TITLE
Recommendation to declare ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by amending Section 21.37.120 to amend the title of PD-31; and Section 21.37.210 to add SP-4 (Century Villages at Cabrillo Specific Plan) to the list of specific plans, read and adopted as read. (District 7)
DISCUSSION
On September 1, 2022, the Planning Commission held a duly-noticed public hearing on the Century Villages at Cabrillo Specific Plan (CVCSP) and recommended that the City Council (5-0, with two commissioners absent) approve all requested actions (Attachment A). The item is now presented to the City Council for final approval and enaction.
The proposed new CVCSP would guide the redevelopment of portions of the Century Villages at Cabrillo (CVC) campus in West Long Beach to create a community of 1,380 affordable housing units. The creation of the CVCSP will allow for streamlined review and flexibility of future development while meeting the high standards of design and sustainability laid out in the plan. The adoption of this plan and ultimate construction of these affordable units is a critical component of the City of Long Beach’s (City) larger housing strategy and implementation of the recently certified Housing Element. Over the next ten years, implementation of the CVCSP will continue to serve the existing and future residents of the supportive housing community while upgrading and expanding the housing stock to address community needs, including providing for new service providers, realigning existing amenities as well as creating opportunities for new amenities to better serve CVC residents.
Background
The CVC Plan Area (Plan Area) is a 27-acre portion of a former United States Naval housing facility. The Plan Area had been part of a larger naval housing complex serving the Navy’s shipyards starting in the 1950s and was closed in 1991 as part of the United States Department of Defense’s (DoD) Base Realignment and Closure Commission. In 1997, the DoD transferred the land under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which makes unused federal properties available to assist the unhoused population. The Plan Area was conveyed to primarily benefit the unhoused and was part of the larger 140-acres of federal property that was included in the Long Beach Naval Station decommissioning. Villages at Cabrillo (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) was established in 1997 when the DoD transferred the 27 acres of land that make up the Plan Area to the CVC for the purpose of providing transitional and permanent housing to the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless.
The Plan Area is located on the western edge of Long Beach, nearly two and half miles to the northwest of Long Beach’s Downtown area (Attachment B). It is bordered by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo High School and associated campus facilities to the north and east, California State University Long Beach Technology and industrial uses (warehouse, distribution and logistics) to the south, Long Beach Job Corps Center to the east, and warehouse, distribution and logistics uses to the west, across State Route 103 (SR-103, also known as the Terminal Island Freeway).
When originally opened in 1997, the Plan Area primarily utilized rehabilitated former navy housing with rehabilitation and new construction introduced over time. By the conclusion of 2018, the entirety of CVC had been developed with new residential uses or the rehabilitation of existing structures. Major redevelopment of CVC occurred over six phases beginning in 2001 and concluding in 2020. Over the six phases, a total of 865 dwelling units, 54,730 nonresidential square feet (SF), and 512 parking spaces exist within the Plan Area.
CVC has developed into a supportive housing community campus that provides housing on any given night to over 1,500 persons. These include veteran and non-veteran individuals, families, youth, and children who are housed within CVC’s robust continuum of supportive housing, ranging from shelter to transitional housing, to permanent housing. CVC has partnered with more than thirty established service providers to procure much-needed services which include, but are not limited to, case management, life skills training, substance abuse treatment, affordable childcare, a homeless education program, an employment and career center, a food service program, and a Veteran’s Affairs medical clinic.
Current Zoning
The Plan Area is currently located in the California State University Research and Technology Center/Villages at Cabrillo Long Beach Vets Planned Development District (PD-31) and regulated under Subarea D of PD-31. Subarea D promotes the adaptive reuse of the existing housing and supporting facility buildings for the express purpose of providing transitional housing and support services to the unhoused veterans and the unhoused population of the Long Beach metropolitan area. The Plan Area has been developed and redeveloped over the past 70 years. Existing land uses within the Plan Area are comprised of a combination of one- and two-story rehabilitated naval housing and new one to five-story residential buildings, some having ground floor parking and ground floor amenities including service providers and community spaces. With the completion of the phased development, all unimproved parcels have been developed in the Plan Area. CVC is a community in transition as the initial housing stock consisted of the rehabilitated former naval housing structures which make up half of the community’s buildings while newer development has infilled the other half of the Plan Area (Attachment C).
