Long Beach's Newest Tower Peeks Above Ground

Construction is roaring ahead on the Current, Downtown Long Beach's first high-rise building to break ground since the Great Recession.  The $70 million development from Anderson Pacific, LLC had been delayed for roughly ten years prior to starting work in Fall.  As of this past weekend, rebar for the building's basement parking now protrudes above street level.

When finished in early 2016, the 17-story tower will offer 223 studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and penthouse apartments.  At ground level, the project will include for 6,750 square feet of stores, and restaurants.  According to designs by San Francisco-based BAR Architects, an adjacent section of Lime Avenue will be permanently closed to automobiles, creating a 25,000-square-foot public plaza with green space and outdoor seating at the foot of the building.

Following completion of the Current, Anderson Pacific intends to commence work on a second phase of the development: a 35-story condominium tower.  Phase two, which would create the tallest residential building in Long Beach, is slated for a neighboring surface parking lot at the northwest corner of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue.

Long Beach's Newest Tower Now Pushing Dirt

Six months after its nominal groundbreaking, Long Beach's first post-recession high-rise finally has non-ceremonial shovels in the dirt.  Construction of the Current, a 17-story mixed-use tower, is visibly underway at the northwest corner of Lime Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.  The $70 million project - formerly known as Shoreline Gateway - will offer a mixture of 223 studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and penthouse apartments.  Ground-level commercial stalls will encompass a total of 6,750 square feet, divided between retail and restaurant uses.

The tower's design, created by San Francisco-based BAR Architects, takes inspiration from the work of early Southern California modernists such as Richard Neutra and R.M. Schindler.  Due to its location just blocks from the ocean, the Current places a strong emphasis on quality outdoor amenities.  The design incorporates expansive terraces and a roofdeck pool, offering views of both the waterfront and the surrounding cityscape.  In addition, the building's main entrance will feed directly into a 25,000 square foot plaza, to be built over a closed-off section of Lime Avenue.

Construction of the Current is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2016.  After that point, developer Anderson Pacific, LLC is expected to embark on a more grandiose second phase of the project: a 35-story condominium building.  That tower, to be located catacorner from the iconic Villa Riviera Apartments, would likely become the tallest residential building in Downtown Long Beach.

Image Credit: The Current Living

LA City Councilmembers Want Blue Line Extension to San Pedro

A Long Beach-bound Blue Line Train.  Image Credit: Los Angeles Times

Despite being home to the United States' busiest container port, the waterfront community of San Pedro has long been isolated from Los Angeles County's Metro Rail network.  Two members of the LA City Council are trying to change that.  Yesterday, Councilmemembers Tom LaBonge (4th District) and Jose Buscaino (15th District) introduced a motion which requests that Metro report on the feasibility of a new light rail line connecting the Wilmington/San Pedro area to the Blue Line.  Known as the Harbor Line, the expansion concept has existed for well over two decades, appearing in several past visions of the Metro Rail system.  Although there are no immediate plans or funding available to construct the Harbor Line, the project could be incorporated into a future transportation ballot measure.  Notably, the light rail line was included in transit advocacy group MoveLA's "strawman," proposal for Measure R2.  In MoveLA's tentative plan, the Harbor Line would function as an extension of the Green and Crenshaw Lines, running south towards Wilmington before turning east to meet the Blue Line in Long Beach.