A rendering of the residential development at Pacific and Seventh in Downtown. Courtesy of Holland Partner Group.
Renderings courtesy of Holland Partner Group.
The Long Beach Planning Commission faced zero public opposition to a project that will essentially transform the southeast corner of 7th and Pacific in DTLB by way of an eight-story, mixed-income residential complex with 271 units and 341 parking stalls.
And it faced zero opposition for good reason: the project is a prime example of how (albeit slowly) developers don’t have to create entirely market rate buildings nor do we have to create entirely federally-defined affordable units (the latter basically meaning that units are dedicated to those who make a certain amount of the median income in a given area or are a part).
Here, of the 271 units being built in two separate buildings, 11 of them are set aside for those making up to 20 percent above the average median income, commonly called the moderate income household. This is opposed to the federally-defined zone of low income (80-50 percent of average median income), very low income (30-50 percent of the median), and extremely low income (<30 percent of the median).
This allotment of units will include four studio units, four one-bedrooms, and three two-bedrooms.
Before the outcry begins—”That’s it? Eleven units?“—it is understood that this is minimal in terms of what any U.S. city needs in terms of affordable units, especially Long Beach. (When I hosted an affordable housing forum, construction manager and contractor Jan Van Dijs estimated that Long Beach is behind by some 30,000 units in terms of “breaking even,” meaning that our vacancy rate sits at a number that keeps rents stable—let alone the number of affordable units we need in addition to that.)
I get this.
But the project even including an iota of mixed-income design is significant, especially in terms of providing a handful of units to those above the AMI.
The discussion surrounding the “missing middle” in housing is an important one: in terms of our housing crisis, California is largely focusing on building either entirely market rate housing that is inaccessible to the middle class or affordable housing that is restricted to certain populations, the middle class not being one of them.
While there are more aggressive developers focusing solely on the missing middle market—Scott Choppin immediately comes to mind, with his development company focusing on multi-generational households that need affordable four- to five-bedroom units, a discussion we also recently spoke together on to a group of budding real estate investors—it shouldn’t be dismissed what Holland Partner Group is trying to do with 7th and Pacific by including even a minimal amount of affordable units in a complex that is largely market rate.
The Vancouver-based residential developer and property owner will be heading the project from start to finish—they’re a “top-down” firm, meaning they oversee everything from design to construction rather than outsourcing to third parties, ensuring their projects are up to par—and, even on a small scale, it is looking at how to mix affluence with the less affluent.
No affordable unit will be different than any other and no one will know who is paying what. This is important because we have to face an uncomfortable honesty: wealthy folk frown on those poorer than them, tend to have a distaste for affordable housing being near them, and exacerbate unhealthy perceptions of the less fortunate by falsely aligning them with negative attributes—attributes, mind you, that span the economic spectrum but fall disproportionately onto those sitting near the bottom of the income measuring tape.
This isn’t necessarily due to some innate spite for the poor but, rather, the disconnection between the haves and the have-nots; when you don’t talk to or deal with or face those who aren’t like you, you depend on what is fed to you about those people through other sources: social media, news, side comments from friends at brunch…
The only real way to alter this perspective is by forcing folks to hear each other’s stories, to know one another—that is why it is so important to examine what type of housing is being put where.
That’s where this project succeeds, even on a minute level.
The project is definitely ambitious: it requires the demolition of the MADhaus warehouse and clearing the vacant lot sold to the group through pawning off of Redevelopment properties three years ago, as well the relocation of the historic Parsonage House now sits at 640 Pacific Ave. and will eventually be moved. (Fun fact: it’s a historic building that has already been moved three times.)
It will consist of two buildings connected by a sky bridge. The Pacific Avenue building will be eight stories tall with 194 units, eight of which will house moderate income units. The Pine Avenue building will also stand eight stories tall and consist of 77 units, three of which will be moderate income units.
Holland Development Manager Ryan Guthrie, in a presentation to the Planning Commission yesterday, said, “We are going to transform this area and build a neighborhood with activated streets… But more importantly, we’re here for Long Beach.”
Commission approves 271-unit residential complex in Downtown Long Beach—and that’s a good thing
Renderings courtesy of Holland Partner Group.
