Long Beach residents can learn more about local housing and homelessness policy efforts in the city during an upcoming open house.
The Long Beach Department of Community Development will host its second “Planning for Housing: An Open House” event to share information on housing production efforts, rezoning projects and more in Long Beach. The event will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Bixby Park Community Center, 130 Cherry Ave.
The open house will allow residents to explore many topics, including the Enhanced Density Bonus Ordinance, which is intended to facilitate mixed-income and multi-family housing developments by establishing regulations that offer a density bonus and development concessions in exchange for the provision of on-site affordable housing units, according to the city’s website.
Long Beach is updating the EDB Ordinance to further encourage market-rate and affordable housing developments. During the open house, staffers will conduct the final EDB Ordinance workshop, presenting the updated draft ordinance with proposed changes and soliciting feedback from the community, according to a recent press release. The updated ordinance and feedback collected during the event are anticipated to be brought before the Planning Commission in April and the City Council in June for final adoption.
The event will also serve as the fourth installment of the Housing and Homelessness Opportunities, Mobilization and Engagement (or HOME) Community Roadshow, an initiative from the city’s Office of Homeless Strategy and Partnerships to foster open dialogue around housing, homelessness and the city’s ongoing efforts to address those challenges, according to the press release.
The open house will cover a range of other topics, including zoning, urban planning and housing, specifically “Everyone’s Coast; Zone In: 10th to Broadway”; the Downtown Shoreline Vision Plan; accessory dwelling units; the “Open Space and Recreation Element Update”; the religious facilities overlay; and the Housing Element’s mid-cycle analysis.
The goal is to provide an opportunity to talk with staffers about various city initiatives and issues in one place, officials said.
During the open house, attendees can ask questions and speak directly with staffers from the Community Development Department’s Planning Bureau, Building and Safety Bureau, and Housing and Neighborhood Services Bureau, as well as the Office of Homeless Strategy and Partnerships.
Feedback collected during the event will help guide the city’s housing policy work, which aims to support the goals of the certified Sixth Cycle Housing Element and ensure alignment with state housing mandates, according to the press release.
Pre-registration for the event is not required, but is encouraged; do so at lbcd.info/planningforhousing. On-site interpretation services will be available in Spanish, and other languages will be available upon request by emailing CDHousingPolicy@longbeach.gov.
More information about the upcoming open house and Long Beach’s housing policies is available at longbeach.gov/housingpolicies.