A new 32-unit townhome project is expected to break ground this year in the Bixby Knolls neighborhood after the Long Beach Planning Commission approved the project Thursday night.
The new townhomes will be built at the southwest corner of San Antonio Drive and Orange Avenue where there is currently a small park and two commercial buildings housing multiple businesses.
They will be replaced by a total of 32 three-story units, which will be organized into five different buildings, according to plans submitted to the city. The unit breakdown includes 16 two-bedroom units, with half of those having two bathrooms, and 16 three-bedroom units, all of which would have 3.5 bathrooms.
All but eight units would have a two-car garage, and future residents will have to access the townhomes through an existing alley.
To build the project, the existing buildings and the park will be demolished with the lots eventually being merged into one parcel. The commission voted Thursday to move the project forward without a zoning change after staff pointed to a provision in state law that allows projects to advance if they are consistent with a city’s general plan.
While the current zoning of the parcels is commercial, Long Beach’s general plan allows for residential uses at the site with a density of up to 44 units per acre. However, the city’s zoning changes have yet to catch up to its general plan so they’re currently out of synch.
Bixby Knolls is currently going through a rezoning effort that the city launched last year, and when it’s completed, the parcel where the townhomes are being built will be changed to residential use.
The townhome project was originally expected to start demolition at the beginning of January with construction projected to be done by November, according to city documents. Once work does begin, the anticipated time needed to complete the project is 12 months.