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Photo courtesy of “Say No to Land Use Element” Facebook group page.
The chance has come, Long Beachers, for us to fully stand up and cheer for fear. To cheer for screwing over future generations and their ability to find and own homes. To cheer on making Long Beach less accessible, less diverse, and less affordable.
Come December 11, the Planning Commission will vote on the Skyscraper Sardine Packer of a document that is the Land Use Element (LUE), the guide that oversees development throughout the city in the future. This comes after nearly a decade of public meetings that my fellow angry white people seemed to have forgotten about until the past few months—and thank the gods they clued in at the last second.
I mean, in all frankness, how dare the corrupt and crooked City of Long Beach try to engage the public for years, prep for the future, and attempt to prevent another housing crisis?
This is, in part, why I am so proud of anti-LUE folks over-taking recent meetings…
…why I am so honored to have heard people yelling in support for closing Long Beach’s borders to people rather than opening them up to our culture…
…why my heart blooms when so-called students of architects chime in not knowing the difference between a five-story building and a skyscraper…
…why it is nothing short of a pleasure to hear folks like Eastsider Corliss Lee proclaiming—complete with the common’n’passive racism that not-so-subtly brews amongst anti-housing folks—that Towne Center will become the “Chicago projects” at a recent Eastside Voice meeting…
…why I feel so privileged to have the astute and informative reporting of local publications the LB Report, which used astounding Photoshop skills to fear-monger folks into thinking five-story Kmarts will soon invade their precious picket fence lawns…
In a time when we’re shutting down borders and building walls, it’s nice to know that the same fear and misinformation is alive and well here in Long Beach.
When there is absolutely no incentive for a developer to build a massive apartment complex in an East Long Beach neighborhood that has no transit, no walkability, too many cars, and utterly zero interest for the upcoming generation living in a city, it makes me beam with pride that Eastsiders are still claiming the Development Armageddon that will never come until long after they’re dead is undoubtedly coming.
Speaking of death, I think the true highlight of all this brouhaha is that progress is being hindered by those deciding on and creating a future they won’t even live to see.
That right there? Priceless.
The Planning Commission will vote on the LUE this upcoming Monday, December 11, at City Hall.
14 Comments
Brian, have you ever been to any of the “Chicago projects”? Don’t visit at night or on a really hot day. I’ve been to some of them many times.
Also, do you hang out at night in LA’s Crenshaw District, especially on the east side? (Highest crime in LA). Just stats, no racism in crime counts.
Why aren’t you marching for affordable housing in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air. I’m sure you can convince the folks there that low income folks will raise their house values and lower the crime in the neighborhood.
It’s all good in your Fantasyland.
Bob, how are racially motivated projects from the 60s like the Crenshaw district and Chicago projects (and yes I have been to Carbrini-Green as a native of Chicago or are you just into repeating stereotypical fear) relevant to the the LUE issue at hand? Also, Brian is talking about Long Beach. What is your point bringing up Beverly Hills and Bel-Air. Are you saying we should be aspiring to be like them. If so, then why don’t you go live there. I am sure they would receive you with open arms, or maybe you are (and I) are the type of person they are trying to exclude?
Karl, Brian accused Corliss Lee of racism. The point is crime and reduce property values. Overcrowded low income leads to elevated levels of crime. Not an opinion, pure statistics.
Regarding my BH and BA comment, I prefer working towards higher home values and lower crime in Long Beach. Maybe you’re the opposite?
oh brother! YIMBYS get on board the coo coo train and scream foul when residents want checks and balances. It’s straight BS when you state the “City” had meetings for years! Why?
Because THIS LUE / maps were developed in Feb! Previous faux presentations we stoped by at were obfuscated attempts to shovel this BS on residents and homeowners. TioOtheIceberg. Other presentations NOT meetings were for select audiences with developers a go go, real estate teams and koolaid sippers.
SO, say yes our lil YIMBY scribbler, to the high priced Current (at $5K mthly on ApartmentList for a 2 bdrm) and you just let us know when you have REAL housing answers. NOT overpriced puff pieces…like this one.
Home owners don’t want density because this city hasn’t handled the issues from our sardine situation. Homelessness, safety, lower income accessability, senior housing stability, parking shortages and nightmares, traffic carmegeddon happening now, transit, let alone power outages, dumped furniture that sits for weeks, animal feces that current resident pet owners leave behind. OH, and adequate green space…where’s that coming to Midtown, or is it Midshore? The DTLB plan gets what, freeway greenspace? Riggggghhhhht.
SHOW up folks to this 12/11 Planning Commission meeting. Write the commissioners today. GUESS what, LBC doesnt HAVE to build one unit! JUST like Lakewood, Huntington Beach or Irvine which rejected this projection. GET a proper plan with proper projections. Leave this LUE in an old city hall bottom drawer.
What a BS article. Couldn’t be more one sided and insulting to current homeowners. Calling the opposing party “passive racists” , or “you won’t even be here to see this, since you’ll be dead” is just immature and ignorant.
Residents, who own property and worked hard for it, definitely deserve to have a say in this LUE fiasco.
Easy for people to chime in whose livelihood isn’t at stake.
To me it seems new generations apparently don’t care about manners, and want things handed to them. Pointing fingers is not taking responsibility for your own life.
Very disappointed in the “author”.
…but are you going to be dead? In 20 years? No one knows. Your day or mine could come tomorrow or tonight.
