zoning regulations in the area bounded by Pacific Coast Highway, 10th Street, Magnolia and Ximeno Avenues. In late 2020, the City adopted 12 new zones and rezoned properties along major corridors in North Long Beach through UPLAN, and a second phase of rezoning is anticipated for adoption later this year. Adoption of new zones through the Zone In: City Core (ACZIP) effort is anticipated in early 2023.

The two-year planning process for the Housing Element update consisted of extensive technical analysis, community outreach and engagement with residents, businesses, community-based organizations, affordable housing developers and advocates, homeless services providers, neighborhood associations and stakeholders. City staff conducted various community forums, workshops, community listening sessions, focus groups, a survey and a mailer and social media campaign to solicit public participation and input on the plan. Information was provided in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog.

The City of Long Beach remains committed to improving access to safe, quality housing for residents across all income levels, promoting a diversity of housing types and increasing the feasibility of development of underused sites throughout the city such as underutilized strip malls, as well as focusing new housing near transit and jobs. Since 2019, the City has had nine new affordable housing developments completed or currently underway citywide. Last month, the City celebrated the groundbreaking of Long Beach Senior, a 67-unit affordable housing development and community resource center along Pacific Coast Highway in Midtown. In February, the City also celebrated the grand opening of Vistas del Puerto, a new 48-unit affordable housing project in the Midtown community.  

The Housing Element is one of nine mandatory elements of the City’s General Plan, a long-range policy document that provides guidance for future development in Long Beach, and is updated every eight years as mandated by the State. For more information about the Housing Element, visit the Long Beach Development Services website.

About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health and Human Services; Parks, Recreation and Marine; Development Services; Public Works and more. The City also has a highly respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, 12 libraries, five golf courses, 169 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths and a Bike Share program.

About Long Beach Development Services
Serving residents, businesses and the community at large, the award-winning Long Beach Development Services Department sets a standard for high-quality, innovative urban planning and livability efforts that create more progressive and sustainable communities within the diverse City of Long Beach, CA. Through a variety of development, code enforcement, housing and neighborhood services and building activities, the Department builds a better future for the city while also honoring its unique past. For more information, visit longbeach.gov/lbds. Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.