Long Beach will add housing for a high-need population with its latest approval, a seven-story office building repurposed as a student dormitory.
Over 76,000 higher-education students reside in Long Beach, according to City staff, yet only three dormitories exist and they only serve Cal State Long Beach. This new dormitory on Pacific Coast Highway, located off of Clark Avenue and Anaheim Street, will also be available to Long Beach City College and Pacific Coast University School of Law students.
The student housing project will include 593 beds as well as a fitness center, dining area, kitchen, laundry room, offices and study rooms on the first floor. An underground parking complex already exists on the site, offering 364 parking spaces which will be accompanied by scooter and bike parking.
The dormitory will replace an existing office building, the Milan Park Tower, which developers say has seen less use over the years as the need for office buildings continues to decrease due to various economic factors. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, office use has hit a historic low and still hasn’t recovered.
Burnham Development is taking over renovation and construction of the building, which will require a complete internal overhaul and only minor exterior changes. The project was approved by the Planning Commission in September, and on Tuesday, the Long Beach City Council approved a zoning change for the area and granted a Conditional Use Permit for the building’s construction to move forward.
A completion date for the dormitory has not been announced at this time.
A 728-square-foot pavilion will be built atop a parking lot currently at the site to make room for a splash pool and common area.
The 149 suits will be spread out among six floors, following this break down:
- 12 one-person units
- Two two-person units
- Seven three-person units
- 96 four-person units
- 20 five-person units
- 12 six-person units
During Tuesday’s council meeting, a resident from the Park Estates neighborhood, which surrounds the upcoming development, expressed his concern over parking impacts. Councilmember Daryl Supernaw said the streets surrounding the new dormitory will likely receive preferential parking, which means only cars with permits will be able to park on those streets.
Local carpenter Ray Lawson asked the City to require Burnham Development to hire local construction workers and set standards for fair pay and healthcare. This was not part of Tuesday night’s motion.
