Council Exempts Some Apartments From Tough Rules

Residents campaigning against a proliferation of apartment buildings lost a battle at the City Council meeting Tuesday.

By a 5-3 vote, council members rejected a proposal to extend strict new rules regulating apartment building construction to include 189 additional apartment projects. The 189 projects were submitted to the city before the council adopted the strict regulations last week and had not yet received building permits.

The council’s decision was made despite more than 1,100 signatures that favored the proposal. The signatures were gathered in six hours by the South Long Beach Residents Assn., said Dan Rosenberg, founder of the group.

“We’re angry about these ugly, overcrowded buildings,” said Christina Karle, one of the residents who gathered the signatures.

The rules cut in half the number of apartments allowed on single lots and limited the height of apartments, while continuing to allow lafger complexes under strict new design guidelines.