Long Beach also gets serious about its downtown (article) (Anaheim: 2015, leases)

[shapeshift]

Great to see long beach picking up momentum and prepared to establish itself as a bustling seaside, touristy, international port city.. Long overdue for a city of this caliber.. Sucks the city still can't seem to draw a professional sports team to play here..not that this is the end all be all.. But we got a city like Anaheim that's the same size as LB but has Disneyland as its major economic engine and they got a couple of pro sports team going for them.. LB has one of the biggest thriving ports in the world and a large aerospace industry and is a major metropolis with a distinct vibe to it.. Nothing like LA or orange county..

BTW, I'm sure LB was able to fund these developments from all the parking tickets they issued to its residents..

New High-Rises Develop In Downtown Long Beach | Gazettes.com - News | gazettes.com

[ferretkona]

It is a worn out cycle in Long Beach. They do this once every ten years or so. I would not invest any money in it.

[PDF]

Good news. At least they have Belmont Shore, though.

[GatsbyGatz]

The projects proposed are 17-stories and 12-stories. Nice to have more housing go up but not likely visible in the skyline. The article does mention that after these buildings are constructed, there's a chance of a future 35-story building which draws my interest.

[LakersWon310]

Long Beach is set to become a major city - Slowly but surely.

[CapRate]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

Long Beach is set to become a major city - Slowly but surely.

Downtown LB and Belmont Shores/Heights is an awesome area. Any additional development and investment in the area will only make it even better.

If I wanted to live near the beach I would probably try and buy a small bungalow in Belmont Shores and then bump it up to a 2 story.

[NickofDiamonds]

Traffic will be a nightmare though !

[jm1982]

Interesting. Being a huge cruise port, it would make sense they would want to capitalize more on tourism. I don't know Long Beach too well , but I have been to the downtown area several times and it's enjoyable. It's been a while , but I did have the feeling it could be improved more and become more popular.

Interesting that one of the buildings will be called The Edison , as there is an Edison in downtown L.A too.

This is an interesting article too about "parklets" in Downtown Long Beach. Outdoor patio dining areas that are right near the curb. These are intended to make the area more pedestrian friendly. One thing I think of though is the potential danger in sitting so close to the curb and to passing cars. I'm sure there must be some strong barriers though on the side ..I would hope.

New parklets slated to open in downtown Long Beach soon

[shapeshift]

seems like the only companies willing to invest in downtown at least, are these chain stores/restaurants which explains the lack of mom and pop shops.. im not too thrilled about nike and forever 21 opening up at the pike either.. actually, everywhere in long beach, seems to be all chain-based retail/restaurants.. too many rosses, skechers, el toritos, denny's, subways and chipotles.. heck, even bellflower have a lot more independent owned businesses..

that's an interesting article jm1982.. yeah, those parklets are being customized more with restaurants with outdoor dining seats.. a few cafes on 4th street in the east village arts district seem to have started the trend.. not only is it to make it more pedestrian friendly, but also bike friendly.. its one way to attract cyclists on the streets as it seems convenient for them if they get the urge to grub.. but long beach is far from being the most bicycle friendly city in the country as it making themselves out to be.. Lakewood gets my vote..

[jm1982]

For larger retail spaces, it's usually only the big chains that can afford to take on those big projects. It cost a lot of money to build out those spaces and the leases are very high, compared to smaller spaces. This is why you are also seeing bigger chains moving into DTLA area ,especially as rents have gone up.
Many people will want to use DTLA as their flagship stores too. Many retailers pay huge amounts for space on Rodeo drive for their flagship stores even though these stores don't really make them much money. As DTLA becomes more trendy , I believe we will see more 'flagship' stores opening.

This is an article about flagship stores from back in 2000.
Hilfiger to Close Flagship Rodeo Drive Store - latimes

"These stores target their higher-end lines to rock stars and fashion models and were intended to boost the image of what many perceive to be a mid-range retailer, rather than a luxury designer.

"[The flagship] was always intended as an image and marketing vehicle," Fisher said. "[It] was never designed to be profitable." But analysts say the focus on image has been a costly strategy for Hilfiger, whose core customer is young and typically cannot afford to shop on Rodeo Drive.

"None of these [types of] stores make any money," said retail analyst Margaret Gilliam of Gilliam & Co. in New York. "Typically, they're just for prestige.""

I haven't been to long beach for a while, but it did seemed like there were quite a few independent places there...perhaps things have changed though. It's been at least a few years.

In L.A i've definitely seen a lot more mini or local chains opened versus the past. L.A is probably a pretty good testing ground for chains that go nationwide because it has a diverse population.