TITLE
Recommendation to request the City Council to oppose Senate Bill 50 (Weiner), which would preempt local zoning laws to allow higher density housing near "transit-rich" and "jobs-rich" areas, including in single-family neighborhoods, and take a "one-size-fits-all" to addressing land use for housing throughout the entire state.
DISCUSSION
BACKGROUND:
Long Beach has taken a proactive position to addressing the housing shortage that is not only affecting the City, but the entire state. In May 2017, the City Council approved a comprehensive plan entitled "Revenue Tools and Incentives for the Production of Affordable and Workforce Housing," and the City has implemented or is in the process of implementing many of those policies.
In March 2018, the City Council voted to confirm the General Plan Land Use Element PlaceType and Height Maps, which will allow for additional housing development along many of the City's corridors. This was the result of over a decade of staff work and sometimes contentious public debate over where and how much housing should be allowed and the impacts on city services and neighborhoods. In the end, we reached a consensus on how best to meet our future housing needs while still preserving much of what makes Long Beach special.
Senate Bill 50 (Weiner) would require local governments to grant an equitable communities incentive to allow density bonuses in the construction of new housing. The incentives would include reducing parking requirements and increasing the allowable height to 45-55 feet. Under SB 50 any neighborhood within one-half mile of a rail station or one-quarter mile from a bus route or near a "job rich area" would be required by state law to allow four or five-story apartment buildings, potentially built curb to curb, and with no on-site parking. The building square footage could be 2.5 or 3.25 times the lot size (FAR) - which far exceed the current limits for our single-family neighborhoods.
Moreover, while Long B...
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