Six months after its nominal groundbreaking, Long Beach's first post-recession high-rise finally has non-ceremonial shovels in the dirt.  Construction of the Current, a 17-story mixed-use tower, is visibly underway at the northwest corner of Lime Avenue and Ocean Boulevard.  The $70 million project - formerly known as Shoreline Gateway - will offer a mixture of 223 studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and penthouse apartments.  Ground-level commercial stalls will encompass a total of 6,750 square feet, divided between retail and restaurant uses.

The tower's design, created by San Francisco-based BAR Architects, takes inspiration from the work of early Southern California modernists such as Richard Neutra and R.M. Schindler.  Due to its location just blocks from the ocean, the Current places a strong emphasis on quality outdoor amenities.  The design incorporates expansive terraces and a roofdeck pool, offering views of both the waterfront and the surrounding cityscape.  In addition, the building's main entrance will feed directly into a 25,000 square foot plaza, to be built over a closed-off section of Lime Avenue.

Construction of the Current is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2016.  After that point, developer Anderson Pacific, LLC is expected to embark on a more grandiose second phase of the project: a 35-story condominium building.  That tower, to be located catacorner from the iconic Villa Riviera Apartments, would likely become the tallest residential building in Downtown Long Beach.