Onni Group Clears Shopping Center for Housing at 6500 PCH in Long Beach

Why It Matters

The conversion adds much‑needed housing to a tight California market while revitalizing a stagnant retail site, boosting local tax revenues and supporting Long Beach’s transit‑oriented growth plan.

Key Takeaways

• Onni demolishes former Marina Shores mall for 600‑unit residential tower
• Project includes 4,000 sq ft of retail and 1,100 parking spaces
• Five‑story complex sits on six‑acre site near Alamitos Bay wetlands
• Part of three new PCH apartment projects reshaping Long Beach shoreline
• Designed by SCB; landscape by Salt Architects, emphasizing coastal aesthetics

Pulse Analysis

The Vancouver‑based Onni Group is converting the former Marina Shores shopping center into a 600‑unit multifamily tower, marking its fifth major residential project in Long Beach. Acquired for $68 million five years ago, the six‑acre parcel sits at the gateway between Alamitos Bay Marina and protected wetlands, a location that city planners have earmarked for higher‑density housing to meet California’s chronic affordability gap. By replacing a struggling retail complex with a mixed‑use development, Onni aligns with the region’s shift toward transit‑oriented, walk‑able neighborhoods that can accommodate a growing population of young professionals and retirees alike.

The new Onni Marina Shores will rise five stories, offering studios through three‑bedroom units above 4,000 sq ft of ground‑floor commercial space and more than 1,100 parking stalls. SCB’s architecture emphasizes a central driveway that threads between Marina Drive and Pacific Coast Highway, while Salt Landscape Architects are integrating native plantings to mitigate runoff into the adjacent wetlands. The inclusion of substantial parking addresses the city’s traffic concerns, yet the project’s mixed‑use format is expected to generate steady retail foot traffic, supporting local businesses and diversifying the tax base.

Onni’s move follows two parallel developments—a 281‑unit building by Holland Partner Group and a planned complex by Carmel Partners—signaling a rapid densification of the Pacific Coast Highway corridor. This cluster of projects is likely to boost property values and attract further private investment, while also prompting the municipality to upgrade infrastructure such as storm‑drainage and public transit links. For investors, the convergence of strong rental demand, limited coastal land, and supportive zoning creates an attractive risk‑adjusted return profile, reinforcing Long Beach’s emergence as a hotspot for coastal multifamily development.