Century Villages at Cabrillo Specific Plan
Over the next ten years, CVC is seeking to redevelop portions of the community that consist of the former naval housing stock, transitioning the outdated structures to modern affordable housing and service facilities along with key site improvements. The redevelopment efforts will be realized through the implementation of a Specific Plan, the CVCSP, which will guide the services, housing, amenities, and programming for the Plan Area. The mix of development accommodated by the CVCSP will provide quality dwelling units for residents in need while hosting modern spaces for current and new social service providers, commercial uses, and community amenities. The CVCSP serves as the master plan for a residential community that includes emergency, bridge/transitional, and permanent housing with support services and amenities. The CVCSP regulates the Plan Area’s allowable land use, circulation, open space, development standards, and provides the basis for the Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design- Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) certification which was obtained by CVC in 2019 (Attachment D).
Purpose of the Plan
The CVCSP is part of a collection of planning documents that will guide what services, housing, amenities and programming the CVC will provide in the future while increasing efficiency. The CVCSP includes principles and goals to guide future development, programming and improvements that will occur in the Plan Area. These objectives will support the CVCSP’s goals to support the current and future needs, challenges and opportunities for the area, guide redevelopment of antiquated building stock and available land, streamline the review and approval process for future phases of development, and provide certainty for government agencies, property owners, and developers. Based on guiding principles and goals, the following objectives have been established for the proposed project:
• Integrate both new and rehabilitated residential development for the express purpose of providing transitional housing and support services to homeless veterans and the homeless population of the region.
• Allow for the long-term development and enhancement of the CVC community to safeguard residents, meet the evolving needs of the community, and provide necessary support of resident’s mental, physical, and emotional health.
• Enhance the safety, livability, and connectivity of the CVC community.
• Guide redevelopment of an antiquated building stock and available land to accommodate increased demand for housing and services, while increasing efficiency.
• Develop enhanced and expanded open space and connectivity throughout the community to serve the needs of residents and employees.
• Provide housing and services near the West Long Beach Transit (LBT) Center and with a transit priority area consistent with statewide and regional goals to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
• Enhance the continued fiscal health, viability, and success of the CVC community.
Land Use Districts
The CVCSP is divided into two main land use districts: Village Core and Village General (Attachment E). Village Core, centrally located in the Plan Area, will be developed with more active uses located closer to the existing Transit Center and main entrance while Village General will primarily serve as multi-family residential uses incorporating amenities, services, and administrative uses. The Village Core will contain the primary administrative functions, commercial uses, and social spaces. The Village Core will have more intensive functions and denser development while the Village General area will have more passive uses and lower scale development.
Development Regulations
Development standards in the CVCSP provide regulatory guidance for new development projects to ensure that they meet a high standard of design and provide quality environments for residents, employees and visitors, while providing necessary flexibility for the programming and design of public and private investment in the Plan Area. Allowable uses generally include a variety of residential programs, social and clinical services, administrative applications, and neighborhood serving uses. The Village Core and Village General Land Use Districts will be developed with different regulations consistent with the intent and intensity of the land use district.
Vehicle and Bicycle Parking
Due to the expansive resources and amenities on-site, as well as the residents’ limited access to private vehicles and easy access to quality public transit options, off-street parking for the residential development will mirror those of other Transit Oriented Districts and affordable housing development. The Plan Area is served by a number of public transit lines, and contains the West LBT Center, or CVC Transit Center. Along with quality public transit and active transportation options, provisions for enhanced transportation management and shared vehicles will be provided to residents and on-site staff.
Automobile parking guidelines are included in the CVCSP as advisory. As the demand for parking falls over time with the introduction of new technology and improved transit service or with specific residential populations that may need less parking, actual parking provided on individual projects may vary. Development within the CVCSP is required to provide electric vehicle charging facilities for all new development for at least three percent of the total parking spaces.
Substantial bicycle parking facilities will be necessary to support the needs of Villages at Cabrillo residents, visitors, and staff. The bicycle parking guidelines identify the necessary capacity for secured parking within each new development. Unlike vehicular parking requirements, the imposition of bicycle parking is mandatory on every new project, however such parking may be offered in common areas of the campus rather than within the individual building or project.
Design Guidelines
Design guidelines are included in the CVCSP to regulate building form and design, frontages and urban edges, open space and landscaping, parking areas, signage and wayfinding, outdoor lighting, and environmental sustainability. The design guidelines are intended to promote quality design, consistent with the overall CVCSP vision, while providing a level of flexibility to encourage creative design. In addition, the LEED-ND certification provides detailed guidance for the CVCSP in relation to circulation, density, building placement and transportation management.
