In an effort to fill vacant storefronts across the city, the Long Beach City Council unanimously approved a zoning code amendment Tuesday night to remove certain parking space requirements.
It’s the most recent zoning amendment in the City, following its Zone In plan, with the goal to modernize Long Beach’s neighborhoods and corridors through separate project areas. A city’s zoning codes guide the types of uses (commercial, residential, or mixed-use) allowed on a piece of land, as well as development standards (required parking, building height, etc.).
Long Beach has been updating certain areas of the city, each with its own plan distinct to the neighborhood.
Areas that have begun or completed it’s Zone In plan include:
- Bixby Knolls – Bounded by the Union Pacific Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) rail line to the north, Cherry Avenue to the east, East Wardlow Road and the 405 freeway to the south, and Long Beach Boulevard and Country Club Road to the west.
- City Core – Previously known as the Anaheim Corridor Zoning Implementation Plan (ACZIP), this covers the area bounded by Pacific Coast Highway, 10th Street, Magnolia and Ximeno Avenues.
- West Long Beach – Properties along West Willow Street and Santa Fe Avenue.
- Uptown Planning Land Use and Neighborhood Strategy – North Long Beach
Historically, a building in Long Beach would require a certain amount of parking spaces depending on its use — a retail shop requires four parking spaces, while a restaurant requires five. This means if an empty storefront was previously a retail shop with four parking spaces, in order for someone to turn it into a restaurant, they would have to add a parking space, which is often infeasible when a building is already constructed.
These requirements were identified as “barriers to businesses starting up and contributing to the occurrence of vacant storefronts” by the city council in 2019. The issues were further exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19, according to city staff reports.
Following approval from the city council, changes to parking zoning include:
- Removing additional parking requirements for the change of use for a building more than 10 years old.
- Creating a Parking Exempt Area (an area within half a mile of high quality public transit) and removing parking minimums for lots of parcels located or partially within that area.
- Creating standards for adjustment of parking for all nonresidential uses, including but not limited to outdoor dining expansions established during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Removing the requirement for additional parking when a single-family home expands, remodels or makes interior alterations.
- Creating standards for “unbundled parking,” a parking space sold or leased separate from a residential property.
“As somebody who likes to walk to restaurants on Anaheim Street, I’m very sad to see so many vacant storefronts so I’m very happy that this will give a chance for new business to spring up,” said Long Beach resident Erin Hoops.
According to the City’s online Vacancy to Vibrancy Real Estate Map, roughly 350 storefronts sit vacant in Long Beach, with the highest concentration in downtown and midtown.
This also moves Long Beach into compliance with Assembly Bill 2097, which prohibits public agencies from imposing minimum parking requirements on residential, commercial or other developments located within half a mile of “high quality public transit.”
The City similarly amended the zoning code in areas of North Long Beach in 2020 as part of the Uptown Planning Land Use and Neighborhood Strategy (UPLAN). Tuesday’s vote means that these changes will now be implemented citywide.
Another goal of the zoning changes is for some of these vacancies to become spaces for community amenities, such as grocery stores, community centers, book stores, youth centers and more.