Long Beach — Design Review

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

Long Beach handles architectural and site design review primarily through its Site Plan Review (SPR) procedures in Title 21 of the Long Beach Municipal Code. Design-level review is embedded in the Site Plan Review Division (Division V), and applies differently across residential, commercial, industrial, planned development, institutional and park districts; the process establishes required findings, possible conditions, and the authority to waive or modify standards. For practical project planning, read the SPR applicability rules and findings carefully — they are the controlling rules for what the City will evaluate in any design review application (see § 21.25.502, § 21.25.503, § 21.25.506) .

The rest of this page stays strictly to what the Long Beach zoning/planning ordinance (Title 21) says about design/site/architectural review and how it operates, with district-level notes and code citations for every requirement.

How Long Beach organizes design review (high level)

• Who decides: the Site Plan Review Committee (staff-level body) and, for referred matters, the Planning Commission. The Director of Planning & Building can conduct a conceptual review for major projects (authority: § 21.25.503) .
• What the City looks for: approvals require the specific findings listed in § 21.25.506 (compatibility, conformance with design guidelines/specific plans, protection of mature trees, nexus to public improvements, TDM and green-building consistency, housing replacement when applicable) .
• What conditions may be imposed: the SPR Committee or Planning Commission may require conditions such as reduced massing, increased setbacks, changed materials or increased landscaping/screening (examples listed in § 21.25.505) .
• Timing: the Code sets clock targets — conceptual review within 30 days and full site plan review within 60 days of a complete application (§ 21.25.507) .
• Waivers & incentives: the Committee can waive specific development standards during SPR when doing so improves project design (see § 21.25.508) — examples include certain setback reductions, tandem parking, subterranean parking in front setbacks and sign waivers .

Note: this page links practical topics you will commonly need while preparing design materials: design review is described under the Long Beach Zoning link (linked below), and other related topics you will want to consult early — design review (/us/california/long-beach/zoning), parking (/us/california/long-beach/parking), development standards (/us/california/long-beach/development-standards), overlay districts (/us/california/long-beach/overlay-districts), ADUs (/us/california/long-beach/adu) and the California Building Standards Code (/us/california/building-codes).

Where design/site review is required (code thresholds)

The City lists specific project types that must file for site plan review; these are the main triggers you will use to decide whether your project requires a design-level review:

(See the SPR applicability section for full lists and the exact sub-paragraphs in § 21.25.502.)

District-by-district breakdown

Below are the Long Beach zoning districts where design review rules are commonly applied, with the ordinance citations that define the district purpose and the code provisions that tie design review to those districts. Every district name and key standards are shown in bold.

Residential — R-1, R-1-T, R-1-L, R-2, R-3, R-3-T, R-4

• Purpose & typical uses: single-family and multi-family dwellings according to subdistrict; see Residential chapter for detailed descriptions and special PUD/RP variants. The Code treats building design, pedestrian access and street-facing entries as regulated items for multi-family and some single-family projects (e.g., covered front entry requirements in R-1-T, R-3, R-4) § 21.31.250 .
• Design standards: single-family finish and material rules, minimum widths, roof/siding glare restrictions, neighborhood-style requirements for R-1-T and R-3-T, and special four-sided architecture requirements in R-1-L for very large homes are in § 21.31.255 .
• SPR application: residential projects of 5 or more units require SPR; other residential triggers (e.g., certain additions on narrow lots, incentive program projects) are in § 21.25.502 .
• Where it applies: citywide to parcels zoned R-1/R-2/R-3/R-4; design variance via SPR is explicitly anticipated in the residential chapter (§ 21.31.255 and related subsections) .

Neighborhood Commercial — CNA, CNP, CNR

• Purpose & typical uses: small-scale retail, services, neighborhood-serving commercial uses; design standards emphasize pedestrian-friendly frontages and articulation.
• Design standards & SPR: the commercial design rules (e.g., façade articulation, ground-floor transparency, street wall placement) are spelled out in § 21.32.230, and site changes meeting thresholds (new building ≥1,000 sq ft or >50 ft of remodel in these districts) require SPR § 21.25.502 .
• Key dimensional examples (from Table 32-2A): front building setback varies by commercial type (CO/CH/CT) and includes different parking setbacks — see Table 32-2A (§ 21.32 development standards) for exact numeric standards used during SPR evaluation .

