Planning Commission, April 16, 2026
Approves Rezoning and General Plan Amendment at 5705-5723 Lime Avenue, unanimous
What happened
The Long Beach Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit (CE-26-022) for Smog City Heights at 1106 East Wardlow Road to sell beer/wine, amending the staff's proposed 70/30 food-to-alcohol ratio to 50/50 with a one-year zoning administrator review.
- Jurisdiction
- Long Beach, CA
- Governing body
- Final authority
- Date
- April 16, 2026
- Decisions
- 4 zoning decisions
- Outcome
- Approved, unanimous
Projects in this meeting (2)
Each is its own project; some span multiple hearings1106 East Wardlow Road
RecommendedCity-initiated
RecommendedFree sample: decision 1 of 4
Conditional Use Permit for beer sales at Smog City Heights, 1106 East Wardlow Road
CUP to allow an existing restaurant (Smog City Heights) to sell beer/wine on premises with a Type 23 ABC license, 29 feet 9 inches of fixed bar area, within 500 feet of a residential zoning district, in the Community Commercial Automobile Oriented zoning district, District 5. Site crosses Long Beach/Signal Hill border; Long Beach served as lead jurisdiction. Motion amended to change the food/alcohol ratio from 70/30 to 50/50 per applicant request, with a friendly amendment requiring one-year review by the zoning administrator. Passed unanimously as amended.
- Alcohol sales limited to 50% of gross sales (amended from 30%)
- all servers and bartenders RBS certified
- complete meals available at all times while alcohol is served
- urban etiquette signage at all entries/exits
- outdoor patio wall not to exceed 3.5 feet in height
- hours limited per conditions
- one-year review by zoning administrator
The other decisions are listed below by title. The full write-up, verbatim conditions, and the audio at each vote are in Pro.
Meeting Summary
The Long Beach Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit (CE-26-022) for Smog City Heights at 1106 East Wardlow Road to sell beer/wine, amending the staff's proposed 70/30 food-to-alcohol ratio to 50/50 with a one-year zoning administrator review.
Key Decisions (4)
Conditional Use Permit for beer sales at Smog City Heights, 1106 East Wardlow Road
Rezoning and General Plan Amendment at 5705-5723 Lime Avenue
Enhanced Density Bonus Program update (Title 21 amendment)
Housing omnibus zoning code amendment (Titles 21, 22, Title 2, SEASP)
Zoning Changes (1)
Development Activity (1)
Smog City Heights beer sales / taproom conversion
Commercial
Market Signals (5)
Housing Demand
Long Beach is halfway through its 26,502-unit RHNA target but…
Commercial Demand
Craft breweries increasingly need integrated food/restaurant concepts to be viable,…
Infrastructure
Parking is a recurring constraint concern, but AB 2097 exempts…
Who Spoke (19)
On the record: the chair, 4 commissioners, 4 staff members, the applicant, and 3 members of the public.
Meeting Intelligence Preview
Ask this meeting anything
Ask who voted, what conditions passed, and what staff recommended for "Planning Commission - 2026-04-16", with every answer cited to the transcript. Included with Pro.
Learn about Meeting Q&AGet every Long Beach meeting with full decisions, votes, and zoning details, within hours of each session.
7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Just want to know when new Long Beach meetings are posted? Get free email alerts below.
Follow Long Beach
Get the agenda when a meeting is posted, plus decision and analysis alerts.
We'll email you an activation link — one click, no password, unsubscribe anytime.