Recommendation to declare ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by amending Section 21.25.502; and by adding Sections 21.15.064.5 and 21.45.500, all related to adaptive reuse, read and adopted as read. (Citywide)
All right. Thanks, Larry. Appreciate it. Okay. We're going to hearing item number one, Mr. Herrera. We'll read. Hearing. One involves the Financial and Development Services Department with the recommendation to receive supporting documentation into the record. Conclude the public hearing and consider the categorical exemption and declare the adaptive reuse ordinance. Read the first time and lead over to the next regular meeting of the City Council for Final Reading. And then secondly, to adopt a resolution directing the Director of Development Services to submit the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance to the California Coastal Commission for Review and Certification. Okay. No, I think that's correct. Mr. Clarke read. Yes, Mayor. Members of the Council, Amy Burdick will provide the staff report. Mr. Mayor, members of the City Council, thank you for the opportunity to present to you tonight our adaptive reuse ordinance. We have previously made changes to Title 18, which is our local building code back in November. To get us halfway there in the process of having a proactive, adaptive reuse ordinance. We also needed to amend Title 21, which is the zoning code, to make some certain changes to our adaptive reuse ordinance, to provide much more flexibility in the reuse of buildings for either live work, residential or for a different use than what the building was intended. We do believe that this has been a process that has been desired by the development community, the neighborhoods and as well as political leaders like yourself who have been pushing us to be much more flexible in how we zone buildings and what those uses can be. So as I said, we asked you and you did approve changes to the building code back in November, which were effective January 1st. What is before you today is changes to the zoning code or Title 21, which will provide us certain incentives that we can provide adaptive reuse projects and much more clarity in the process that we would use in order to help plan check those processes. A perfect example of this is a project that we worked through the reuse of a historic church at Third and Obispo. It will be converted into a senior residential project. It was a very, very difficult process for us and for the applicant. And if we had this adaptive reuse ordinance in place, it would have eliminated a number of steps on behalf of that applicant and would have allowed us to reuse that resource much more quickly. So with that, that concludes my staff report, and I'm available to answer any questions. Councilmember Lowenthal. Thank you, Mr. Mason. Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make the motion to approve. Second, moving seconded. Any member of the public was just a councilman. Hearing item number one, any council discussion. So you then members cast your votes. Well, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there, John. That's okay. Good evening, Mr. Mayor. Members of the City Council. My name is John Thomas, and I am here to represent Long Beach Heritage, asking for your concurrence and approval for this first read for the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance. This is an incredible opportunity for the city of Long Beach, long overdue to do in terms of our historic resources that are up for CU over the next probably 5 to 10 years for a relook and a redo. Breathe new life into some of our great historic buildings. It's a great tool and incentive, as staff indicated, for the private sector and for the public sector. On the private sector side, people that own these resources or people that are buying these resources can now come to an environment with with a cultural awareness where they're solution oriented opportunities and seeking mitigation measures on behalf of the city, using the state historic building code and other opportunities where we mitigate the concerns raised in the development review process to allow the buildings to actually reach a new alternative reuse. On the city side, it's a great opportunity for development services, our health department, police and fire as they mitigate issues concerning the building in fire codes and planning codes to allow the building to actually be adaptively reuse low impact on the adjacent communities in terms of parking. But our great architectural resources in that great vocabulary of the city of Long Beach continues in a new life. Finally, this is a great green ordinance. The best green grass green approach to building is to keep the building as it is and not tear it down and put it into a landfill. But on the other side, it's also a great green economic tool. It allows our building to stand, create jobs and really become a better product for the city of Long Beach, whether it's our downtown or our historic neighborhoods. So I thank you and urge you on behalf of Long Beach Heritage to consider the ordinance and accept it. Thank you. Thank you, John. Appreciate it. Any further public comment? Gang members cast your vote for Mr. Mayor. We need a few comments and one to make them queued up. We need two votes to mayor, one on the resolution, one on the ordinance. All right. First on the resolution, members, cast your votes on the resolution. You. Motion carries nine votes. Yes. Thank you, members. Now on the ordinance, the same motion.