(Nov. 21, 2015) -- As seen LIVE on LBREPORT.com, LB City Councilmembers said nothing (with the exception of Councilmember Austin who stated, "I move to support" and Councilman Andrews who seconded his motion) in giving second-reading enactment approval to a citywide applicable ordinance that creates Planned Unit Development/PUD zoning inviting owners of property over five acres to request rezoning of their property to enable dense residential developments (specific density not specified in ordinance), subject to approval through the City's rezoning process.

The Council action came despite opposition from a number of veteran neighborhood-protective advocates who criticized the ordinance in substance and in the process city staff used to speed it to Council enactment votes.

LBREPORT.com provides the full text of the citywide applicable ordinance below.

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Long Beach Planned Unit Development Ordinance

The November 17 City Council agenda, on which the item was listed for second-reading enactment approval, for the second time mislabeled the item as an 8th district matter although the ordinance would apply citywide.

A week earlier on November 10, the City Council agenda mislabeled the citywide ordinance an 8th district item on its initial Council action...

...and inserted the citywide ordinance as the final item in a string of zoning/development items related to a controversial 8th district dense residential planned development.

The ordinance appeared for the first time on the Nov. 10 Council agenda with no previous Council or public discussion and no hearings or public input in a Council committee; city staff simply brought it forward for Council enactment. A number of speakers spoke in opposition to the ordinance on its first reading approval on Nov. 10, reiterated on the second enacting vote on Nov. 17 by speakers including Laurie Angel, Joe Weinstein, Rick Ivey and Ann Cantrell. There were no speakers in support.

Following public testimony, Councilmembers said nothing and voted 9-0 to give the ordinance second-reading enactment approval.

City staff's agendizing memo acknowledged that some projects -- at locations it didn't identify -- are currently in the development "pipeline" and it believes might be good candidates for PUD zoning at densities similar to the staff-recommended Riverwalk residential development in the 8th district (former Will J. Reid Scout Park site, 4747 Daisy Ave. site.) As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, on Nov. 10, the Council approved a city-staff recommended rezoning to enable the Riverwalk development with a density of just under 13 dwelling units per acre (allowing 131 two and three story residences, with interior sizes ranging from 2,100 to 2,900 sq. ft. on 10.5 acres.) This compares to about 7 dwelling units/acre in traditional residential zoning in the adjoining neighborhood. In city staff's opening presentation, Director of Development Services, Amy Bodek, noted that the Crown Point development [built in the late 1970s] near Los Cerritos Park (7th district) allowed over 14 dwelling units per acre.

No Councilmembers asked staff on either Nov. 10 or Nov. 17 to identify the locations of the projects now "in the pipeline" that could apply the zoning ordinance the Council was voting to enact.

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City staff's agendizing memo indicates that the new zoning classification lets an owner/developer request a change in zoning for parcels of over five acres or more to PUD zoning, subject to Council approval. The PUD zoning district [agendizing memo text] "could be used for...for this [Daisy Ave.] and other, similar large scale residential projects currently in the development pipeline or on potential infill sites on suitably large lots. The PUD zoning will allow the City to consider proposals, such as this one, on fairly large undeveloped parcels of land, at densities and configurations that are not accommodated by current traditional zoning districts...."

City staff's memo indicates that the proposed ordinance envisions PUD developments will provide [ordinance text] "a higher level of amenities and community facilities than would otherwise be obtained through individual development of similar housing units" in a development "internally integrated and connected within itself."

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During the Nov. 10 Council item, LB's Director of Development Services, Amy Bodek, used substantively narrowly but sweeping sounding verbiage to describe the 8th district rezoning item:

"Tonight's action, I want to make it extremely clear, is site specific only. There have been numerous blogs and webposts indicating that your action tonight would clear the way for this zoning to be applied to other institutional zoning districts citywide and that is categorically false. Tonight's zoning request would allow the creation of a brand new zoning district but it is only being applied specifically to tonight's site. If anyone else in the city that has a property that is currently zoned institutional wishes to take advantage of this, they must go through the traditional process of a rezoning with public hearings and public input.

Later in the item, fifth district Councilwoman Stacy Mungo asked city staff a series of questions read from prepared text, again using narrowly drawn terminology relating to the 8th district rezoning and not the citywide ordinance on which she and the Council would vote just minutes later (photo right.)

Q: Ms. Bodek, does approval of this project exempt any other development in the city from going through the necessary approval process, including Title 21 zoning within the Long Beach Municipal Code?

A: No ma'am, it does not.

Q: And will the development project in the 8th district at Daisy Ave. impact any other current or proposed or future projects?

A: No ma'am, each project is determined and verified on the basis of its own qualities and characteristics.

Q: ...If there is for instance an existing parcel in the 5th district that's zoned Institutional, does approving tonight's list of items from Mr. Austin grant an automatic zoning change for any of those properties?

A: Categorically, no.

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Integral Communities (whose "Riverwalk" development was approved on Nov. 10) has indicated that it is currently in escrow (has a purchase agreement but hasn't completed purchase of) most of the property colloquially known as the "Oil Operators" site in the 7th Council district's Wrigley Heights area. A firm representative told LBREPORT.com that it is in the process of doing site investigation work and indicated the process could take several months to fully complete.

During the Nov. 10 Council item, 7th dist. Councilman Roberto Uranga candidly disclosed that he believes another location (in addition to the "Oil Operators" site now in escrow) could benefit from applying the ordinance for development and identified the location as near Santa Fe and PCH, close to the LB State Tech Park.

Across town, properties at 3320 and 3340 Los Coyotes Diagonal and 3325 Palo Verde Ave. (5th Council district) are in escrow to Shopoff Realty Trust. The seller is LBCC...and John Pope (LBCC Dir. of Director, College Advancement, Public Affairs & Gov't Relations) tells LBREPORT.com that Shopoff Realty Trust was the highest ranked bidder with a bid of $14.5 million. A Shopoff representative tells LBREPORT.com that the firm is in the process of doing its due diligence in the matter. [In real estate, due diligence is generally the time period between the acceptance of an offer and the close of escrow.] The LBCC sale was announced during open and public May 12, 2015 meeting of LBCC's Board of Trustees.

Further as newsworthy. LBREPORT.com will continue to follow this story, providing our readers with detailed, independent coverage of actions that may apply this new Council-enacted ordinance.