All of you people against this have no alternative answers at all. You may dream of zero growth in Long Beach, but that is all it is, a dream. Without building housing, how do you plan to fight the homelessness you decry? Need a hint? We now have a new population of working homeless thanks to housing having been priced out of affordability to the working poor. Any answers for That? The millenials generation is the largest in history, and they are coming of age and need housing for themselves and their families. Got an answer for that one that doesn’t involve building more housing? And you scream about home values. What happened to buying a home because you to live in and not as an investment? Whete do you expect yoir kids, grandkids and thwir kids to live if housing is not built for them? The high desert, where they will jave to commute 2 hours each way when gas tops 5 bucks a gallon (and trust me, one day it will)? You mention traffic. Really, is the answer moving people further from where the jobs are? Seriously? I have heard nothing from you but lame excuses when in reality the answer is to get involved in how Long Beach grows, not to fight the inevitable growth. Pretending reality doesn’t exist does not make it disappear. Long Beach is growing, has always been growing, and will continue to grow. It is time to face that reality and help shape how it grows. Fighting the growth will get you exactly nowhere and does nothing but remove your voice about how that growth will be managed.
Brian, like you, I was at the Whaley Park meeting. Like you, I was disturbed to hear, over the loudspeaker set up for an overflow crowd, a resident voice his fear of Section 8 housing coming to his neighborhood. Unlike you, however, I do not see this issue as one of race or class prejudice, nor of eastside vs. westside, nor of nostalgia for the past vs. affordable homes for future Long Beach residents. Having witnessed and participated in numerous efforts to challenge the powers that be, including the Long Beach Planning Commission, let me assure you that wise and ethical decision making in the best interest of the public good is not one of their strong points.
As a matter of fact, efforts by citizens to challenge development that favors special interests at the expense of low-income people of color, such as the extravagant Belmont Beach and Aquatic Center, have been met with denial and disdain. Residents and community activists have fought to prevent public park and open space from being sacrificed for a police station (west side), and for a commercial sports parks (central and east side), a strip mall (CSULB), and expanded oil drilling (Los Cerritos Wetlands). Residents have fought to keep the Redevelopment Agency from demolishing their small homes near the PCH City College campus and to end the practice of fracking for oil by the city’s own Oil and Gas Department. Residents protested and prevented the construction of an LNG terminal on the west side and the city-approved Home Depot in the wetlands on the east side. Recently both the Planning Commission and the City Council excused AES from having to conduct an EIR before building the largest lithium battery storage facility in California adjacent to the San Gabriel River, the Los Cerritos Wetlands, and the Newport-Inglewood Fault.
It is my understanding that the LUE was designed before the passage of SB 35, and does not address the need for low-income or affordable housing. When asked about including low-cost housing in SEASP rezoning, a city planner stated, “Long Beach doesn’t do that.” SEASP has now been approved and folded into the proposed LUE. It will add luxury apartments, upscale dining and shopping, heavy traffic, violate SCAQM air quality standards, and expand oil drilling under the Los Cerritos Wetlands – all over the objections of residents and environmentalists.
Brian, you have a good heart and a lot to learn about this town. Please take the time to interview the many local activists, some of whom, including Coralis Lee, have spent the better part of their lives challenging bad decisions by public officials. Your readers and neighbors deserve honest investigative reporting on each and every issue – are you in or out?
What I think is very funny is that everyone who is anti LUE is so misinformed on what happens if we fail to pass it.
Make no mistake, Long Beach will grow and will build. The LUE is an opportunity to do it in a way where the city as a community can work together to make sure everyone has a place. Otherwise because of the way state laws are written, developers can Bigfoot the city process and apply for development permits with the state directly.
Good luck peddling your passive aggressive racist nimby prattle then.
Ronnie.m the Bear. Grow up!!
Stop labeling people. You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.
Insulting worried residents is not getting you anywhere.
Good riddance to you sir.
All of these pathetic people, I doubt half of these baby boomers even paid for the house. They had it willed to them hahah. They talk about what it’s like to work hard…. Try working 5 jobs while going to school. I can barely keep my head a float, cause these Nimby’s can’t take their head out of their ass. They built a 55 plus community for all of you old folgies a long time ago, it’s called “Palm Springs”. Move there, and let people who actually have jobs and families live next to their jobs.
Stopping development in Long Beach will exacerbate the problem! Build more housing and better public transit. Or else your just helping the economy bubble burst. Your high home values are dictated by the market, those home values are inflated and will be worth half what they are once the next bubble bursts!! SO good luck screwing us all over.
Geez Anon, get some mental health help.
Most of us have worked hard, young and old. 2 people on my block did inherit their homes – 1 couple in their 30’s and 1 guy in his 60’s. How does that in any way denote whether they work hard and/or indicate their views on development?
First off, the existing development plans allow for lots of development.
Second, without wealthy people paying taxes (and others too), we couldn’t afford to have the existing public transportation, let alone make it better.
Third, if home prices did burst so that all homes were worth 50% of today (tax collections would go way down), the city, county and state would be at risk of bankruptcy and public transportation would get hammered. Careful what you wish for.
Brian, think your post of December 7 at 10:05 PM was spot on. It amazes me how dedicated the anti-LUE advocates are, but I truly believe they are very misinformed. Particularly when they believe that not planning for growth will somehow prevent growth. That has been tried in cities/counties/jurisdictions across the country and always fails. But hey, why not try here in Long Beach.
Last nights Planning Commission meeting was very civil. Everyone deserves credit for that. As we saw, the commission voted to forward the LUE, with minor revisions, to the full City Council for their consideration. Between now and then, we can expect lots of incivility, but that is representative of the times we live in.
Brian,
I left a comment two days ago.
Why didn’t you post it?