Amenities and Open Space
The CVCSP identifies new and enhanced amenities for current and future residents of the Plan Area. Some of the existing amenities will be realigned to better support the specific populations. Other new community amenities (such as convenience stores, cafeteria, weight room, faith services, etc.) will be developed to accommodate the growing need, including creating a dedicated senior center. The open space network of the Plan Area is designed to transition from the most public to most private with appropriate levels of activity and access. The exact configuration and location of open spaces will be established as part of each development.
Infrastructure and Utility Systems
The CVCSP includes infrastructure plans and utility systems that are necessary to serve existing development as well as the future development that will be accommodated by the CVCSP, including plans for mobility, drainage, water, wastewater and dry utilities (such as electricity, natural gas, and telecommunication services).
Green Building and Sustainability
Green building is the practice of designing, constructing and operating buildings to maximize occupant health and productivity, using fewer resources, reducing waste and negative environmental impacts, and decreasing lifecycle costs. Development projects accommodated by the CVCSP would be designed using applicable green building practices. Furthermore, the development standards and design guidelines included in the CVCSP are based on the gold LEED-ND certification documentation obtained by CVC in 2019. LEED is a national certification system developed to encourage the construction of energy and resource-efficient buildings and is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement. The LEED - ND criteria include guidance in the CVCSP for matters related to cir-culation, density, building placement, and transportation management. Past residential projects, such as Anchor Place and Cabrillo Gateway were both certified LEED Platinum for New Homes.
Implementation
The CVCSP will guide the redevelopment of the portions of the campus that currently consist of the former navy housing stock, transitioning the collection of antiquated structures and underutilized areas to modern affordable housing and service facilities along with key site improvements. Specifically, the implementation of the Plan involves the demolition of 235 existing dwelling units, 10,030 SF of amenities, 10,200 SF of educational uses and 7,250 SF of administrative and supportive services, and the removal of 155 parking spaces. New development under the CVCSP will include 515 supportive housing units, 77,000 SF of amenities, 15,000 SF of educational uses, 17,000 SF of commercial and retail uses, 48,000 SF of administrative and supportive services, and 460 parking spaces. Accordingly, buildout of the CVCSP will result in a total of 1,380 supportive housing units, 79,350 SF of amenities, 15,000 SF of educational uses, 22,850 SF of commercial and retail uses, 67,050 SF of administrative and supportive services, and 825 parking spaces (Attachment F).
General Plan Consistency
The CVCSP conforms to the general goals, policies, and designations of the City’s General Plan Land Use Element (LUE), adopted by the City Council in 2019. The Plan Area is located within page eight (8) of the LUE Map. The PlaceType of the Plan Area pursuant to the General Plan Land Use Map is Regional Serving Facility (RSF). RSF’s are those facilities, businesses and operations that not only serve the City, but also the region. Public-serving uses, such as the CVCSP, are consistent with the uses allowed by the LUE.
The CVCSP also advances LUE goals, including but not limited to: Sustainable Planning and Development Practices (Goal No. 1) by new developments within the CVCSP being more compact to create walkable environments, allow for orderly development and flexibility to grow, fully integrate land and mobility planning and encourage all development to be more environmentally sustainable, promote compact development and higher density development, and encourage walkable and bicycle-friendly environments; Accommodate Strategic Growth and Change (Goal No. 3) by promoting regional-serving uses, creating new transit-oriented development, and promoting infill and redevelopment to support transit; and, Diversify Housing Opportunities (Goal No. 5) by allowing a variety of housing types, encouraging housing opportunities, services and amenities for all income levels, age groups and household types, establishing clear rules and locations for special housing types, such as congregate care, assisted living, senior housing and housing with supportive services. Further, the CVCSP conforms to and furthers the goals of the General Plan’s Urban Design Element, by requiring high-quality development, sustainable design, and serious architecture, and creating complete streets and a pedestrian- and bike-friendly mobility environment.
