Long Beach to study policy changes to boost housing production

A series of housing policy forums currently underway in Long Beach focus on obtaining residents’ input and informing the community of the city’s many housing and zoning initiatives.

According to city officials, these initiatives are meant to encourage and grow housing production, increase housing affordability, reduce tenant displacement and attract innovative developments in high-resource areas.

“We want to invite the public into these important conversations, so that they can be a part of the process,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in a statement. “These innovative policy proposals, introduced in May, will help Long Beach families find stable housing through increased production and enhanced tenant protections. From assisting community members experiencing homelessness with access to housing, to opening up the dream of homeownership to a young family, we can address the multifaceted housing needs of our diverse city.”

Three upcoming forums in Long Beach for area residents, local organizations and stakeholders are scheduled to help the public learn more and provide feedback on housing policy:

Saturday, Aug. 24, 10-11:30 a.m. 
Houghton Park Community Center, 6301 Myrtle Ave.

Wednesday, Aug. 28, 6-7:30 p.m. 
Long Beach Energy Resources Auditorium, 2400 Spring St. 

Thursday, Sept. 12, 6-7:30 p.m. 
McBride Park Community Center, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.

Interpretation in Spanish and other languages will be available by request.

For more information and to RSVP for forum attendance, visit the city’s housing policies webpage.

Feedback that officials get at the forums will aid the development of these housing amendments and policy efforts:  

• “Inclusionary Housing Policy: Building on the housing program in Downtown and parts of Central Long Beach, staff are proposing to expand the Inclusionary Housing requirement citywide. With this enhancement, all future housing developments with 10 or more units anywhere in the city would be required to include affordable housing units in otherwise market-rate housing developments.
• “Zone In: This is a citywide effort to update zoning regulations through land use reforms to better meet community needs consistent with recent General Plan updates. More information will be available on the various rezoning efforts happening throughout the city.
• “Religious Facility Overlay: Many churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship have extra land or underutilized buildings that could be used for housing. The city’s Religious Facility Overlay will build upon state law SB 4 and expand new housing opportunities on religious and institutional sites citywide including in high resource areas.  
• “Downtown Plan and Downtown Shoreline Plan Updates: Land use regulations are being updated for the city’s Downtown and Waterfront, where more than 5,000 new housing units have been approved.
• “Just Cause Ordinance Update: The city prohibits landlords from evicting tenants unless the landlord has a reason listed in the law to do so. These proposed policy changes would further strengthen tenant protections and prevent displacement of existing residents, including increasing the relocation assistance amount for all evictions due to no-fault just causes.  
• “Omnibus Housing Code Update: Batching minor but important amendments to zoning regulations into one Omnibus update better facilitates housing and homeless service uses. This effort implements commitments made in the city’s Housing Element and adopts lessons learned from the 2023-24 City’s homeless emergency provisions.  
• “Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and Senate Bill 9 (SB 9) Initiative: This update will facilitate growth and assure that future ADUs and SB 9 units meet community standards. This legally mandated update also includes design guidelines that are available to help homeowners design their best possible housing solutions.
• “Housing Element Mid-Cycle Equity Analysis: This mid-term check in measures the city’s progress on implementing its Housing Element commitments, with a focus on addressing documented fair housing disparities across different areas of the city. The analysis will begin later this year and the results will be presented to the Long Beach City Council, keeping the city on track to meeting its objectives by Fall 2025,” according to the city statement.

“Over the years Long Beach has emerged as a leader in new housing production.  These policy changes will help the City continue that leadership while assuring that each project benefits the community and serves those in need,” Community Development Department Director Christopher Koontz said in a statement. “We need to meet the state’s housing goals and most importantly the residents’ needs for housing in Long Beach. Engaging the public in this process is critical to achieving these goals.”

To request more information about these amendments and policy initiatives, email the Community Development Department at CDHousingPolicy@longbeach.gov.

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