An initial study looking at the environmental consequences of a proposed affordable housing project at 3401 Cerritos Ave. in Cal Heights has been formally submitted to the city. It marks the beginning of the entitlement process after the project faced harsh criticism earlier this year.
The project is a partnership between the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation and the City of Long Beach. Â If approved following public hearings and meetings, the project would then spend about a year or more in financing and building permits. Construction would still take approximately 24 months but likely not start until 2027 at the earliest therefore the development will not be completed until 2029.
What are the plans for 3401 Cerritos Ave.?
The 0.7-acre site spans two land parcels; one at 1131 East Wardlow Rd. and another at 3401 Cerritos Ave. The goal is to build 73 units across a newly constructed buildings, all of which will be affordable. One building will have five stories, while the other two will have two and three stories. The five-story building will be home to 60 units. The other two buildings will host the remaining 13 units. The existing building—an empty storage unit—and its accompanying parking lot in the rear, will be demolished.
35 units will be one-bedrooms. 19 units will be two-bedrooms. And 19 units will be three-bedrooms.
According to the study, there will be a parking garage with up to two subterranean levels will provide up to 103 residential parking spaces, 15 long-term bicycle parking spaces, a trash/recycle room, an organics room, a moving/trash pick-up/loading zone, utility rooms, and residential storage. The front building.
It will also include 8,380 square feet of open space: 8,080 square feet of outdoor open space and 300 square feet of private open space in the form of unit balconies.
Wait—weren’t there different plans for 3401 Cerritos?
There were the plans above showcased for the project initially. However, residents expressed concern that its modern style didn’t fit with the neighborhood’s old-school aesthetic.
The larger conversation surrounding affordable housing in Long Beach and beyond
The more considerable discussion surrounding affordable housing and affordability within housing—two separate concepts—is coming to an apex not just in Long Beach but in California as it continues to see housing supply dwindle and costs skyrocket. On the one hand, you have what I call “Affordable Housing with a Capital A,” that is, housing directly connected to the federal definition of poverty, meaning a family has to make a certain percentage of the median income within an area to access it.
This project, as stated, is catering to families that make up between 30% and 70% of the area’s median income. Low-Income families are federally defined as earning 80% or less of the median income within a given area; it goes down from there to Very Low-Income (30-50% of the average median income) and Extremely Low-Income (<30% of the average median income).
Within Long Beach, there have been delays and steps forward: Its inclusionary housing ordinance, which requires housing developers of market-rate complexes to either include affordable units or contribute to an affordable housing fund, was just recently passed.
However, given the delay in its passing, the massive development boom across the city has waived the ordinance’s requirements since the projects were entitled before the City Council passed the ordinance. Had the ordinance been passed, say, five years beforehand, it is likely that either hundreds of affordable units would have been constructed in addition to the ones in the pipeline.
Editor’s note: This article used information from the initial study for the construction timeline; the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation said they had updated their timeline. The article has been edited to reflect that.
Terrible location for this project, essentially in a protected historic district. The scale is just to large for the location and the protected homes nearby.
Yea makes no sense. Should be placed at the far edge of the neighborhood along Cherry or Atlantic.
Typical NIMBY. The people that live along Cherry and Atlantic are still in the same historic neighborhood.
Vote out Megan Kerr. She is responsible for bringing this monstrosity to our neighborhood. She does not represent our community.
Where heck will they park there cars you have no parking for all cars so local home owners get the plesure of long beach bad drsision dont say they wont have cars ill say many will have two thanks again city planers
So the proposed project is directly adjacent to a historic district where plans for 2nd story additions are regularly rejected (except ADUs apparently) by Planning, but now this 5-story behemoth is OK? I’m not opposed to affordable housing in the area but this is much too big. Scale it back to no more than 3 stories. And do I need to mention the water main break that just happened a block away? Can the existing infrastructure even handle 73 more units? My guess is an EIR will say no.
Excellent location for this project. It’s outside the historic district and located in a resource-rich corridor. A grocer, two pharmacies, multiple restaurants, a bus line etc all within walking distance. There are existing multi family developments on Wardlow with fewer parking spots per unit. Yes, you may need to walk a few extra steps to your car (or park in your garage!). Welcome this project and use it to push LBT for more bus service. If not here, then where?
Its location makes zero sense. This should be out on Cherry ave or nearer to Atlantic. Not right in the middle.
You can’t be serious. You must not live in area. This is a terrible location for this ugly, monstrous building. Our community is densely populated.Notice They aren’t building this in Virginia country club, where the rich people live… or in Bixby knolls where Megan Kerr lives and that is actually close to a Vons. They are impacting a modest middle class community that bears a huge tax burden. They are crowding already overcrowded schools. And the city is just fucking us over. Build 2-3 story townhouses that fit our community and I’d welcome the project.
“Adam” is quite possibly the same “Adam” who is married to Lena Gonzalez. Our local politicians are awful.
Thank God Long Beach is taking action to alleviate the housing crisis, since the gov’t continues to allow private equity firms and big $ investors to buy up many of the single-family homes and turn around rent them out at a ridiculous amount.
I work full-time at an architectural firm and the cost of housing per square foot these days will enslave anybody just trying to lead a descent life in dignity without having to roommate with some weirdo or creep stranger.