YMCA plans(?) and new Traffic Circle restaurants

What does the Los Altos YMCA have to hide?

Fourth District Neighborhood leaders took part in the Council of Neighborhood Organization (CONO)  and Mayor Garcia's 4th District Round Table discussions on the Land Use Element (LUE)  on Wednesday, February 28th, 2018.

In attendance was Los Altos YMCA Executive Director Brandi Collato who dropped a bombshell at the meeting saying that the YMCA wants their property zoned for mixed-use four-story development.  

When asked "Why?" by neighborhood leaders at the meeting, Collato gave the answer of "equity", referring to the current office development on the corner of Atherton and Stearns.  

Collato could not, or would not, explain why the YMCA wants (in the eleventh hour before the Tuesday City Council vote) to change their zoning into mixed-use that would allow apartments. When Collato was pressed for a reason, she would not stray from her one-word answer.  Her "equity" answer implied that because the business building on the corner is 4-stories, the YMCA property should be allowed to be developed for four-stories. 

That long-time four-story business building is currently "non-conforming"  to the two-story zoning for all the corner properties. The LUE changes the 2-story current zoning for the 4 story building to match its current height.

When  Collato stated the YMCA wanted a zoning change to "mixed-use" 4 stories for "equity" with the business building, the Los Altos Village neighbors pointed out that the "equity" is that the LUE matches the current actual land use to the zoning.

So the question remains why the YMCA wants the zoning on its land changed to a use that would allow four-story apartments.  By changing the LUE to allow four-story apartments it would do exactly what the Los Altos Village neighbors feared when the August LUE Maps came out- giving incentives for the YMCA to sell the land to developers.  

The YMCA sits just north of the CSULB property in an area of the early Gabrielino/Tongva village of Puvungna.  In the 1990's, CSULB had proposed a commercial development along the Bellflower Blvd. property which sparked a years long court battle between the University and Native American groups supported by the ACLU that was dubbed the "Indian Wars".  When Robert Maxson became CSULB President, he abandoned the commercial plans and thus ended the court battle. In 2005, the CSULB Student Senate passed a resolution supporting the Gabrielino/Tongva claims and access to their lands on CSULB. In 2016, CSULB became the first university to allow the reburial of Native remains. The remains were originally dug up during the initial excavations for the new campus and stored on campus. 

Similar battles and concerns were fought over the other retail centers along Bellflower Blvd between the campus and the 405.

To support keeping the YMCA land as it is, please email your comments to Councilman Daryl Supernaw and Mayor Robert Garcia.  Also, the vote on the Land Use Element by the Long Beach City Council is this  Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 at the Long Beach City Hall.  The meeting is at 5 pm.

Emails:

district4@longbeach.gov

mayor@longbeach.gov

A brief history of Puvungna in East Long Beach at CSULB

Traffic Circle to get more new restaurants

The land is private land and city officials have no say as to the type of restaurants that the developer eventually attracts to his new buildings.  The Public Hearing is to address the criteria that local ordinances require for drive-thur service. 

The latest development proposals come on the heels of multi-millions of dollars of major private development of the Traffic Circle.  New Two banks, two new fast food restaurants, and two new retail drug stores have all been opened.

All of the new establishments have included drive-thru service for automobiles in the high-automobile intense area.

The millions in private investment dollars to the Traffic Circle come as Development Services Department continues to eye the area for a "pedestrian village" complete with hundreds of apartments.

To support keeping the Traffic Circle area as it is, please email your comments to Councilman Daryl Supernaw and Mayor Robert Garcia.  Also, the vote on the Land Use Element by the Long Beach City Council is this  Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 at the Long Beach City Hall.  The meeting is at 5 pm.

Emails:

district4@longbeach.gov

mayor@longbeach.gov