Affordable Housing Opportunities Demolished

by Susanne Browne

Nearly half of Long Beach's population is low or very low-income. Over 50,000 Long Beach households cannot afford their rent. 5,000 people are homeless for some period of time each year in Long Beach. The City's Redevelopment Agency has a rare opportunity to develop desperately needed affordable housing in the West Gateway Redevelopment Project. Unfortunately, the Agency has not required the development of any low-income housing at West Gateway.

West Gateway involves the redevelopment of approximately 13 acres north of Broadway in downtown Long Beach for construction of approximately 1,000 units of new housing. Because of the magnitude of the project, West Gateway provides a great opportunity to include housing for low-income residents. Affordable housing, which is otherwise difficult to build, is easily subsidized in a project of this scale. Oddly, the Redevelopment Agency's Request for Proposals for West Gateway did not call for the development of any low-income housing.

The Redevelopment Agency cannot afford to ignore Long Beach's severe affordable housing crisis. With such a devastating housing shortage, how is it possible the Agency failed to require low-income housing at West Gateway? The Agency should not forget it has an obligation to provide low-income housing. Official City policy, as stated in the City's Housing Element, says the City will seek agreements with developers to achieve a mix of affordability levels in large-scale residential projects. West Gateway certainly qualifies as such a project.

City Place, another large redevelopment project at the site of the former Long Beach Plaza Mall, involves the development of approximately 300 upscale residential units without the development of any low-income units. West Gateway and City Place make it abundantly clear that the Redevelopment Agency is not using its powers wisely or equitably.

Redevelopment at West Gateway will tear down blocks of older housing stock and displace many low-income households. Low-income residents will therefore be doubly harmed by West Gateway - - they will be displaced from their neighborhoods and denied affordable housing opportunities.

Although the Redevelopment Agency may satisfy its low-income housing obligations over a period of time, it should not put off until tomorrow what it can, and needs to, do today. The Agency has an opportunity to utilize West Gateway to build desperately needed low-income units and revitalize a neighborhood for at least some of its current residents. It is no longer acceptable for the Agency to meet bare minimum affordable housing requirements in light of our housing crisis. Each and every opportunity to build affordable housing should be utilized. The Redevelopment Agency has no more important responsibility.

Those with the lowest incomes face the hardest challenges finding decent, safe and affordable housing. The Redevelopment Agency and the City have an obligation to direct the benefits of redevelopment equitably for more of Long Beach's residents to share. Opportunities such as West Gateway do not come along often. It would be shameful to pass this opportunity up.

A version of this commentary ran in the Sunday, November 10, 2002 Long Beach Press-Telegram

Susanne Browne is a LAFLA staff attorney in our Long Beach office.

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