Redo of CityPlace Mall in Long Beach Moves Forward

The redevelopment of the CityPlace mall in Long Beach can now move forward after the City Council voted unanimously late last month to reject an appeal of its approval of the mixed-use project.

The development partnership of Waterford Property, Turnbridge Equities and Monument Square Investment Group are aiming for a 2024 groundbreaking for the project, known as Mosaic, Urbanize Los Angeles reported.

Under the plan approved by the city, the redevelopment will demolish 200K SF of existing commercial space to make way for three eight-story apartment buildings encompassing 900 units, including 54 units that will be reserved for very-low-income tenants.

The Mosaic also will include 38K SF of ground-floor retail space and in a standalone building. The mall is located between Fourth and Sixth streets, east of Long Beach Boulevard.

The approval of the project was appealed by the Coalition for Responsible Economic Development Los Angeles, also known as CREED LA, a nonprofit coalition of labor unions who argued that the project’s impacts weren’t adequately studied by the environmental impact assessment.

The East Village neighborhood of Long Beach is the site of several new developments. Construction is nearly complete for the Onni East Village, Vancouver-based Onni Group’s first mixed-use development in Downtown Long Beach.

According to a report in Urbanize, the Onni East Village spans half of a city block at 200 Long Beach Boulevard, flanking the rebuilt shell of the former Acres of Books building with a new 23-story high-rise along 3rd Street to the north and a seven-story podium-type building facing Broadway to the south.

Onni East Village will encompass 400 apartment units, built in a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom floor plans; the project also will include a 32-room extended stay hotel under Onni’s Level brand.

According to marketing materials, rents for Onni East Village will range from $2,858 per month for a 709 SF one-bedroom unit to more than $15,000 per month for a 1,690 SF three-bedroom dwelling with a 1,692 SF outdoor terrace.

The complex will include 23K SF of ground-level retail and restaurant space, with a two-level, 501-car subterranean parking garage. The Acres of Books Building, a Long Beach historic landmark, is slated to reopen as a 9,300 SF food hall.

In 2022, Onni paid $67.9M to acquire the Marina Shores shopping center on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach with plans to build 670 apartments on the property.