The Long Beach Planning Board, acting in its capacity as the Architectural Review Board, approved a building permit for a two-story, single-family residence at 400 East Olive Street after members concluded the plans met setback and design requirements.

Board member Clancy moved to approve the resolution and Board member Lucas seconded; the motion passed with the roll call recorded as "Approved" by the members present. The plan as presented was accepted without additional conditions.

Board members and attendees raised several technical and design questions during the review. Multiple speakers noted the renderings omit visible gutters or downspouts; one attendee said, "I don't see any downspouts," and a member of the board later told the panel, "that's something that the board would like to address," citing concerns that inadequate drainage could allow water to run onto neighboring properties. Members also discussed whether the renderings adequately show balconies, decks and utility protrusions; one member called some notes "generic" and said they appear not project-specific.

Staff clarified the board's scope: the architectural review is focused on the design character and conformity with neighborhood scale and setbacks, while parking and any required parking variances are handled through separate site-plan or zoning review. The board member who spoke about scope said the city plans a broader review of the zoning code in the upcoming fiscal year.

In discussion, a board representative said the board will require applicants or their architects to appear at future architectural review hearings so technical questions—such as those about drainage, gutters and other details—can be answered directly without the board having to add conditional approvals. That change in practice was presented as prospective guidance for future applications and did not alter the approved outcome for 400 East Olive Street.

The approval took effect at the close of the roll-call vote. The board moved on to other items on the agenda.