A new emergency ordinance will block the city from issuing new residential building permits along two corridors in West Long Beach in an attempt to save space to attract neighborhood-serving businesses to the area.

Sunrise Senior Living, which already runs 332 assisted living and memory care communities, is looking to build another just south of Wardlow Road and Los Coyotes Diagonal.

The Long Beach City Council took a final step toward adopting a plan that will guide development of 437 acres of coveted land west of Long Beach Airport, saying they wanted the former Boeing C-17 manufacturing site to become a “21st century business district.”

The city is in the process of finalizing eligibility and usage requirements as well as the application process but the $5 million relief fund proposed by the Long Beach City Council in December could finally be available by July.

A November ruling in a case filed by the city of Redondo Beach sought to bring back the autonomy that charter cities have regarding their election dates, even if they had sagging election day turnout.

Residents in East Long Beach have access to nearly 16 times the park space than those living in West Long Beach. But as the City Council tries to address this inequity, it will likely run into two big obstacles: time and money.

The council’s vote certifies a decision made by the Planning Commission in December that approved lot mergers, zoning changes and permits for the construction of the three-story, 152,000 square-foot self storage and recreational vehicle storage facility that will be built at 3701 Pacific Place.

Councilman Roberto Uranga, who also serves on the Coastal Commission, signed onto an appeal late last month challenging some of the aspects of the proposed hotel, including how it affects pedestrian access to the coast, the cost to stay at the hotel and how the hotel’s valet parking would impact access to a public park.

The coming year could shape what becomes of the largest undeveloped parcel of oceanfront land in Long Beach, the so-called “elephant lot” named for its prior use by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

While the coffee and tea shop is closing, the two owners are moving on to focus on a nonprofit they’ve founded to help military veterans and K9s transition from service-life to life as civilians.