Coastal Development Plan Nixed for Alamitos Bay

Byline: Taylor Hill LONG BEACH — After nearly six hours of discussion and public testimony, a coastal development project four years in the making was essentially ended at the Long Beach City Council’s Dec. 20 meeting, as members rejected major zoning changes that would have been needed to move forward. The proposed $320 million project planned at Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway along Alamitos Bay would have replaced the aging two-story Seaport Marina Hotel with a retail, hotel and residential complex that was to include a 12-story hotel tower. “My main concern remains the height: I don’t want to be creating a second downtown,” said Councilman Patrick O’Donnell.             Councilman Gary DeLong spoke in support of the project and noted it was one of the toughest decisions he has had to make in his time on the council. “I agree that something must be done here,” DeLong said. “I don’t like tall buildings. If I owned the land, I would do a different project, but I don’t own the land.” More than 60 members of the public spoke for and against the project presented to the city council after the Planning Commission had approved it earlier this year. The project, known as Second+PCH, had...