Long Beach : Builders to Lose Grandfather Clause Exemption

Developers are losing some of the protections they enjoy from changes in local zoning laws. The City Council this week unanimously passed on first reading an ordinance that tightens up Long Beach’s “grandfather” clause, which now exempts a project from having to conform to new zoning laws once any sort of building or planning application has been filed.

The provision has been criticized as far too generous, allowing construction of apartment buildings years after they have been outlawed from an area. Under the council-backed proposal, a developer would have to be issued a building permit for a project before the development would be immune from new zoning limits.