In late 2019, Onni Group broke ground on the Broadway Block complex in Downtown Long Beach.  Now, with nine months of construction under its belt, the Vancouver-based developer is changing up its plans.

The $215-million project, as currently approved, calls for the construction of 400 apartments and 23,000 square feet of retail space on a roughly two-acre site bounded by 3rd Street, Long Beach Boulevard, and Broadway.  According to an item scheduled for discussion at the August 20 meeting of the Long Beach Planning Commission, Onni is seeking entitlements to add 32 residential units to the approved total by splitting larger two- and three-bedroom units into studio and one-bedroom apartments.

While the increase in total apartments would typically require an increase in on-site parking, Onni Group has requested a waiver which would allow the project to retain the approved plan for 501 vehicle stalls in a two-level underground garage.

A staff report recommends that the Planning Commission should approve the modifications to the Broadway Block development, as well as a revised tentative tract map.

The materials presented to the Planning Commission also unveil new renderings for the development, which is being designed by IBI Group.  Plans call for two new buildings - including a 23-story, 252-foot high-rise adjacent to 3rd Street and a seven-story podium-type structure fronting Broadway.

At the heart of the property, plans call for rebuilding the shell of the Acres of Books building to serve as an approximately 9,300-square-foot food hall.  The facade of the brick building, which is a historic landmark, will be retained.

Per the staff report, construction of the Broadway Brock project is currently in progress, with excavation and foundation work nearing completion.