Another small-unit, dense housing tower proposed for Downtown Long Beach

Officials this week will consider a housing project Downtown that mostly consists of units the size of a large hotel room and ample open space — part of a new development trend the city is encouraging in order to grow its housing stock.

An eight-story residential tower with 69 units at 937 Pine Ave. had already been approved in 2020, but the developer revised the plans. They now call for 140 units — more than double the previous number on the same general footprint.

The largest share of units would be 450 square feet, which doesn’t meet the definition of a “micro unit” — that’s 350 square feet in Long Beach — but is in line with a trend toward more density in tighter spaces in parts of the city where this is allowed.

The city cleared the way for a true micro-unit project earlier this year at the Dolly Varden Hotel, which is part of a pilot program launched in 2020 to generate housing that is more affordable. It isn’t clear what the rents will be at either project, but in Los Angeles County, the average cost of these small units is still around $1,200 a month.

The revised plans for the new Pine Avenue building include six floor plans with 67 units that are 450 square feet, 59 units that are 540 square feet, and another 14 units that are over 815 square feet. Fifteen of the total units will be set aside for families or individuals who are considered very low income (for a single person in LA County, that means earning less than $48,550 a year).

The new version of the project will include nearly double the open space — 10,325 square feet — as the previous iteration. And, to encourage more urban travel modes, it will include less vehicle parking and more bicycle stalls, along with added storage space for personal belongings and more commercial or retail space on the ground-floor level.

The building is spread across three lots near 10th Street and Pine Avenue that would be combined to accommodate the 22,500-square-foot project, which is the former site of Queen Beach Printers.

The Planning Commission will consider the project at its meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday in Civic Chambers, 411 W. Ocean Blvd.

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