The Signal Hill Planning Commission conducted a third and final public workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 21, seeking feedback on its plans to meet State-imposed requirements for new housing in the city.

Per the State’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA)—which determines new housing needs in each California municipality every eight years—Signal Hill must create 517 new dwelling units by 2029, whether apartments or single-family homes. 

The required units are allocated by affordability, with 239 units required for low-income earners (161 for very-low and 78 for low income), 90 for those with moderate incomes and 188 for those with above-moderate incomes. 

Signal Hill Community Development Director Colleen Doan said her department has identified three potential sites for new housing development, in addition to a long-planned mixed-use retail and residential site called Heritage Square at Cherry Avenue and E. Burnett Street.

Orange Bluff

The City is calling one of those sites Orange Bluff, a nine-acre area on Orange Avenue between 27^th and 28^th streets, that has the potential to accommodate 289 new apartment units for residents with low to moderate incomes, according to Planning Manager Erika Ramirez. 

Located across Orange Avenue from Long Beach’s Willow Springs Park, the site is an oil field with 21 abandoned wells, currently used for auto dealership storage. Development plans include three- to four-story “residential village clusters” with a common open space and parking, Ramirez said.

Once the City Council approves the plan, construction would take four to eight years, Ramirez added. The project would connect to the city’s trail system, nearby shopping and public transit. 

Walnut Bluff

The City also plans to develop a two-acre oil field at the corner of Willow Street and Walnut Avenue into Walnut Bluff, a complex with 90 apartments in three- to four-story wraparound buildings. 

Situated next to an L.A. County Assessor’s office, the site currently has two active and three abandoned oil wells, Ramirez said. One of the wells would continue to operate behind an enclosure.

Town Center Northwest

Another development site the City is planning with Signal Hill Petroleum is a mixed-use commercial and residential complex called Town Center Northwest, also located at Willow Street and Walnut Avenue. SHP currently uses the site for oil field equipment and drilling and would continue operating oil wells on the site even after development, Doan said. 

Town Center Northwest plans include 267 dwelling units in a five-story building with a parking structure, designed for above-moderate income earners, she said. Its commercial area plans include outdoor dining and an open gathering space. 

Doan emphasized that all four new housing site plans—including Heritage Square—are still conceptual and will continue to evolve. The City will also complete a draft environmental impact report (EIR) for all sites by Sept. 29 for public review. 

The Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on the plans in November. The City Council will then conduct two public hearings, in December and January, before deciding whether to approve the plans.

The council will need to also approve documentation and rezoning in January, Doan said. The city’s new housing plans are due to the State by Feb. 20, 2022.

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