The CVCSP also conforms to the General Plan’s Mobility Element through its plan for infrastructure improvements that are planned, maintained and operated consistent with the principle of complete streets, active living, and sustainable community design. Goal No. 1 of the Mobility Element is to create an efficient, balanced, multimodal mobility network; this includes establishing a network of complete streets, reconfiguring existing streets to emphasize modal priorities, strategically improving circulation, reducing the environmental impacts of the transportation system, and managing the supply of parking, all of which are achieved through the CVCSP’s development standards and guidelines. Furthermore, the vision for the future of the City’s transportation system includes flexible, convenient, affordable, and energy-efficient transportation options, mobility practices that maintain and enhance safety while strengthening community, sense of place, urban design and the natural environment, and land use planning integrated with a multimodal mobility network, providing people with options to choose various forms of convenient transportation. The CVCSP is consistent with the overall goals of the Mobility Element including the associated addendums comprised of the Green TI Plan for the Terminal Island Freeway, Bicycle Master Plan and CX3 Pedestrian Plan.
The CVCSP conforms to the City’s Housing Element in planning for present and future housing needs, including strategies and programs to improve development regulations and accommodate future growth targets for housing which is affordable to all household income levels. The CVCSP promotes redevelopment of antiquated structures and underutilized areas for a mix of development, which would provide quality dwelling units for residents in need while hosting modern spaces for current and new social service providers, commercial uses, and community amenities.
The CVCSP conforms to the Housing Element’s goals, including but not limited to: Provide Increased Opportunities for the Construction of High-Quality Housing (Goal No. 1) through policies that facilitate the development of affordable housing by streamlining the approval process for projects with substantial levels of affordable housing, encouraging residential development along transit corridors, establishing and maintaining partnerships with nonprofit organizations, affordable housing builders, and for-profit developers, to provide greater access to affordable housing funds; Mitigate Government Constraints to Housing Investment and Affordability (Goal No. 2) through examining existing land use policies and regulations that impact housing construction, standardize review policies to streamline permitting, and provide for timely and coordinated processing of development projects and associated environmental clearances to minimize project-holding costs; Provide Housing Assistance and Preserve Publicly Assisted Units (Goal No. 3); Address the Unique Housing Needs of Special Needs Residents (Goal No. 4); Retain and Improve the Quality of Existing Housing and Neighborhoods (Goal No. 5) by encouraging place-based strategies for neighborhood planning and improvements that incorporate biking, pedestrian, and public transit connections; and, Ensure Fair and Equal Housing Opportunity (Goal No. 6).
Required Approvals and Recommendation
The Planning Commission recommends that the City Council certify the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and adopt the accompanying Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), Findings of Fact, and Statement of Overriding Considerations; enact the CVCSP; approve the Zone Change; and approve the Zoning Code Amendments to amend the PD-31 boundaries. The Planning Commission has made positive findings as required by the Zoning Regulations (Attachment G).
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Erin Weesner-McKinley and Revenue Management Officer Geraldine Alejo on November 10, 2022.
Public Hearing Notice
A total of 933 notices of public hearing were distributed on January 9, 2023, in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 21.21 of the Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC). Additionally, a 1/8th page notice of public hearing was published in the Long Beach Press-Telegram on January 10, 2023, in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 21.21 of the LBMC. The Draft/Final EIR are on file and available for review on the Development Services Department, Planning Bureau’s website at <http://www.longbeach.gov/lbds/planning/environmental/reports>. Copies of the Final EIR are also available during operating hours at the Planning Counter, 3rd floor of City Hall, Billie Jean King Main Library, 200 West Broadway, and Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, 5870 Atlantic Avenue. City staff have no public comments in response to this notice at the time the report was prepared. Any comments received following the preparation and publication of this report will be forwarded to the City Council as they are received.
Environmental Review
In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, an EIR (SCH No. 2020010387) (Attachment H) was prepared for the proposed project. The City is the Lead Agency under CEQA.
The Notice of Preparation (NOP) was circulated for a 30-day public review period from January 28 to February 26, 2020. A public scoping meeting for the EIR was held on February 5, 2020, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the CVC, Social Hall, 2001 River Avenue, Long Beach. Six comment letters were received during the NOP public review period, and seven written scoping meeting comments were received during the scoping meeting. These comments expressed concern about a variety of potential impacts, including air quality, land use, and traffic. During this NOP comment period, the City received written comments from the State Clearinghouse, Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD), California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) - District 7. The purpose of this comment period was to allow the public and responsible agencies the opportunity to provide suggestions on the scope of analysis and environmental issues to be addressed in the EIR.
