Neighbors of Long Beach City College’s Liberal Arts Campus are worried about the decrease in their property value, overcrowded parking and loitering in the neighborhood due to the school’s new campus housing plan, which will build 420 dorms.
The campus housing build gets its funds from the 2024 LA County General Election Measure AC, and is planned to be built on the corner of Lew Davis Street and Clark Avenue with the goal of providing affordable student housing, projected to be finished in 2028.
“With these funds, we will be able to transform our campuses with cutting-edge facilities that match the ambition and potential of our students. From upgraded nursing labs and state of the art classrooms, to affordable housing and sustainable design, Measure AC will make LBCC an institution where students can thrive academically and personally,” an LBCC press release stated.
This project has neighbors questioning the effects of what the housing addition might bring to their neighborhood.
“I’m not really too concerned about the noise, but what I am worried about is the litter and the loitering. Sometimes, I walk outside and random people just start yelling at me for no reason,” neighbor Yumi Tiangco said.
Tiangco read about the addition of campus housing in a local newspaper last year, but claimed that she had not received any formal notification as a homeowner.
The Viking received a statement from LBCC regarding if neighbors of LAC were notified about the construction of the student housing.
“LBCC remains committed to transparency and ongoing communication about our construction projects. Regular updates are provided through formal channels, including reports to the Citizens’ Oversight Committee and the Board of Trustees. Most recently, Vice President of Administrative and Business Services Candace Jones presented an update on the Student Housing project—including video mock-ups of the proposed design—at the May 14, 2025 Board of Trustees meeting (presentation begins at 3:45:45). Our former Vice President of Administrative and Business Services engaged in multiple discussions with the community prior to the presentation of Measure AC to voters,” the statement read.
Toni Pearson, another local resident and Tiangco both mentioned that only within the last year or two did their neighborhood get permit-only parking, with each vehicle required to have a yearly $35 permit.
“We have five cars because my kids drive and we don’t have enough room in the driveway to fit all of our cars, so that’s $35 a year, per car,” Tiangco said.
Pearson also stated that residents had to ask the city multiple times to take action on students taking parking spaces.
“We had to call and ask a bunch of times to get them to put signs up on this street because students were parking in here all the time,” Pearson said.
Another concern that Pearson had was regarding traffic in the neighborhood, specifically regarding emergency responses.
“We live on a really small street, so it’s not as wide as you think it is. We have a fire department right over there and so I’m just concerned that if something happens they might not be able to get through,” Pearson said.
Decreasing property value is a main concern among the neighborhood, with Tiangco sharing that one of her neighbors has thought about moving due to the new housing addition.
“My neighbor right over there has said he’s thought about moving because his property value might decrease once they finish (building the dorms),” Tiangco said.
Jim Wright, another neighbor, expressed confusion as to why the school is building campus housing because community colleges are typically commuter colleges, meaning students live off campus and drive to school.
“How many kids come from out of state to go to Long Beach City College? I mean, typically, you need housing and colleges for kids that aren’t from the area. But a JC College? Typically, that’s kids from the town. They go there, or are at least within a few miles where traveling is not a problem. I don’t understand why they feel they need school housing for a junior college,” Wright said.
LBCC is working with neighborhood association groups to aim towards creating recurring town hall meetings where neighbors can provide their feedback and share updates on the multiple construction projects taking place.
