In a meeting last week, the Long Beach Planning Commission signed off on a proposed high-rise hotel development at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Pine Avenue.

Aerial view looking southwest, nightGBD Architects

The project, which would rise from an empty lot that was formerly home Jergins Trust Building, calls for the construction of a 30-story tower featuring 429 hotel rooms, 23,512 square feet of restaurant space, 26,847 square feet of meeting rooms and ballrooms, and a 151-car garage.  Additional parking for 280 vehicles would be provided through an off-site lease.

GBD Architects is designing the proposed development, which at just over 402 feet in height, would rank among the tallest buildings in Long Beach.  Renderings depict a modern glass-clad tower, highlighted by a rooftop deck and decorative spire which is intended to resemble the mast of a sailboat.

The project also calls for improvements to Victory Park, a linear green space which spans the south side of Ocean Boulevard.  Landscape architecture firm Relm is designing the open space elements of the development.

Street-level viewGBD Architects

In addition to a hotel and commercial uses, Seattle-based developer American Life, LLC will also be required to restore the Jergins Tunnel - a pedestrian underpass beneath Ocean Boulevard - to be once again accessed by the public.  Plans call for the addition of historic artifacts from the former Jergins Building, which was demolished in 1988, as well as informational signage.

While the programming for the property at Ocean and Pine may be set, a timeline for the project is less certain.  In addition to approving plans and certifying the project's environmental impact report, the Planning Commission also voted to allow American Life a three-year window to begin construction, according to the Long Beach Post.  Hotel occupancy rates have plummeted along with tourism since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hotel tower is one of a handful of skyline-altering developments now in the works for Downtown Long Beach, joining the under-construction Shoreline Gateway tower at Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue, as well as a proposed high-rise complex adjacent to the Long Beach World Trade Center.

100 E Ocean BoulevardGoogle Maps