Adopt resolution amending the Zoning Code (ZCA18-002) by amending the Midtown Specific Plan (SP-1) to address technical errors and provide clarifying language in the Midtown Specific Plan (SP-1); and Approve a Site Plan Review (SPR18-020) for a new two-story gymnasium with a fitness center, activity room, youth soccer field, and 70-space parking lot, located at 3012 Long Beach Boulevard; approve a Lot Merger (LMG18-008) to consolidate the Salvation Army Campus into two lots; and, find the proposed vacation of a portion of Elm Avenue north of Spring Street, and two alleys located between Elm and Pasadena Avenues, consistent with the General Plan (GPC18-002). (District 7)
Halfway through our agenda. Report from Development Services recommendation receive supporting documentation into the record, conclude the public hearing, adopt mitigated negative declaration and the dash 04-15 and adopt a resolution approving an addendum to the Midtown Specific Plan IIR. You also declare an ordinance approving a zone change relating to a portion of the Salvation Army campus to the Midtown's specific plan. Read for the first time and lead over to the next regular meeting of the City Council for Final Reading and adopt a resolution amending zoning code by amending the Midtown Specific Plan and approve a site plan review. Find the proposed vacation of a portion of Elm Avenue, north of Spring Street, and two alleys located between Elm and Pasadena Avenues, consistent with the General Plan District seven. Okay, Mr. West. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We will have a quick staff report by Carrie Tai, our current planning officer. Thank you. Good evening on a Mayor Garcia and city council. I have a staff report if you are interested. Okay. I'm going to proceed before you. Tonight is the last phase of this is the last phase of the Salvation Army's build out of their Citadel campus at 3012 Long Beach Boulevard. So this is on the northeast corner of Long Beach Boulevard and Spring Street. And the campus currently has a social services building, administrative offices, a chapel, a multipurpose building, a parking lot and then vacant land. And so the project that's being discussed tonight would go on the vacant portion. So currently along Long Beach Boulevard, it's there's there's that it's completed. And then the project takes place along Spring Street. This is the third of a three phase project that started back in 2013. The history is basically detailed in your report, but due to some oil wells, they had to do a redesign. So they were back here. The site plan is on the screen, but basically it's a gymnasium, a soccer field and a new parking lot. And that would complete the the campus. The building design is a it's a 36 foot tall building in typical gymnasium, and it's a pretty nice design and that's in your plans as well. So there are some renderings of the proposed project phase on the screen there. And one's from Long Beach Boulevard, the other is from Spring Street. So one of the major actions tonight is for his own change. A portion of the campus right now is in the Midtown specific plan, whereas the remainder is not. And so the proposal is to move the entire campus into the midtown specific plan. And also the specific plan was adopted in 2016. And there are some ambiguities and clarifications that were needed to fix it. And since we were hoping opening up the specific plan, we thought we would correct some of those items as well. And so those are part of the proposal tonight. Also, you may have noticed that the campus does span several blocks. And so there are some vacation proposals for a portion of Elm Street as well as two alleys. The action would be a general plan conformity simply to to find that the request for the vacation is consistent with the general plan. The actual action for the vacation would be processed by the Public Works Department, and that would come back to the council at a later date after their public outreach. And then lastly, there are two environmental documents that accompany this action tonight. One is a mitigated negative declaration for the project. The second is an addendum to the Midtown specific plan. ER for those technical changes that I talked about. The Planning Commission did conduct a public hearing on this. That was about two months ago. They forwarded a recommendation to the Council and so we are relaying that to you tonight. So that concludes today's presentation. And the applicant is in the audience and they've been there since 5:00. Thank you. Thank you. Got somebody Ringa. Gong to go ahead and listen to the applicant before I make my recommendation. Okay, great. We go ahead. And if we can have the applicant, which is the Salvation Army, please come forward. Good evening or good morning. Both, I think, are appropriate at this time. My name is Captain Sergio Garcia. I lead the Salvation Army here in Long Beach. I've been here for three years before that. Three years prior to that, I was at headquarters, which is also here in Long Beach on 180 East Ocean Boulevard. So I've been a part of this community for about six years now. We're excited about the expansion of our campus on Spring and Long Beach Boulevard to provide more services for the four areas which we discovered in an assessment back in 2005, 2006 that said that we needed to provide more services to at risk youth, low income families of homeless and seniors. And so our campus expansion will provide enhanced services to all of those areas. We've already did the grand opening for our senior center, which is now seeing two different events a month, plus working with other several partners, community organizations, civic groups to create a space for seniors at our location that they can come, be educated or just have a cup of coffee or ice cream as we're having a social or in a couple of weeks. Then part of the expansion that you're seeing today will allow us to provide services not just to youth, but to whole families. We really believe that a multi-generational approach to what we're doing is best. So we want to involve the grandparents, the parents, the children in this process. And so the new gymnasium would allow us to focus families in education, healthy living, and simply just being a part of this community. Great. Thank you so much. Any other public comment on the hearing? See? None. Councilmember Ringo? Yes, sir. I've had a great opportunity to be part of some of the ribbon cuttings that the Salvation Army has had over the last few years of the the classrooms and the gymnasium. And now, with the addition of the soccer field, I think it's going to be a great addition to the community. It's a wonderful facility, and it's going to be, I'm sure, very fully utilized. And I'm glad to see that it's going to be a great addition into that area to provide some additional services that are much needed in that area. And it also adds some open space with the with the soccer field and other recreation opportunities for kids. So I totally support the project and I hope that I get the support of my colleagues as well. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Andrews. Yes, thank you, Mayor. I would like to thank Development Services for their diligent work on this hearing. I counsel Mongo and I took a tour of the facilities in and and it seems like the Salvation Army's plan to continue to serve and serve in our community in there and especially in their camps, ministry and recreational activities and assistance to those who need it is amazing. And I want to thank you guys very, very much. Thank you. Councilwoman Price. Thank you. I, too, had the pleasure of receiving a tour with Jack Cunningham, my chief of staff, and very, very impressed with the facility. More importantly, though, very impressed with the concept behind the organization and the various programs that you have. I proudly refer people to the program, the substance abuse programs that you have in my capacity in Orange County. So I thank you for everything that you do and the great work that you're doing in Long Beach. Thank you. Councilman Mongo. I also appreciate the tour. You guys are doing great work. Thank you for waiting such a long time and thank you for all you do in the community. And thank you all. It's been great to partner with all of you. I've been there with you guys every step of the way here in these last few years with the the campaigns and the organizing folks. You guys doing a great job of raising money, building out the campus. It's a great space for for folks in Long Beach, seniors and families and a lot of our low income communities that we that you serve every day. So thank you very much. And please cast your votes.