Big changes might be on the way for the Long Beach skyline. On Thursday, the city’s planning commission could give approval to a residential tower that would become the tallest building in the city.
As Longbeachize reports, plans for the 35-story tower originally called for just 221 units and 6,367 square feet of retail space. Now, however, its developers are seeking approval for an additional 94 units and another 344 square feet of retail space. An underground parking garage would be expanded from two levels to five to make room for some of these changes.
The tower is the second phase of the Shoreline Gateway project at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue. The first portion of that project, a 17-story tower called The Current, opened in June. Once complete, the much taller new tower will be linked to The Current by a 10,000-square-foot plaza.
For now, the new structure is simply being called the East Tower, but we’re sure the developers will have brainstormed a much catchier name by the time it’s constructed (maybe something like "Shorebreak"). At 417 feet above sea level, it will eclipse One World Trade Center—currently the tallest building in Long Beach—by about 20 feet.
Urbanize LA notes that the project is being developed by a partnership of three companies, and that a timeline for its completion hasn’t yet been established. The tower is designed by Studio One Eleven. Rockefeller Partners Architects is the executive architect.