Holland Partner Group Beats Appeal on Long Beach Apartments

Holland Partner Group can move forward with plans to build a 281-unit apartment complex in southeast Long Beach after the city struck down an appeal by environmental groups.

The Vancouver, Washington-based developer won the appeal filed by multiple groups who said the six-story building at 6700 East Pacific Coast Highway would cause traffic, break zoning rules and impact nearby wetlands, the Long Beach Post reported.

The city Planning Commission approved the project in April. The project would involve the demolition of a two-story office building.

The City Council voted unanimously to deny the appeal, while setting conditions for the pending development barring residents and workers from parking in the nearby marina, requiring parking decals for apartment residents, and setting up a loading zone that won’t block traffic.

Plans call for a pastel peach, charcoal and orange complex south of PCH between Marina Way and Studebaker Road, across the river from the Los Cerritos Wetlands and Seal Beach.

The complex of jutting balconies and floor-to-ceiling storefront windows would include 3,100 square feet of shops and restaurants, a fitness center and 27,500 square feet of common space.

A semi-underground parking garage would serve 507 cars and 142 bicycles.

The apartments, from studios to three-bedrooms, would include 13 units of affordable housing.

The second and third floors of the building would have outdoor patios, while a rooftop deck would employ solar panels. A large mural would face Pacific Coast Highway.

The Holland group plans to create a raised bike path with landscaping along PCH and Studebaker Road. The project would also provide new coastal access with outdoor seating areas along Marina Drive and Studebaker Road, as well as improved access to the San Gabriel River Bike Trail.

The groups that filed the appeal, including the Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust and Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, voiced concerns about the project’s potential environmental impacts, including the nearby Los Cerritos Wetlands, and local traffic.

They also cited local zoning rules and affordable housing requirements in their effort to block the housing project.

Holland Partner Group was behind a 271-unit apartment complex known as Volta on Pine at 635 Pine Avenue in Long Beach. It’s now building a 271-unit housing complex dubbed 3rd & Pacific also in Long Beach.

— Dana Bartholomew