Downtown Long Beach sees residential boom. (An Advertising Supplement).

There s a certain spark in Downtown Long Beach these days; a type of electricity that wasn t here a year ago. From upper Pine Avenue to southeast Ocean Boulevard, the energy and clatter of construction fills the streets.

Some projects, like Camden Development s Park at Harbor View, on the south side of Ocean between Pacific and Magnolia, went from drawing board approval to construction to near-completion at a rapid pace. But others, such as Genesis Realty s project, The Ocean Villas, with 550 residential units (also on the south side of Ocean Boulevard) are the realization of a development plan conceived almost 15 years before anything was built.

In the East Village Arts District, the newest residential construction project to take place in more than a decade is the Team Lofts development project, Lofts on 4th. Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) stakeholder and Realtor Phil Appleby said the 34 brand new lofts will have 15-foot high ceilings and a wall of windows. This is the first (residential) construction project in the arts district in the last 15 years, Appleby said.

Part of the impetus for the Downtown boom in residential projects is a real estate industry-specific report, called the Myers Report released annually. The Myers Report rates Southern California cities for their viable development potential and found that Long Beach is the last good buy in waterfront real estate.

So let the condos begin - and the apartments and the hotel rooms. For these are all part of the development energy that is vibrating in Downtown Long Beach. Nor does the building trend show any sign of slowing down. Statistics tell the story. Presently, there are 13 projects under construction consisting of 1,809 residential units. Over 3,300 units are planned.

For example, City Place, a development project combining retail and residential, gives Downtown Long Beach a much-needed grocery store and 350 residential units - not to mention smaller stores and big names such as Nordstrom Rack. Further west in Downtown Long Beach is an area called West Gateway, bounded by Broadway to 4th Street and Golden to Chestnut Avenues. Here, the community has been asked to help direct a project that eventually will have 800 to 1,000 residential units that are a mix of ownership and rental properties.

Robert Zur Schmiede, Redevelopment Agency project manager, said the West Gateway project is still in the early stage of gathering community input. A meeting was held last month between residents and the City in order to develop ideas for the expansive West Gateway project. This is truly the gateway to Downtown, Zur Schmiede said. That s what sets this project apart from the others. We re actually putting the community to work with us on this. We wanted to hear from residents and stakeholder groups and then create a list of things that they want to see happen.

As a result of this residential boom, Downtown will boast a variety of habitations from sleek new condos to loft-style living. The historic Walker Building, a former department store, has 46 residential units and 20,000 square feet of retail.

More than 13 developers answered a request for proposals on the Downtown Promenade and the Olson Company, Lyon Realty Advisors and Greystone Homes all presented high quality, residential/retail projects that survived the strict scrutiny of City agencies.

Gerrald Miller, Long Beach Acting City Manager said, We recreating a business and residential center in the middle of the Southern California coastline. Its easily accessible and as an inviting atmosphere. It is easy to see why more developers are choosing to invest in Downtown Long Beach.

This article was provided by the DLBA. For more information, visit the DLBA website at www.downtownlongbeach.org. Or call DLBA Economic Manager Todd Cutts at [phone].