Company withdraws proposal for 30-unit building

A Long Beach real estate and property management company has withdrawn its application before the Zoning Board of Appeals to build a 30-unit multiple dwelling in the West End.

Arcadia Management LLC of Long Beach, which has an office on West Beech Street, was seeking an off-street parking variance to build on a vacant lot at 158 New York Ave., formerly Westholme Auto, between West Beech and West Penn streets. The company was scheduled to appear before the Zoning Board tonight.

But city officials said that the company abruptly pulled its application on Tuesday, as residents in the area voiced concerns about the height of the proposed building, saying that a “high-rise” in the West End will increase traffic and take up parking, among other quality of life issues.

Denis Kelly, an attorney representing several California Avenue residents who are opposed to the project, said that such a development would negatively impact the West End and The Walks neighborhoods.

“You’re putting 30 units there — a mini high-rise in the middle of our island,” Kelly said. “I don’t how you put a building of this height there, it’s so out of character with the neighborhood that it’s shocking.”

In the past, large developments proposed for the West End have met with strong opposition from residents, including a proposal in 2007 to build six two-story homes on the New York Avenue lot, which Kelly said has been vacant for roughly five years.

Kelly said that Arcadia did little to inform residents about the proposal, after rumors began circulating about the project. He said he believes that media inquiries and residents who intended to show up at Thursday’s meeting to oppose the proposal ultimately led Arcadia to withdraw its application.