Informed by the opportunities and challenges identified in the Opportunities Lookbook (English/Spanish) and driven by the Community Vision Statement & Guiding Principles, eight BIG IDEAS were generated to prompt discussion about what the future of Downtown Shoreline could (and should) look like.

BIG IDEAS were intended to provide a starting point for discussion during summer 2024 community events and a snapshot of possibilities for the future of the Downtown Shoreline in 2075 and beyond.

Each of these BIG IDEAS illustrates the guiding principles and addresses the overarching themes differently, between June 2024 and January 2025, the City hosted an online forum to collect input from the community about what challenges each would create and what opportunities each might afford.

This online forum is now closed but remains available to view.

These BIG IDEAS have been combined and refined into a preferred alternative that reflects community feedback and stakeholder input and addresses technical issues identified during the discovery phase. The preferred alternative is described in the Draft Vision Concept, available for public review NOW (unil June 15, 2025).

To organize the BIG IDEAS, they were been roughly divided into three geographies within Downtown Shoreline: East, West, and Central.

Click on each geography to see the BIG IDEAS, then click on a BIG IDEA to learn more and share your thoughts. Input gathered through this online forum, along with the feedback received during the community design charrette held June 13-20, will influence the development of a preferred scenario (or scenarios) that will be evaluated for feasibility and shared with the community prior to presenting a vision plan to Planning Commission and City Council.

Central Shoreline

This area includes Rainbow Harbor, The Pike, and Shoreline. In some cases the BIG IDEAS generated for this area spill over into the eastern and western portions of the district. BIG IDEAS for this area may be refined, combined with each other and combined with BIG IDEAS for the other districts.

All of the BIG IDEAS reflect the following opportunities and assumptions:

• Properties north of Seaside Way are developed or planned and are unlikely to change.
• The Tidelands Trust Agreement limits how land in the Tidelands (generally south of Seaside Way) can be used -- broadly requiring that all uses be related to navigation, maritime-supporting uses, and other coastal-dependent uses.
  • Because the Pike Outlets are not considered Tidelands more types of uses would be allowed.
• Connections to Downtown Long Beach should be strengthened, particularly along Pine Ave.
• Sea Level Rise will need to be addressed, but each BIG IDEA would require different types of adaptation.

Click on a BIG IDEA below to learn more and share your thoughts!

Eastern Shoreline

The Eastern Area includes the Convention Center, the Arena, the parking area next to the Convention Center (the Elephant Lot), the Marina, and Marina Green. In some cases the BIG IDEAS generated for this area spill over into the central portions of the district. BIG IDEAS for this area may be refined, combined with each other and combined with BIG IDEAS for the other districts.

All of the BIG IDEAS reflect the following opportunities and assumptions:

• Properties north of Seaside Way are developed or planned and are unlikely to change.
• The Tidelands Trust Agreement limits how land in the Tidelands (generally south of Seaside Way) can be used -- broadly requiring that all uses be related to navigation, maritime-supporting uses, and other coastal-dependent uses. It is unlikely that the Tidelands designation will be removed from this area, but removing a small portion may be possible if there is a compelling reason.
• Connections to Downtown Long Beach should be strengthened.
• Connections to Alamitos Beach should be strengthened.
• Sea Level Rise will need to be addressed, but each BIG IDEA would require different types of adaptation.

Click on a BIG IDEA below to learn more and share your thoughts!

Western Shoreline

The Western Area includes Catalina Landing, the CSU chancellor's office, the marine reserve, and the existing RV Park. In some cases the BIG IDEAS generated for this area spill over into the central portions of the district. BIG IDEAS for this area may be refined, combined with each other and combined with BIG IDEAS for the other districts.

All of the BIG IDEAS reflect the following opportunities and assumptions:

• Properties north of Seaside Way are developed or planned and it is unclear how much change can be considered for the Vision Plan.
• The Tidelands Trust Agreement limits how land in the Tidelands (generally south of Seaside Way) can be used -- broadly requiring that all uses be related to navigation, maritime-supporting uses, and other coastal-dependent uses. The CSU Chancellor's office and its parking area have been removed from Tidelands Trust, so additional types of uses may be allowed on those properties.
• Connections to Downtown Long Beach should be strengthened.
• Sea Level Rise will need to be addressed, but each BIG IDEA would require different types of adaptation.

Click on a BIG IDEA below to learn more and share your thoughts!