Taller buildings and fewer parking spaces are coming to stretches of Elm Avenue and Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach—approved or under active review as part of a push to add affordable housing by invoking state density bonus tools.
The clearest example is the city’s Site Plan Review records, which show a five-story, 145,200-square-foot mixed-use building at 3590 Elm Ave was approved in late July. The project includes 109 residential units, offices, and 69 parking stalls—and the developer has committed to making the building 100% affordable after entitlement, even though only 20% of units must be affordable to qualify for the approval.
To unlock that outcome, the project invoked California’s Enhanced Density Bonus program and AB1397, requesting two specific concessions from the city: extra height beyond what the R-4-N zoning district normally allows, and reduced private open space requirements. The project also locked in its fees at 2025 rates under SB330, a state law that protects housing projects from fee increases during the approval process.
Atlantic Avenue corridor gets a second all-affordable proposal
A few miles south in Council District 6, a six-story building proposed at 1850–1862 Atlantic Ave would bring 55 fully affordable units with no market-rate apartments…