Midtown Specific Plan & EIR
PlaceWorks created the Midtown Specific Plan to stimulate new development and other improvements along a declining corridor in Long Beach.
Client
City of Long Beach
Location
Long Beach, California
Services
- Comprehensive Planning
- Community Participation
- Zoning & Form-Based Codes
- Economics
- Urban Design
- Corridor Planning
- Park Planning
- CEQA/NEPA Compliance
Awards
- 2017 Sustainability Award: Integrated Planning, SCAG
- 2017 Outstanding Planning Document Award, California AEP
Long Beach Boulevard suffered from mobility problems and a lack of development interest along this key corridor and in the surrounding community. Despite years of transit investments and the adoption of a planned development district for mixed-use and high-density development, the corridor continued to falter. The Midtown Specific Plan achieves city and community goals for the corridor—an equitable balance between mobility modes, a hybrid form-based/zoning approach, incentive programs, park-once-and-walk strategies, and urban/streetscape design.
Most notably, the open space district proposes 11 new parklets that cap side streets, creating mini parks that provide much-needed active and passive open space. Succinct land use districts, clear development standards and design guidelines, and a practical implementation program make this plan a valuable tool for future revitalization of Midtown. The program EIR addressed and resolved issues related to construction impacts on air quality and noise emissions, hydrology/water quality, land use and planning, transportation/traffic, and more. The city council unanimously and enthusiastically certified the EIR and adopted the specific plan.
Learn more about recent developments and other improvements resulting from the plan.