The Notice of Availability (NOA) and Draft EIR were made available for public comment during a 45-day public review and comment period that started on June 18, 2021 and ended on August 2, 2021. During this Draft EIR comment period, the City received four written comments from its Energy Resources Department, LACSD, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and Caltrans - District 7. Issues raised in these comment letters addressed minor corrections to update references to the “City of Long Beach Energy Resources Department” and clarification of analysis included in the Draft EIR (City of Long Beach Energy Resources Department), average daily wastewater generation, treatment quantities and updated reference to the water reclamation plant as the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant (LACSD), potential impacts on Monarch Butterflies, nesting birds and bats (California Department of Fish and Wildlife), and potential traffic impacts to the regional transportation system (Caltrans). All issues raised in the Draft Program EIR comment letters have been adequately addressed in the Final EIR (Attachment I), which determined that no new significant environmental impacts or issues were raised in the comment letters that would require a recirculation of the Draft EIR.
The EIR MMRP, which is included with the Final EIR, is designed to ensure compliance with adopted mitigation measures during project buildout. While mitigation measures have been proposed to reduce the level of environmental impacts, the Final EIR identified certain impacts that would remain significant, unavoidable, and adverse even after all feasible mitigation measures have been incorporated into the project. These environmental impacts involve conflict with short-term construction related air quality, greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), and construction related noise. Due to these significant unavoidable adverse impacts, certification of this Program EIR requires approval of a Statement of Overriding Considerations (SOC) that determines the project’s economic, legal, social, and/or technological benefits would outweigh the unavoidable adverse environmental impacts, and the adverse impacts may be considered acceptable.
The EIR evaluated two alternatives to the proposed project to determine if the alternatives could feasibly meet most of the project objectives while avoiding or substantially lessening significant project impacts. The alternatives considered were the No Project Alternative and Reduced Project Alternative. Based on the analysis provided in the Draft EIR, the No Project Alternative was determined not to meet project objectives. The Reduced Project Alternative (reduce the development intensity by 10 percent) would reduce but not eliminate significant and unavoidable impacts associated with air quality and noise compared to the proposed CVCSP. The CVCSP’s significant and unavoidable GHG impact would be eliminated under this alternative. Impacts related to aesthetics, cultural resources, energy, geology and soils, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, land use and planning, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation, and utilities and service systems would remain the same as or slightly reduced compared to the CVCSP. The Reduced Project Alternative would meet the CVCSP’s objectives, but not fully implement the potential of the CVCSP and would leave out much needed opportunities for additional housing and services for both the CVC community and the unhoused population of the Long Beach metropolitan area. For the reasons stated above and set forth in the SOC (Attachment J), the City has considered the information contained in the record of administrative proceedings on the proposed project, and has weighed the above-outlined benefits of the proposed project against the unavoidable adverse environmental impacts identified in the Final EIR.
The preparation and public availability of this EIR has been carried out in compliance with the provisions of CEQA and the CEQA Guidelines. For the reasons identified above, both City staff and the Planning Commission recommend the City Council certify the EIR-05-19 and find that no further environmental analysis is required under CEQA.
Under Assembly Bill 2162 (AB 2162), the CVCSP would qualify for ministerial approval. AB 2162 establishes Government Code Section 65650 et seq., which requires that local agencies allow supportive housing as a use by right in zones, including nonresidential zones, where multifamily and mixed uses are permitted if the proposed housing development meets the criteria of AB 2162. This project meets the criteria; therefore, the City has a ministerial duty, and thus CVSP would not be subject to CEQA. However, to be thorough an EIR has been prepared (Attachment K).
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on January 24, 2023. Pursuant to the Long Beach Municipal Code, in the case of a Planning Commission recommendation to the City Council for a Zone Change or a Zoning Code Amendment, hearings are typically held within a 60-day period after the Planning Commission action.
FISCAL IMPACT
While this recommendation provides the necessary City environmental and planning approvals to implement the proposed CVCSP, it does not approve or commit the City to the approval of any actual development projects or physical improvements associated with the plan. As a result, this recommendation has no fiscal or local job impact. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
an ordinance of the city council of the city of long beach amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by amending Section 21.37.120 to amend the title of PD-31; and Section 21.37.210 to add SP-4 (Century Villages at Cabrillo Specific Plan) to the list of specific plans
Respectfully Submitted,
CHRISTOPHER KOONTZ
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER