A Vote on Controversial 2nd and PCH Project?

The next step has arrived the for the hotly-contested 2nd and PCH proposal. Last month, the Environmental Impact Report was approved and a zoning height limit was lifted--among the most controversial changes. Now the proposal will again be in front of the Long Beach Planning Commission tonight at 5 p.m.

The commission will now take its turn in deciding if the benefits of the project outweigh the potential negative impacts and community concern. The project, which has stirred great debate amongst community members for years, was rejected in a similar earlier version under developer Lennar.

Supporters including business that hopes for more ancillary traffic to spill over argue that anything built at the corner would add traffic and worsen air pollution, both significant concerns underlined in the draft environmental impact report. They argue that the decades-old zoning, which existed when the property was purchased, needed updating. The DEIR concluded that traffic would impact two dozen intersections in the city, some without much ability to be remedied: 2nd and PCH, and Studebaker and 2nd Street, the East side's key entry path to three freeways. The City of Seal Beach has expressed concern in legal comments on the DEIR.

It is a hot button issue as some in the community are ready for a change at the corner that boasts an aging Seaport Marina Hotel and parking lot that the current owners haven't much changed in years, while others want a change, but not of this magnitude.  Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust, which is responsible for surrounding wetlands in two cities, opposes the present proposal and proposed an alternative project based on the current zoning.

The commission tonight is expected to make a decision, and some expect the commission to make changes to the environmental report and take a second vote on its certification. 

In October, the Planning Commission had a split 4-3 decision for the project proposed at the SeaPort Marina Hotel. The commission did unanimously certify the EIR, but after revised findings and a statement of overriding considerations will be taken into consideration tonight. 

The vote breakdown — Commissioners Leslie Gentile, Becky Blair, Donita Van Horik and Melani Smith voted for the zoning change, which was a vote in favor of the project. Commissioners Charles Durnin, Philip Saumur and Alan Fox were opposed.

As proposed, the project would include 191,000 square feet of retail, 100-room hotel, 21,000 square feet of non-hotel restaurant space, 325 residential units, a marine science learning center and 1,440 parking spaces. There would be two six-story buildings, and the building heights include a 12-story residential building. 

Critics, including Los Cerritos Wetlands, have said the project would make traffic a nightmare and a vote in favor would set a precedent, making these projects impossible to stop up and down the coast. The Trust hired the consultant who performed Staples Center to analyze the proposal for traffic issues. The California Coastal Commission would still need to approve the project because it falls into their jurisdiction to protect public access to its waterfront features.

The meeting will take place at City Hall, 333 W. Ocean Blvd., at 5 p.m.

To view the developer's site, go here.