Long Beach zoning board grants five variances, denies one two‑family conversion

The Long Beach Zoning Board of Appeals on March 27, 2025 voted to grant five variance applications and denied a separate request to convert a single‑family home to two apartments.

The board voted to grant variance applications for six agenda items overall; five were approved and one was denied. The actions included renewals of temporary conditional variances, approvals to maintain existing rear‑yard structures, a conditional allowance for an accessory structure, and approvals for interior renovations and terraces at a hotel property.

Why it matters: the board’s decisions affect property rights, neighborhood form and, in one case, whether a home may be used as a two‑family dwelling. Several approvals were temporary or conditional, meaning the board retained oversight.

Case summaries and vote outcomes

Case 3423 — Charles Rafnieri LLC, 545 East Olive Street: The board granted an application to demolish a two‑family dwelling, subdivide an 80‑by‑100 parcel into two 40‑by‑100 lots, and construct two single‑family dwellings. Commissioner Brooks moved to grant; Chairman Morelli seconded. Commissioner Callahan abstained. Commissioners Markowitz, Brooks, Michelle Barrado, DePasquale and Chairman Morelli voted to grant. Outcome: granted (motion carried; 5 yes, 1 abstain).

Case 3425 — Betty Tagnino Revocable Living Trust, 470 West Olive Street: The applicant sought a use variance and a two‑year conditional temporary variance to convert a single‑family house into a two‑family house. Commissioner Markowitz moved to deny; Commissioner Alvarado seconded. Commissioner Callahan abstained. Commissioners Markowitz, Brooks, Alvarado, Dave Aswale and Chairman Morelli voted to deny. Outcome: denied (motion to deny carried; 5 yes to deny, 1 abstain).

Case 3447 — Manuel and Tatiana Oliva, 419 East Fulton Street: The board granted a two‑year conditional temporary variance for an accessory structure with recorded on‑record conditions. Commissioner Markowitz moved to grant the two‑year conditional variance with conditions recorded on the record; Commissioner Callahan seconded. The board clarified the condition on the record that the four named individuals must be owners entitled and reside on the premises and that only those named adults may reside in the accessory structure. Commissioner Brooks abstained; other members voted to grant with the stated conditions. Outcome: granted (conditional; 5 yes, 1 abstain).

Case 3072 — Lehman Lee (applicant represented by Jessica Lee Chang), 312 West Penn Street: The board renewed a conditional temporary variance (no structural changes reported) to maintain a second kitchen within a single‑family dwelling for another two years. Chairman Morelli moved to grant; Commissioner Alvarado seconded. The applicant answered board questions that nothing has changed since the prior renewal. All voting members present voted to grant (one commissioner noted a conditional phrasing). Outcome: renewal granted.

Case 3455 — 411 East Walnut LLC (represented by Kenneth Apple), 411 East Walnut Street: The board granted a variance to maintain an existing rear‑yard enclosed porch (described as a sunroom) that predates recent ownership. The applicant’s representative said the principal purchased the property from an estate and invested roughly $900,000 in purchase price and renovations; the structure has been in place "for 40 or 50 years," the representative said, and removing it would be costly. Chairman Morelli introduced the motion to grant; Commissioner DeVazquez seconded. Vote: unanimous among voting members present. Outcome: granted.

Case 3456 — 405 Hotel LLC (architect Dov Hadas), 405 East Broadway: The board granted multiple variances for interior renovations and two front terraces and stairs for a nonconforming hotel building. Architect Dov Hadas described the project as work on a roughly 20,000‑square‑foot property at the northeast corner of Lincoln and Broadway, noted the building’s nonconforming status (including a height of 49.4 feet where 35 feet is allowed), and said the owners are seeking to improve the hotel’s condition and accessibility. Chairman Morelli moved to grant; the motion was seconded and carried by the board. Outcome: granted.

Board procedure and next steps

Several approvals were issued as two‑year conditional temporary variances or with conditions recorded on the public record. For the renewal of the second‑kitchen variance at 312 West Penn Street, the board told the applicant that pursuing a permanent variance would not align with what the board typically approves and that repeated renewals were an available option.

The board closed the meeting after the final vote. Applications that were announced as adjourned earlier on the agenda (cases 2312 and 3451) were not heard that evening.

Quotes

"He's not someone coming in and speculating," said Kenneth Apple, representing 411 East Walnut LLC, describing the property owner’s investment in the Long Beach neighborhood.

"We want to improve the condition of the hotel," said architect Dov Hadas of the proposal at 405 East Broadway.

Details and clarifications

- The subdivision described in case 3423 would split an existing 80‑by‑100 parcel into two 40‑by‑100 lots (as stated on the record).

- The rear enclosed porch at 411 East Walnut was described by the applicant’s representative as existing for decades and cited as the reason the owner sought a rear‑yard variance rather than demolition.

- Case 3447’s approval includes an explicit, recorded condition that the four individuals named on the record must be owners entitled to reside on the premises and that only those named adults may reside in the accessory structure; the board stated the variance is a two‑year conditional temporary variance.

- The hotel at 405 East Broadway was described as a nonconforming use in a residential zone and as exceeding the local height limit (49.4 feet vs. 35 feet allowed) in the testimony on the record.

What the record does not include

- The transcript does not supply full first names for some commissioners beyond their last names and titles; votes are reported by the names used on the record.

- Detailed staff reports, neighbor protest letters, or written engineering studies are not part of the transcript excerpts provided.

Votes at a glance (selected)

- Case 3423 (545 East Olive St.) — Grant (5 yes, 1 abstain) - Case 3425 (470 West Olive St.) — Deny (motion to deny carried; 5 yes, 1 abstain) - Case 3447 (419 East Fulton St.) — Grant, 2‑year conditional (5 yes, 1 abstain) - Case 3072 (312 West Penn St.) — Renewal granted (unanimous among voting members present) - Case 3455 (411 East Walnut St.) — Grant (unanimous among voting members present) - Case 3456 (405 East Broadway) — Grant (unanimous among voting members present)

(Names and vote tallies reflect the roll calls announced on the record during the March 27, 2025 meeting.)