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Long Beach council adopts charter and zoning changes to create planning board
Summary
The City Council approved a local law and an ordinance to formally establish a planning board and revise planning-and-zoning code, directing staff to refine some inconsistent language before the board begins full review activity.
The Council of the City of Long Beach voted Tuesday to amend the city charter and update the municipal code to establish a new planning board and fold architectural review functions into that body.
City staff and council members said the step implements recommendations from the city—s comprehensive plan and is intended to give the city a forum for more detailed review of larger development projects while leaving routine one- and two-family work to the zoning board.
Joe Lupo, a city staff member who presented the legislation, told the council the local law "sets out how the city will appoint its members, how the members will elect their chairperson, and it's really just the foundational information for the planning board." Lupo said the code amendments define the board's scope to include site-plan review for multi-family projects, mixed-use buildings, commercial projects and subdivisions, and to address factors such as parking, traffic flow, natural resources and landscaping.
Council members said they support the change. Council member Lester said the planning board has been "a long time coming" and asked whether the charter requires minimum qualifications for appointees; Lupo said training is required but there are no specific minimum credentials in the proposed language. Lester also raised a potential conflict of deadlines in the existing code where earlier Architectural Review Board deadlines (30 days) differ from the planning-board timeframes codified by state law (62 days). Lupo and other staff acknowledged some cross-references and inconsistent terminology and said they will propose cleanup amendments before the planning board begins full operations.
Public commenters and members of the city—s planning advisory bodies urged broad community representation and preservation-minded review. Mike Negra, identified as a member of the city—s planning advisory board, said the planning board had been a key element of the comprehensive plan and urged the council not to "think twice about implementing this legislation." Several residents, including James Rods and Steve Camden, urged appointments that reflect Long Beach—s geographic and economic diversity and to keep workforce and affordable housing needs in mind during the board—s work.
The council voted to adopt both the local law amending the charter and the ordinance revising the code. Council members noted the city will monitor the board—s early work and return with technical edits to ensure consistent terminology and deadlines across related sections of the code.
Looking ahead, staff said a follow-up public hearing and additional code cleanups will clarify the planning board—s rules of procedure, training requirements and the precise cross-references to the Architectural Review Board functions now assigned to it.
