The City of Long Beach Inclusionary Housing Policy (Policy) requires that a certain percentage of newly-constructed housing units in certain areas of Long Beach be set aside as affordable to lower-income households. The Policy is designed to facilitate the production of mixed-income housing, meaning developments that include both market rate and affordable housing. Inclusionary Housing is one of many tools the City is using to ensure that Long Beach residents have access to affordable housing.
The City Council adopted the Policy in February 2021. The Policy was implemented over a three-year phase-in period and currently requires 11 percent of rental units in new housing development projects to be affordable to very low-income households and 10 percent of ownership units to be affordable to moderate-income households. The Policy applies to new residential developments with 10 or more units in the Downtown and Midtown areas in Long Beach which geographically account for less than 4% of the city.
Community Development
What is Inclusionary Housing?
What's New?
On May 7, 2024, the Mayor and City Council directed City staff to explore and report back with recommendations to implement the Policy citywide. City staff are proposing potential future amendments to the Policy, including:
- Expanding Inclusionary Housing requirements citywide, which is a key commitment in the City’s Housing Element to help address documented fair housing issues in Long Beach.
- Updating the affordability requirements for rental units to include a mix of very-low, low-, and moderate-income affordability levels.
- Other technical changes to refine the policy.
At the May 14, 2024 City Council meeting, City staff presented an update on implementation of the Policy over the past three years and an overview of the proposed changes to the Policy (view the video). City staff presented additional information on the proposed Policy updates to the City Council Housing and Public Health Committee on June 11, 2024 (view the video below and view the PowerPoint).
Housing Policy Forums
Community members and stakeholders interested in learning about the proposed expansion and modifications of the Inclusionary Housing Policy, and other housing policies designed to increase housing production, are invited to attend the following Housing Policy Forums:
- Saturday, August 24, 10:00 – 11:30am
- Houghton Park Community Center, 6301 Myrtle Ave, Long Beach, CA 90805
- RVSP link
- Wednesday, August 28, 6:00 – 7:30pm
- Long Beach Energy Resources Auditorium, 2400 Spring St. 90806
- RSVP link
- Thursday, September 12, 6:00 – 7:30pm
- McBride Park Community Center, 1550 Martin Luther King Jr Ave, 90813
- RSVP link
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Your input plays a crucial role in shaping the future of housing policy in Long Beach. Please fill out this form to share any comments or feedback on these housing policy initiatives.
Historical Overview
In May 2017, the Long Beach City Council directed staff to develop an inclusionary housing policy to encourage the development of mixed-income housing. The City completed an economic feasibility study and conducted a series of community outreach and stakeholder engagement events in 2019.
On February 20, 2020, the Planning Commission received City staff's recommended Inclusionary Housing Policy components and recommended that the City Council adopt an ordinance enacting an inclusionary housing policy. For more information please refer to the full Planning Commission agenda item.
The proposed Inclusionary Housing Policy recommended by the Planning Commission was presented to City Council in a public hearing on July 14, 2020. Following direction on the policy by the City Council, an Ordinance was prepared and the City Council adopted the Policy in February 2021. In February 2022, the City Council adopted several modifications to refine the Policy, such as extending the affordability covenants. The full text of the current Policy can be viewed here.
On February 20, 2020, the Planning Commission received City staff's recommended Inclusionary Housing Policy components and recommended that the City Council adopt an ordinance enacting an inclusionary housing policy. For more information please refer to the full Planning Commission agenda item.
The proposed Inclusionary Housing Policy recommended by the Planning Commission was presented to City Council in a public hearing on July 14, 2020. Following direction on the policy by the City Council, an Ordinance was prepared and the City Council adopted the Policy in February 2021. In February 2022, the City Council adopted several modifications to refine the Policy, such as extending the affordability covenants. The full text of the current Policy can be viewed here.
Two community meetings were held in December 2018 to introduce the concept of inclusionary housing. The City hosted a community workshop in June 2019 to present the results of an economic analysis and inclusionary housing policy considerations listed in the Topics for Feedback below.
The City hosted separate stakeholder focus groups for tenant advocates and for market-rate developers in early August 2019. A Planning Commission study session that included a presentation of the recently completed Inclusionary Housing: Financial Evaluation and the latest opportunity for public comment followed on August 22, 2019.
Links to the community workshop and Planning Commission study session presentations and supporting documents follow.
