The Californer - City of Long Beach Recognized for Excellence and Outstanding Achievements in Planning

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Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach has received four prestigious awards from American Planning Association (APA), Los Angeles, a professional organization which recognizes and celebrates many of the most noteworthy governmental planning projects, programs and environmental plans in the region and statewide.

"Long Beach is leading the way on several of the most significant challenges facing the region and beyond, including housing, climate action and open space," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "It is an honor to be recognized amongst efforts across Los Angeles County for our visionary stewardship and commitment to innovative and sustainable urban development."

Planning projects on comprehensive housing, climate action and park services, along with an individual City planner, have all been recognized for demonstrating exceptional planning work that serves to create more livable, vibrant and equitable communities. The awards and their descriptions are as follows:

Comprehensive Plan (Large Jurisdiction) Award of Excellence, Adopted 2021-2029 Housing Element (6^th Cycle)
The City of Long Beach was the first large jurisdiction in the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) region to have its 6th Cycle Housing Element Update certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in April 2022. The plan provides the City with a roadmap for accommodating projected housing demand, increasing housing production, improving housing affordability, preserving existing affordable housing, improving housing conditions and tenant protections, and facilitating development of housing for all income levels. The update introduced essential new strategies to address documented fair housing disparities in Long Beach. Led by the Development Services Department, the City worked in partnership with housing justice focused community organizations to document and uplift historical and ongoing root causes behind the housing crisis and co-developed various policies and programs in the element, several of which are now underway, including strategies for facilitating mixed-income housing, increasing access to affordable housing in high resource areas, ensuring stronger tenant protections and promoting community housing ownership.

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Innovation in Green Community Planning Award of Merit, Long Beach Climate Action Plan (LB CAP)
The City's first-ever climate action plan was approved by the Long Beach City Council in August 2022, providing a comprehensive framework for creating a more sustainable, resilient and equitable city by addressing climate change in a way that remedies existing environmental health disparities while also improving health and quality of life and enhancing economic vitality throughout Long Beach. LB CAP aims to create or update policies, programs, practices and incentives for Long Beach residents and businesses to reduce the city's greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint and help ensure the community is better protected from the impacts of climate change. One of the primary objectives of LB CAP is for the city to reach complete carbon neutrality by 2045, with a target of reducing GHG emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.

Advancing Diversity and Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff Award of Merit, Parks Make Long Beach: Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine Strategic Plan (PRM)
Adopted by the City Council in January 2022, the PRM Strategic Plan is being honored for its innovative approaches to inclusive community engagement in developing the plan. The Strategic Plan will guide operational, staffing and budget decisions for the PRM through 2032 and serve as a tool to adapt park services as the needs of the community evolve.

Outstanding Young Planner Award of Excellence, Maryanne Cronin
A member of the Development Services Department's Planning Bureau, Maryanne Cronin, has been named as an Outstanding Young Planner of the Year for the APA, Los Angeles section. This title is awarded to an individual who exhibits exemplary leadership and has made a valuable contribution to the advancement of the planning profession. Ms. Cronin has served as a Planner with the City of Long Beach for more than five years, focusing on the City's most complex entitlement, coastal and historic planning projects and programs. She has secured approvals for large development projects and has facilitated or supported hundreds of California Environmental Quality Act documents for both City and private development projects.

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Long Beach has been recognized for excellence in planning by the APA several times over the past decade. The projects listed above now qualify for State Chapter recognition.

In addition, a Neighborhood Planning Award of Excellence was given for the City's Century Villages of Cabrillo (CVC) Specific Plan. Produced collaboratively with the City by two nonprofit organizations, City Fabrick and Century Housing, the CVC Specific Plan was recognized as a guiding document that provides various measures to redevelop portions of the 27-acre CVC community in West Long Beach over a 10-year period through 2033. The Plan is part of a collection of planning documents that effectively guide the services, housing, amenities and programming for the CVC community. City Fabrick is a multi-disciplinary design studio and consultant group in Long Beach that specializes in public-interest planning, policy development and advocacy. Century Housing, based in Culver City, is an award-winning affordable housing organization participating in the development, preservation, management and/or financing of affordable, program-enriched housing with a long history of investing in Long Beach.

With more than 40,000 members worldwide, the APA strives to create great communities through innovative and practical approaches that enable the planning community to anticipate and successfully adapt to the needs of a rapidly changing world. For more information about APA, Los Angeles, visit apalosangeles.org.

About the City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 470,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach offers all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods nestled together along the California coast. As a full-service charter city, Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, a highly-rated school district, Long Beach Airport, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning City departments such as Health and Human Services; Parks, Recreation and Marine; Development Services; Public Works and more. The City also has a highly respected university and city college, two historic ranchos, five hospitals, 12 libraries, five golf courses, 169 parks, miles of beaches, marinas, bike paths and a Bike Share program.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov. Watch us on LBTV. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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