by Chris Munzing
The previous contract, authorized by the City Council in November 2001, called for Phillips International to pay the city $11 million for the land. The amended contract would require Philips to pay the city whatever the city pays for the land. City Manager Charles Theofan has said that recent appraisals have put the value of the Superblock property at about $19 million.
The public hearing drew a crowd of residents, with those against the project outnumbering those in favor. This marks the second straight meeting at which the approval of the Superblock development was delayed. It was tabled at the Feb. 15 meeting because the council wanted to hear comments from the public. The vote was delayed Tuesday night to review those comments.
"This is the most important issue facing us right now," City Council President Jim Hennessy said Wednesday morning. "We don't want to rush into this. If you're going to vote the same night, why have a public hearing?"
Hennessy added that if the council decides to ask for any changes based on the public's comments, he didn't think the developer would have a problem with it. "The developer has shown a willingness to work with the city," he said. "I think we've gotten everything we asked for."
The proposed development calls for two 10-story condominium towers containing 250 condominium units and 140 hotel units, with one of the towers divided roughly in half among condominiums and hotel units. The proposed development would have 695 parking spaces, 75 more than required by code.
The development would include a hotel bar, a salon, a pool, an 8,000-square-foot health club, a gift shop, a restaurant and catering facilities on the boardwalk. The hotel bar would conform to the city code-mandated 10-foot maximum, Hennessy said.
The project would also eliminate the stretch of Shore Road between Riverside and Long Beach boulevards.
Representatives of the developers gave a detailed presentation at the beginning of the public hearing, explaining the entire development. Lou Mirando of Philips International, attorney Scott Furman and architect Todd Harvey showed residents renderings of the proposed development, including a look at the possible interior design of the units. Residents were shown renderings of the old proposal as well, which called for a seven-story hotel in addition to the two condo towers.
The hotel rooms would not be the traditional style, Furman said. They would be condo units that could be purchased and then rented out. Furman said that at the outset, all 140 hotel units would be owned by the developer.
Philips recently made a concession to keep 50 rooms permanently, so they would always be available to the public. This came after the council raised concerns that hotel units would not always be available to people looking for rooms during the peak summer season. Furman said that all 50 rooms would face the ocean.
"I think the developers proved that they are committed to a hotel by guaranteeing 50 rooms will be available to the general public at all times," Councilman Lenny Remo said. "They clarified a tremendous amount of things for everyone, and they are committed to Long Beach."
The city still needs to finalize the acquisition of parcels of the land from six separate landowners before it can sell the land to Philips. Theofan said he expected those acquisitions to be finalized within four or five months, and for construction to begin shortly after that.
Sinclair and Jacob Haberman spoke on behalf of the Haberman Group, one of the current owners of the property, lambasting the project for its lack of a traditional hotel. "This deal is a bait-and-switch sham," Sinclair Haberman said. "This administration thinks it has eliminated a tower. It has eliminated a hotel."
"Let's tell it like it is," Jacob Haberman said. "It ain't no hotel. It's 140 make-believe hotel rooms. Calling it a hotel doesn't make it one. It's worse than a roach motel. At least there you can check in."
Hennessy was quick to point out that Sinclair Haberman has said that if he were to develop the property, he would build a 325-unit condominium tower. "We campaigned on controlled development," Hennessy said. "And we can control the development of this property."
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