Midtown Project for Low- and Very Low-Income Residents
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On Wednesday, March 9, 2022, the City of Long Beach joined with nonprofit developer Mercy Housing California and other partner organizations to celebrate the groundbreaking of Long Beach Senior, a new affordable housing development and community resource center along Pacific Coast Highway.
The event, attended by City and Mercy Housing officials as well as representatives from local and state partner agencies, including The Long Beach Community Investment Company (LBCIC) and the Housing Authority of the City of Long Beach (HACLB), featured a ceremonial groundbreaking for the four-story apartment complex to be located at 941 E. Pacific Coast Hwy. The development will offer 67 affordable units for low-, very low- and extremely low-income older adults ages 55 and older earning less than 60% of area median income, with units reserved for older individuals and veterans who have experienced homelessness. The project will also include one on-site management unit.
Long Beach Senior will consist of a combination of studios and one-bedroom units, several resident amenities and a courtyard and recreation area. Residents will have access to various onsite health and wellness, financial literacy, art and cooking programs. The project will incorporate several energy-efficient components, including solar photovoltaic and solar hot water systems. The project will also feature a community center and public art installations inspired by input provided by residents and neighborhood partners.
Long Beach Senior is one of nine new affordable housing developments completed or currently underway since 2019 and is expected for completion in fall 2023. The lease-up process is anticipated to begin in spring 2023 with an anticipated move-in period of fall 2023. Interested applicants are encouraged to visit longbeachsenior.org for updates.
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City Announces Long Beach Small Business and Nonprofit Relief Grants
The Long Beach Recovery Act Small Business and Non-Profit Relief grants is a new recovery program to help small businesses and nonprofits that have experienced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant opportunities, totaling $8.4 million in funding, will provide working capital to eligible small businesses and nonprofits to help them pay for a variety of business expenses, such as payroll, rent, personal protective equipment (PPE), technology upgrades, marketing and more.
The program will include the following four grant opportunities for small businesses and non-profit organizations effected by COVID-19:
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Restaurant, Brewery and Bar Relief Grant will provide direct financial relief to small Long Beach food and beverage businesses. Eligible small businesses can receive between $5,000 and $25,000 to support their business.
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Personal Services and Fitness Relief Grant will provide direct financial relief to small Long Beach personal services and fitness businesses. Eligible small businesses can receive between $5,000 and $25,000 to support their business.
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Small Business Relief Grant will provide direct financial relief to small Long Beach businesses that do not qualify for the Restaurant, Brewery and Bar Grant nor the Personal Services and Fitness Relief Grant. Eligible small businesses can receive between $2,500 and $10,000 to support their business.
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Non-Profit Relief Grant will provide direct financial relief to 501c3, 501c19, and fiscally sponsored nonprofits. Eligible nonprofits can receive between $5,000 and $25,000 to support their nonprofit.
The application period will begin March 16 and will close May 15, 2022. Additional information regarding the application process and eligibility requirements will be outlined in a forthcoming press release.
As part of the City’s efforts to provide application assistance and business resources, the City is partnering with community-based organizations to serve as Business Navigators and offer free assistance for small businesses and nonprofits applying for grant programs. Additionally, the City’s BizCare Program is still operating multiple pop-ups throughout the City where people can learn about and apply for grant opportunities. To learn more about how to receive free application assistance, small businesses and nonprofits can call the City’s BizCare Hotline at 562.570.4249, email the BizCare team at 4Biz@longbeach.gov, or visit the BizCare webpage at longbeach.gov/bizcare. The BizCare Hotline operates weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Additionally, to help improve and expedite the process for applying and receiving funding for the Long Beach Recovery Act small business and nonprofit grants, the City has contracted with LiveStories to provide comprehensive grants administration support services. LiveStories will be making available the following services:
- A user-friendly online application portal that can translate grant applications in multiple languages;
- Intaking, reviewing, approving, and funding applications via electronic fund transfers; and
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Case management support and a call center to quickly resolve application issues. For technical support, applicants can call (855) 582-3973 or email forward-support@livestories.com. The hours for the support line are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
All of the Long Beach Recovery Act small business and nonprofit relief grant programs were developed with input received by small businesses, nonprofits, community partners and the Long Beach City Council through a series of roundtables, presentations, and consultations with local experts.
This opportunity is made possible by Long Beach Recovery Act, a plan to fund economic and public health initiatives for Long Beach residents, workers and businesses critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $20 million has been allocated for business support under the Recovery Act. Additional information about the Long Beach Recovery Act is available at longbeach.gov/recovery.
