Long Beach zoning board denies front-yard parking variance at 155 West Market Street

The City of Long Beach Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday denied a variance request that would have allowed off-street parking in the front yard at 155 West Market Street. Why it matters: The vote preserves the city's existing front-yard parking rules and leaves an unresolved court case over the property's prior driveway work to the city court. The applicant, listed in the application as Isaac Lapidus of 115 Ocean Avenue, sought relief from Section 9-113.2(g) of the Long Beach zoning code to formalize two side-by-side parking spaces in the front yard. The board heard extended discussion about how the work was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether the applicant had followed building-department guidance, and whether a zoning decision should wait for the outcome of a related city-court matter. Deputy Corporation Counsel Joseph Lupo told the board the…