The Long Beach Planning Commission faced zero public opposition to a project that will essentially transform the southeast corner of 7th and Pacific in DTLB by way of an eight-story, mixed-income residential complex with 271 units and 341 parking stalls.
And it faced zero opposition for good reason: the project is a prime example of how (albeit slowly) developers don’t have to create entirely market rate buildings nor do we have to create entirely federally-defined affordable units (the latter basically meaning that units are dedicated to those who make a certain amount of the median income in a given area or are a part).
Here, of the 271 units being built in two separate buildings, 11 of them are set aside for those making up to 20 percent above the average median income, commonly called the moderate income household. This is opposed to the federally-defined zone of low income (80-50 percent of average median income), very low income (30-50 percent of the median), and extremely low income (<30 percent of the median).
This allotment of units will include four studio units, four one-bedrooms, and three two-bedrooms.
Before the outcry begins—”That’s it? Eleven units?“—it is understood that this is minimal in terms of what any U.S. city needs in terms of affordable units, especially Long Beach. (When I hosted an affordable housing forum, construction manager and contractor Jan Van Dijs estimated that Long Beach is behind by some 30,000 units in terms of “breaking even,” meaning that our vacancy rate sits at a number that keeps rents stable—let alone the number of affordable units we need in addition to that.)
I get this.
But the project even including an iota of mixed-income design is significant, especially in terms of providing a handful of units to those above the AMI.
The discussion surrounding the “missing middle” in housing is an important one: in terms of our housing crisis, California is largely focusing on building either entirely market rate housing that is inaccessible to the middle class or affordable housing that is restricted to certain populations, the middle class not being one of them.
While there are more aggressive developers focusing solely on the missing middle market—Scott Choppin immediately comes to mind, with his development company focusing on multi-generational households that need affordable four- to five-bedroom units, a discussion we also recently spoke together on to a group of budding real estate investors—it shouldn’t be dismissed what Holland Partner Group is trying to do with 7th and Pacific by including even a minimal amount of affordable units in a complex that is largely market rate.
The Vancouver-based residential developer and property owner will be heading the project from start to finish—they’re a “top-down” firm, meaning they oversee everything from design to construction rather than outsourcing to third parties, ensuring their projects are up to par—and, even on a small scale, it is looking at how to mix affluence with the less affluent.
No affordable unit will be different than any other and no one will know who is paying what. This is important because we have to face an uncomfortable honesty: wealthy folk frown on those poorer than them, tend to have a distaste for affordable housing being near them, and exacerbate unhealthy perceptions of the less fortunate by falsely aligning them with negative attributes—attributes, mind you, that span the economic spectrum but fall disproportionately onto those sitting near the bottom of the income measuring tape.
This isn’t necessarily due to some innate spite for the poor but, rather, the disconnection between the haves and the have-nots; when you don’t talk to or deal with or face those who aren’t like you, you depend on what is fed to you about those people through other sources: social media, news, side comments from friends at brunch…
The only real way to alter this perspective is by forcing folks to hear each other’s stories, to know one another—that is why it is so important to examine what type of housing is being put where.
That’s where this project succeeds, even on a minute level.
The project is definitely ambitious: it requires the demolition of the MADhaus warehouse and clearing the vacant lot sold to the group through pawning off of Redevelopment properties three years ago, as well the relocation of the historic Parsonage House now sits at 640 Pacific Ave. and will eventually be moved. (Fun fact: it’s a historic building that has already been moved three times.)
It will consist of two buildings connected by a sky bridge. The Pacific Avenue building will be eight stories tall with 194 units, eight of which will house moderate income units. The Pine Avenue building will also stand eight stories tall and consist of 77 units, three of which will be moderate income units.
HPG has been expanding its efforts to create more housing in SoCal, having just broken ground last year for its massive 375-unit, mixed-use project in Downtown San Pedro—each of the designs lacking in both inspiration and uniqueness.
Holland Development Manager Ryan Guthrie, in a presentation to the Planning Commission yesterday, said, “We are going to transform this area and build a neighborhood with activated streets… But more importantly, we’re here for Long Beach.”