Olson Co. VP of Development Doris Nguyen noted that at the company's two previous meetings, residents stated concerns about housing related issues [density, building heights, traffic and infrastructure] but some attendees were open to housing, or unsure or wanted to see company plans before deciding...while at the August 8 meeting, residents were uniformly opposed to rezoning the commercial property to residential. LBREPORT.com provides an illustrative video clip below.

[Scroll down for further.]

Residents invited by the company from a roughly 500 foot radius of the site, as well as others who learned about the meeting via NextDoor, attended the meeting at the site-adjacent Alliance Church along Palo Verde Ave. Attendees included former 5th Council district Council candidate Rich Dines, a Lakewood Village resident, who said the 5th district doesn't want change to its low density suburban neighborhoods. Mr. Dines said residents he met during his campaign repeatedly said that they (or their parents or grandparents) bought their homes, many on large lots, with the expectation of a suburban life style...and they want to keep it that way.

Sponsor

Sponsor

Rex Hurley (who lives near LCD north of the Wardlow Rd. "triangle") said residents fought the recent Land Use Element (LUE) and would fight any attempt to change the parcel's zoning from commercial to residential...and voiced concern it might set a precedent for rezoning other nearby commercial areas.

Fourth dist. resident Janet West said changing the parcel's zoning to residential could have additional consequences as a result of SB 35 and other Sac'to bills (that became law in 2017 without the City's opposition) and now offer housing developers financial incentives, "streamlined" City approval, reduced public environmental review and fewer parking requirements.

LBREPORT.com's video clip below includes salient audience responses

At one point, Olson VP Nguyen said she brought illustrations showing what a housing project might look like compared to a commercial development, but when the audience didn't respond and continued its opposition, Ms. Nguyen didn't offer to show the illustrations again. After the meeting, LBREPORT.com asked to see the illustrations so we could photograph them and report them...to which Ms. Nguyen politely declined, citing what she heard residents say at the meeting. "It was clearly different than what we heard at the previous two meetings," she noted.

Sponsor

So...will the Olson Co. hold another meeting [to possibly display its illustrations] and get further neighborhood input before making a decision on whether to proceed with the purchase? "It's uncertain at this point," Ms. Nguyen said.

The Olson Co. doesn't own the property at this point; it's currently in a "due diligence" period -- which runs until early September -- during which the company will decide whether to go through with the roughly $16.625 million purchase, mindful that it will require City Council majority approval to change the parcel's current land use and zoning from commercial to residential.

Sponsor

Sponsor

As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, on March 27, 2018 LBCC's Board of Trustees voted in a closed session to approve a purchase and sale agreement with "Olson Urban Housing, LLC" for real property (that LBCC previously declared "surplus") at 3320-3340 Los Coyotes Diagonal plus 3325 Palo Verde Ave. (APNs 7191-014-902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 010 and 022) for $16,625,000.

The parcel is one of the small commercial areas integrated into the surrounding post-WWII ELB single family housing tract. Two medical buildings (one at the southern end, the other fronting Palo Verde Ave.) and surface parking are currently on the parcel; part of the parcel is vacant; LBCC bought it for plans that didn't materialize and has been trying to sell it for years.

In the latter half of 2017 and into the first quarter of 2018, ELB residents actively fought a city staff sought revision to the city's Land Use Element that proposed higher building heights and "mixed use" developments (commercial with residential.) The LUE became a major issue in the April/June 2018 election. In March 2018, incumbent Councilwoman Stacy Mungo made a Council in motion that maintained the district's suburban single-family home density and was re-elected over challenger Corliss Lee in April and runoff challenger Rich Dines in June.

Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to incumbent Long Beach officials, development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.