City of Long Beach Master Plan

Long Beach City Council

James P. Hennessy, President Thomas R. Sofield, Jr., Vice President Mona Goodman Denis G. Kelly Leonard G. Remo

City Manager
Charles Theofan

Consultants
Saccardi & Schiff, Inc. Eschbacher Engineering, P.C.

City of Long Beach Master Plan

Planning Advisory Board
Damian Sciano Frank Baxter Simon Berger Mike Byrne Steve Candon Queen Harvey Lisa Hayes Jeff Jones Thomas Marry Joel Tropp

City of Long Beach Master Plan

Economic Development, Waterfront and Environment Vision
Community Charrette #3 October 25, 2005

What Is A Master Plan?

A Citys vision for its future over the next 15 to 20 years.

What Is The Process & Where Are We?

1. Research and Analysis 2. Goals, Objectives and Visioning 3. Plan Proposals 4. Implementation Program 5. Plan Adoption

Economic Development
Overall Goal
To enhance and strengthen the economic vitality of the City of Long Beach by providing jobs, necessary tax revenues, adequate infrastructure and a desirable level of municipal services.

Business Diversity
Issues & Opportunities
Desire by local residents for more diverse commercial uses. Limited commercial uses exist on the Boardwalk. Opportunities to expand diversity on bayfront, Long Beach Boulevard, and in Waldbaums shopping center.

Business Diversity
Issues & Opportunities

Areas Subject to Change

Areas subject to change:

Bayfront Long Beach Boulevard West Beech Street

Waldbaums shopping center Long Beach Medical Center

Business Diversity
Goals & Objectives
Vision #1: Pursue marketing and promotion strategies that attract a diversity of businesses throughout the city.

Vision #2:

Pursue upgrades to existing and provide for new commercial and mixed uses along the Boardwalk.

Waldbaums Shopping Center

Issues & Opportunities
Only shopping center in the city. Vacancies exist. Design could be more consistent with downtown fabric.

Waldbaums Shopping Center

Goals & Objectives
Vision #3: Promote design alternatives that enhance Waldbaums Shopping Center as a downtown anchor.

Neighborhood Commercial
Issues & Opportunities
Local commercial nodes service adjacent residential neighborhoods and reduce automobile trips. Unattractive, poorly maintained or vacant commercial nodes negatively impact adjacent residential neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Commercial
Goals & Objectives
Vision #4: Improve the aesthetics and strength of neighborhood commercial areas.

Present

Alternative Future

Long Beach Medical Center

Issues & Opportunities
Primary medical care provider. Citys largest employer. Potential facilities master plan.

Long Beach Medical Center

Goals & Objectives

Vision #5: Coordinate with Long Beach Medical Center to implement its master plan and to increase health related job opportunities.

Commercial Node Access Alternatives

Issues & Opportunities
Limited parking near commercial areas impacts business vitality.

Commercial Node Access Alternatives

Goals & Objectives
Vision #6: Examine the feasibility of instituting a shuttle bus system to commercial nodes, transit facilities, beach and recreation areas, particularly during summer season.

Mixed Use Development

Issues & Opportunities
Long Beach Boulevard and West Beech Street provide opportunities for mixed uses.

Mixed Use Development

Goals & Objectives
Vision #7: Create zoning regulations that permit mixed uses with street level retail.

Bayfront Economic Development

Issues & Opportunities
Redevelopment that focuses on water related and water enhanced uses could provide other employment opportunities. Redevelopment of the bayfront could impact existing industrial uses and local industrial jobs.

Bayfront Economic Development

Goals & Objectives
Vision #8: Pursue redevelopment opportunities along the Reynolds Channel waterfront that provide water dependent uses such as marinas, water enhanced uses such as restaurants, or other uses that generate jobs and tax revenues.

Waterfront and Environment

Overall Vision
To preserve and enhance the citys extensive ocean and bay waterfront environment and marine activities.

Ocean Beach Park

Issues & Opportunities
Citys principal definitive natural feature. Heavily-utilized linear park. Army Corps of Engineers Shoreline Protection Project.
Impact on useable beach area and visual image. Need to replace Boardwalk with more durable material.

Ocean Beach Park

Goals & Objectives
Vision #1: Preserve the characteristics of Ocean Beach Park, including its depth, usable area and visual image.

Boardwalk
Issues & Opportunities
2.25-mile multi-use Boardwalk needs regular maintenance and repair. Improved handicapped accessibility required. Limited commercial uses available. Diversity of uses needs exploration. Visual image could be improved.

Boardwalk
Goals & Objectives
Vision #2: Replace the Boardwalk, over time, with a durable material requiring less maintenance and repair than current wood. Vision #3: Design and develop additional handicapped ramps to the Boardwalk. Vision #4: Identify appropriate new Boardwalk uses and strengthen existing uses.

Reynolds Channel Bayfront

Issues & Opportunities
Area subject to change since uses are underutilized with no public access. Consolidate or relocate active uses. Redevelopment could create public waterfront amenities, foster better water dependent and water enhanced uses, and create tax ratables. Redevelopment requires coordination of multiple property owners, relocation of municipal functions, bulkhead repair, environmental remediation, access improvement, possible job displacement, and potential connection over LIRR tracks.

Reynolds Channel Bayfront

Goals & Objectives
Vision #5: Encourage water-dependent and water-enhanced uses on undeveloped and underutilized waterfront sites including the Reynolds Channel waterfront.

Waterfront Access
Issues & Opportunities

Not all areas of the waterfront are physically or visually accessible to the public.

Waterfront Access
Goals & Objectives
Vision #6: Maintain, enhance and expand physical and visual access to the ocean and bay, including pedestrian and bicycle access.

Public Rights-of-Way
Issues & Opportunities
Individual property owners encroach both on City land at the waters edge and within the waterways beyond the legislated distance.

Public Rights-of-Way
Goals & Objectives
Vision #7: Monitor and enforce public waterways from temporary and permanent private encroachments into public rights-of-way.

Public Awareness
Issues & Opportunities
Existing bayfront recreational resources are underutilized. Increased awareness of public access opportunities is needed.

Public Awareness
Goals & Objectives
Vision #8: Increase public awareness, utilization and protection of the citys waterfront resources and amenities.

LWRP
Issues & Opportunities
A coordinated plan for the bay and ocean waterfronts would guide waterfront redevelopment. Lack of a consistent waterfront development policy discourages waterfront redevelopment. Funding opportunities for waterfront infrastructure would be available.

LWRP
Goals & Objectives
Vision #9: Undertake the creation of a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program to develop detailed waterfront policies, which, once adopted, will provide the context for consistent waterfront development and create funding opportunities.