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City Announces Positive Projections for Fiscal Year 2023 City Budget
During the March 8, 2022, Long Beach City Council meeting, the Department of Financial Management provided a presentation to the City Council identifying positive trends that have significantly improved the City’s General Fund forecast. The $36 million General Fund shortfall projected last spring has reduced to $12 million, which is expected to be fully covered using one-time funds made available through the Long Beach Recovery Act. As a result of these positive projections and available one-time funds, no major public service impacts are anticipated for the coming year and no reduction targets will be issued to City Departments during the development of the Proposed Fiscal Year 2023 City budget.
The key driver in this improved projection is the increase in revenue projections for FY 23. Revenue streams in FY 21, including sales tax, property tax, and utility user tax, had a stronger rebound from pandemic-related losses than previously anticipated. Based on these results, revenue projections have improved by $21 million from the previous projections for FY 23.
These factors have allowed the budget shortfall to be narrow enough to be covered by one-time funding made available through the Long Beach Recovery Act. Under the Securing our City’s Future category, funds were anticipated to be needed to help the City’s financial status as it was projecting shortfalls for FY 21 and FY 22. However, with the strong performance of revenue streams from FY 21, less assistance was needed in FY 21, making $12 million available to cover shortfalls for FY 23.
Additionally, City staff is anticipating that the FY 23 budget will provide the opportunity for significant infrastructure investments for the city. Measure A revenues are showing strong positive trends and have higher revenue projections for FY 23 and the out-years than previously projected. This improved projection, along with the approved extension of Measure A, anticipates funds to be available beginning in FY 23 for various infrastructure and public safety-related operational purposes. The City is looking into issuing bonds with Measure A funds that would generate more funding for infrastructure projects. There are also significant funds for infrastructure anticipated to be received from the federal government.
There are several key assumptions and uncertainties that could affect these projections, including the assumption of no future economic recession; whether the City’s Measure M litigation is heard by the California Supreme Court and its final outcome; and contract negotiations for the Police Officers Association, Fire Fighter Association and Lifeguards. While the revenue picture has improved, the city still faces a shortfall in the future, so the ability to add new services at this point is not in the long-term forecast.
The city will continue to keep the public engaged in the budget development process. In January, the City hosted virtual community budget meetings and a budget survey where the public was able to provide input on their service priorities, which garnered participation from more than 860 community members. Feedback from these meetings will be provided to the City Council to take into consideration during the development of the Proposed FY 23 Budget.
For more information about the City’s budget development process, visit longbeach.gov/fy23.
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Reminder: Long Beach to Resume In-Person City Council Meetings Beginning March 15
The City of Long Beach today announced it will resume in-person City Council meetings at the Bob Foster Civic Chambers, located at 411 W. Ocean Blvd., beginning March 15, 2022.
Over the next few weeks, the City will gradually transition from the virtual format back to in person. The schedule will be as follows:
- March 15 meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format, allowing Councilmembers and the public to attend either in person or virtually.
- March 22 meeting, and thereafter, will be held in person only.
Once the City fully resumes in-person meetings, Webex/Zoom will no longer be utilized for public participation. Individuals interested in providing public comment must appear physically in the Civic Chamber. Facial coverings will be highly recommended, in accordance with State guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health.
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UPDATE: Bid Opportunity for Museums, Preservation Groups, and/or Developers Interested in Preserving a Piece of History
Queen Mary Lifeboat Disposition Questions are due by March 11th at 5:00 PM PST, with all responses to the questions being posted on March 16th, on the City's PlanetBids portal, with the link being found below:
Information:
The City of Long Beach is currently soliciting the opportunity for qualified museums, preservation groups and/ or developers to acquire lifeboats from the RMS Queen Mary (ED22-031 Queen Mary Lifeboat Disposition), affording them the ability to preserve and feature a piece of history at their place of choice. The City is looking for entities who are interested in the preservation of these historic lifeboats. The electronic bidding system, PlanetBids, provides an easy and accessible way to submit your proposal while ensuring fairness during the application and selection process. Registered companies and organizations will receive customized emails notifying them of specific bids, the ability to search for bids, and download documents.
We strongly encourage registering for PlanetBids. More information about how to register and answers to any questions is available at longbeach.gov/purchasing.
- Two site walkthroughs were conducted on February 25th & March 4th at 3:00 PM PST.
- The RFP officially closes on March 25th at 5:00 PM PFT.
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For more information, please contact Mary Frances Torres, SR/WA, Acting Real Estate Development Bureau Manager, Economic Development Department, at mary.torres@longbeach.gov.
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