TITLE
Adopt resolution establishing the Midtown Specific Plan, pursuant to Sections 65450-65458 of the California Government Code;
DISCUSSION
On April 7, 2016, the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on the Midtown Specific Plan (Specific Plan) and formally recommended the Specific Plan to the City Council (Exhibit A - Planning Commission staff report). The Planning Commission’s action is the culmination of years of strategic planning to attract investment and improve the Long Beach Boulevard corridor.
Long Beach Boulevard, once known as American Avenue, has a long history of commercial and transit-dependent development. The area was originally served by the Pacific Electric red cars from 1902 to the system’s peak operation in 1927, through its ultimate decline and abandonment during the 1930s and 1940s. Long Beach Boulevard’s image shifted to become a premiere destination for car purchases, services and accessories during the 1960s and 1970s. The area experienced a significant decline in terms of activity, disinvestment and blight during the 1980s, from which it has never fully recovered. Redevelopment efforts began in the late 1980s to transform the corridor into a transit-oriented community. In 1990, the Metro Blue Line opened, returning transit service to the corridor for the first time in decades. In 1991, the City adopted PD-29 (Exhibit B - PD-29), establishing the framework for renewed investment through intensive mixed-use development along the corridor. While laudable in its goals and scope, PD-29 failed to attract the investment needed to revitalize the corridor.
In the mid-2000’s, the City’s focus shifted to embracing transit use and efforts began anew to focus development activity on Long Beach Boulevard. Several new affordable housing projects were built on the corridor, demonstrating the possibility of reinvestment and renewal. However, these projects required modifications to the underlying PD-29 zoning, making it evident that...
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