Community / Regional Commercial — CO, CH, CT

• Purpose & typical uses: larger retail, mixed-use, commercial centers; higher height allowances in certain subareas.
• Design review items: building height, front/side setbacks, parking placement and pedestrian entrances are evaluated under the SPR findings and the district-specific development tables (see Table 32-2A and § 21.32.230) .

Industrial — IL, IM, IG, IP

• Purpose & typical uses: manufacturing, warehousing, distribution; IP (Port) zone has special exemptions.
• SPR triggers & standards: industrial projects with 5,000 sq ft or more of new construction generally require SPR (with limited IP exceptions) § 21.25.502; industrial design expectations (e.g., screening of rooftop equipment, loading, and façade articulation) appear in Chapter 21.33 (e.g., § 21.33.190 and related standards) .
• Special rules: blank wall limits, screening and landscape requirements are applied through SPR (see § 21.45.120 and industrial chapter cross-references) .

Planned Development / Specific Plan — PD / SP (e.g., PD-# or SP-#)

• Purpose & typical uses: PDs/SPs are bespoke districts with their own adopted use & design standards.
• SPR role: all development in PD/SP areas is reviewed under the SPR procedures regardless of other triggers (§ 21.25.708) and PD-specific design standards apply; PD applications themselves require concurrent SPR (§ 21.37.160 and § 21.37.150) .
• Practical note: the PD ordinance may adopt its own design guidelines and the Zoning Administrator may pick applicable standards when a PD is silent on specifics (§ 21.37.150) .

Institutional — I

• Purpose & typical uses: schools, hospitals, religious assembly, government facilities.
• SPR & long-range planning: large institutional sites (> 40,000 sq ft) must submit a long-range development plan to the Planning Commission through SPR, and new construction/additions ≥5,000 sq ft are subject to SPR (§ 21.34.020 and § 21.34.025) .

Park — P

• Purpose & typical uses: parks and recreation facilities; park development still follows SPR thresholds and must meet park district-specific sign/landscaping/parking rules found in Chapter 21.35 (site features subject to SPR) .

Practical design rules the Committee looks for (examples)

• Compatibility of scale, character and materials with neighboring structures (§ 21.25.506.A.1) .
• Conformance to special design guidelines or specific plan requirements (Downtown guidelines, R‑3/R‑4 multifamily guidelines, PD guidelines) (§ 21.25.506.A.2) .
• Preservation of significant mature trees and street trees unless unavoidable (§ 21.25.506.A.3) .
• Compliance with Transportation Demand Management and green-building expectations as part of findings (§ 21.25.506.A.5–6) .
• SPR may require right-of-way improvements, street trees and other public-work conditions for projects requiring SPR (see § 21.47.030 and cross-references) .

Checklist

• Confirm whether SPR is required using § 21.25.502 triggers (residential ≥5 units; commercial ≥1,000 sq ft; industrial ≥5,000 sq ft, PD special rules) .
• For large projects, request a conceptual SPR with the Director (recommended for residential ≥50 units; commercial/industrial ≥50,000 sq ft) § 21.25.502.B / § 21.25.503.C .
• Prepare full site plans, elevations, materials palette, landscaping plan, parking and loading plan and TDM materials where applicable (SPR application completeness per § 21.21.201 and cross-references) .
• Demonstrate how the project meets the findings in § 21.25.506 (compatibility, guidelines/specific plan conformity, tree protection, nexus to public improvements, TDM, green building) .
• Be ready for conditions such as increased setbacks, material changes, screening requirements, and/or public-right-of-way improvements (§ 21.25.505, § 21.47.030) .
• If you need a standard waived (e.g., setback, parking), prepare a justification tied to design improvement — waivers are discretionary under § 21.25.508 .
• Track processing time targets: conceptual review (30 days) and full SPR (60 days) per § 21.25.507 .

