Long Beach outlines progress on state housing goals, rezoning and ADU growth

Long Beach city staff told the Housing and Public Health Committee on April 1 that the city is making measurable progress implementing its state‑mandated six‑cycle housing element but still must rezone many sites to meet statutory requirements.

In a presentation, Alejandro Sanchez Lopez, lead of Long Range Planning, said Long Beach’s RHNA (regional housing needs assessment) allocation for the current cycle is 26,502 units, with about 15,300 required to be restricted affordable units (approximately 58 percent). He described the city’s Zone In rezoning program, recent multi‑year rezoning work in North Long Beach (U Plan) and Central Long Beach (City Core), and ongoing efforts in Bixby, Wrigley and along Tenth to Broadway.

The committee heard that the city completed several housing milestones in 2024 and early 2025: the city approved entitlements for 1,788 units (258 identified as affordable), issued building permits for 1,704 units (nearly 250 affordable), and reported the construction of hundreds of housing units alongside the production of 864 accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

Why it matters: State housing law requires cities to align zoning with adopted general plans so sites identified in certified housing‑element…