A 73-unit affordable housing complex planned near the 405 Freeway in Long Beach has cleared a key milestone, with the city releasing a draft environmental study that kicks off a 60-day public comment period running through October 2. The project at 3401 Cerritos Avenue would rise on the edge of the California Heights Historic District, stepping down from a five-story building along Wardlow Road to just two stories at the rear to soften its impact on the neighboring single-family homes.
The City of Long Beach Community Development Department released the Draft Environmental Impact Report on August 3, 2026, according to city documents. As reported by Urbanize LA, the complex would include 73 apartments spanning one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom floor plans, plus a legally required manager's unit, with 86 parking spaces built into the design.
Nonprofit developer West Hollywood Community Housing Corp. is behind the proposal, working with Urban Architecture Lab on the design, per Urbanize LA's report. The organization, founded in 1986, already manages 22 housing communities totaling 785 units across Southern California, according to The Real Deal, and has projects in Los Angeles and Culver City in addition to Long Beach.
How the City Landed the Site
The project's path traces back to a 2024 real estate maneuver by the city itself. The Long Beach Community Investment Company purchased the project's two parcels for $5.4 million in January of that year, a move that saved $2.9 million in state grant funds facing a strict March 2024 expenditure deadline, the article notes. That municipal ownership gave the city direct leverage to steer the site toward affordable housing rather than leaving its fate to a private buyer.
Merging the parcels into a single 0.7-acre development site required another city action: vacating a 127.5-foot-long, 15-foot-wide public alley that runs between 1131 East Wardlow Road and 3431 Cerritos Avenue, according to filings on CEQAnet. Combining commercial and residential land into one buildable lot was a necessary step before any entitlement could move forward.
Design Changes Followed Neighborhood Pushback
WHCHC reworked its plans after community meetings in early 2025, consolidating what had originally been three separate buildings into one continuous structure. That building now steps down from 68.1 feet, or five stories, along Wardlow Road to 28.7 feet, or two stories, at the rear, according to the city's project FAQ. Earlier design iterations also included amenities like a fitness room, community room, courtyard, and laundry facilities, per Urbanize LA's account, though the current three-story-to-two-story massing reflects the compromise reached with neighbors.
The developer also backed away from an earlier bid to remove the rear parcel at 3431 Cerritos Avenue from the California Heights Historic District boundary. Instead, WHCHC will apply for a historic Certificate of Appropriateness to cover the new construction, according to the same city FAQ document, a shift that keeps the parcel formally within the historic district while still allowing the project to proceed.
Funding Sources and Income Limits
Financing for the project draws from multiple public sources layered on top of the city's land contribution. In May 2024, the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust board approved $518,533.47 in regional grant funding to support 18 of the complex's designated units, according to the Gateway Cities Affordable Housing Trust.
All 72 non-manager units will be deed-restricted for lower-income households earning between 30% and 80% of Los Angeles County's Area Median Income, which recent county calculations put at roughly $37,830 to $100,880 for a four-person family, per the Long Beach Post's reporting. Per project plans cited by Urbanize LA, construction is expected to take roughly 16 months to complete once it begins.
A Long Runway Before Groundbreaking
Even with the draft environmental review now public, the project remains years from breaking ground. Environmental documents indicate that entitlement and permit processing will extend through 2026, pushing an estimated construction start to 2027 and target completion to around 2029, according to Longbeachize.
The project sits within a much larger regional push for housing production. California's 6th Cycle Regional Housing Needs Allocation requires Long Beach to plan for 26,502 new residential units between 2021 and 2029, including more than 11,100 units set aside for lower-income households, according to the Signal Tribune. The 3401 Cerritos Avenue project now heads toward Planning Commission and City Council review as the public comment window on the draft environmental report remains open through October 2.
