Long Beach's big second+pch project is dead for the second (and it sounds like last) time after the city council voted last night to deny zoning and regulatory changes for the project, which the planning commission passed in October and November (the most controversial was the allowance of a 12 story tower--the area currently has a 35 foot height limit). Co-developer David Malmuth said last night: "There is no next. The project's done," reports the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Second+pch would've brought a boutique hotel, 275 residences, high-end retail, a science center, 11 acres of open space, and 1,440 parking spaces to the site of the old SeaPort Marina Hotel. We first heard about it way back in 2009. Its first environmental impact report was rejected in 2010 because the plans for traffic mitigation were considered insufficient. The project came back again this fall, when the planning commission approved a new EIR, but then they later signed off on a scaled-back plan.
Second+PCH went before the council in the first place because five groups, including neighboring Seal Beach, filed appeals to the planning commission's approval; they objected to the traffic creation, the tower's height, and potential damage to the Los Cerritos Wetlands. Apparently, the council gave a bit of a fakeout before their denial last night: "The tone of the council's discussion seemed headed for approval. There were murmurs of surprise when the vote was tallied." The area's councilmember, Gary DeLong, voted for the project, but said it was a difficult call because "I don't like tall buildings."
· Long Beach council rejects Second+PCH project [Press-Telegram]
· Long Beach's Second+PCH Gets a Second Chance [Curbed LA]
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