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

If your Long Beach project meets the size or type thresholds in § 21.25.502, it will undergo Site Plan Review (design review); the Site Plan Review Committee or Planning Commission will judge whether the design is compatible with the neighborhood, follows any special guidelines, protects trees and public improvements, and meets TDM/green-building expectations; be ready for conditions or approved waivers tied to improved design (see §§ 21.25.502–21.25.508) .

Source References

• Division V—Site Plan Review: § 21.25.501–§ 21.25.508 (Purpose, Applicability, Jurisdiction, Notice, Conditions, Findings, Timely Action, Waiver authority) — § 21.25.502, § 21.25.503, § 21.25.505, § 21.25.506, § 21.25.507, § 21.25.508
• SPR procedures & Table 21-1 (Hearing bodies / responsibility matrix) — Table 21‑1 and application completeness rules (Division II)
• Residential district design requirements (pedestrian access; design/treatment) — § 21.31.250, § 21.31.255 (R zones)
• Commercial design standards and development table (Table 32‑2A; § 21.32.230) — commercial façade/window/entrance rules and numeric setbacks/height examples
• Industrial chapter cross-references and facade/landscaping requirements — Chapter 21.33 and § 21.33.190; special development standards in Chapter 21.45 (commercial storage, commissary)
• Planned Development / Specific Plan SPR rules — § 21.37.150, § 21.37.160, § 21.25.708 (all PD/SP development reviewed under Division V)
• Long-range institutional plan and SPR triggers for institutional uses — § 21.34.020 and § 21.34.025

If you need the exact statutory text copies (ordinance PDFs) or want me to pull the governing paragraphs for a specific parcel or project type, tell me the parcel address or the exact project description and I will extract the narrow set of § citations and language you need. For parcel‑specific ambiguities, verify with the City (the Director of Planning & Building or SPR staff) as the Code allows discretionary interpretation and referral rules to the Planning Commission (§ 21.25.503 and Table 21‑1) .

Retrieved passages

• CGBSC § 21.45.400 (Chapter 21.64) High relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (Section 21.25.506.) High relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (§ 5) High relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (§ 11) Medium relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (§ 3) Medium relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (§ 41) Medium relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (Section 21.42.040) Medium relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (§ 31) Medium relevance show source text
• CGBSC § 7 (Section 21.25.506.) Medium relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (§ 1) Medium relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (Section 21.34.020) Medium relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (Title 21) Medium relevance show source text
• Long Beach Zoning Code (Chapter 21.43) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Division V—Site Plan Review: **§ 21.25.501–§ 21.25.508** (Purpose, Applicability, Jurisdiction, Notice, Conditions, Findings, Timely Action, Waiver authority) — **§ 21.25.502**, **§ 21.25.503**, **§ 21.25.505**, **§ 21.25.506**, **§ 21.25.507**, **§ 21.25.508** (§ 21.25.501)
• SPR procedures & Table 21-1 (Hearing bodies / responsibility matrix) — **Table 21‑1** and application completeness rules (Division II)
• Residential district design requirements (pedestrian access; design/treatment) — **§ 21.31.250**, **§ 21.31.255** (R zones) (§ 21.31.250)
• Commercial design standards and development table (Table 32‑2A; **§ 21.32.230**) — commercial façade/window/entrance rules and numeric setbacks/height examples (§ 21.32.230)
• Industrial chapter cross-references and facade/landscaping requirements — **Chapter 21.33** and **§ 21.33.190**; special development standards in **Chapter 21.45** (commercial storage, commissary) (chapter cross-references)
• Planned Development / Specific Plan SPR rules — **§ 21.37.150**, **§ 21.37.160**, **§ 21.25.708** (all PD/SP development reviewed under Division V) (§ 21.37.150)
• Long-range institutional plan and SPR triggers for institutional uses — **§ 21.34.020** and **§ 21.34.025** (§ 21.34.020)
• LongBeach_ZoningCode.md

• Official Long Beach code library