The Bascom Group, LLC has retained Noel Aguirre and Sean Lieppman of Lee & Associates to market and lease a 4,100-square-foot ground-floor space at 200 Pine Ave. in Long Beach. Located in the city’s downtown area, the space features an adjoining 3,865-square-foot lower-level space.

The space, which offers patio capability, is second-generation restaurant space suitable for a full-service restaurant concept in the downtown Long Beach market, according to The Bascom Group. The location has dedicated on-site retail and restaurant parking and is at the base of a six-story, 65,909-square-foot office building renovated in 2022.

David Kim, Managing Partner at The Bascom Group, said, “200 Pine is in the heart of the Pine Avenue entertainment district, with numerous retailers and restaurants, such as Altar Society Brewing Company. This building is within two blocks of City Hall, Billie Jean King Public Library, George Deukmejian County Court House, the State Building, and the newly expanded Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.”

American Lions, a joint venture between Fetner Properties and Lions Group, has launched leasing at The Italic, a 50-story residential tower located at 26-32 Jackson Ave. in Long Island City. The Italic is the sister building of The Bold, located across the street.

“This evolving neighborhood has shown tremendous growth, and we’re excited to contribute to that by adding more high-quality housing,” said Hal Fetner, president and CEO of Fetner Properties.

The Italic’s 363 rental apartments range from studios to three-bedrooms. Of these, 109 units are designated as affordable. The building also includes 20,000 square feet of commercial space and offers direct access to Court Square subway station.

Amenities at the property include a communal lounge, a fitness center, two bay golf simulators, a basketball court, coworking spaces and a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline. A standalone feature is the building’s full demonstration cooking kitchen.

Ahead of an expected round of tariffs on goods from China, Mexico and Canada, both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach experienced their busiest January on record. For the Port of Long Beach, January’s volume of 952,733 twenty-foot equivalent units also represented the second busiest month in its history.

The Port of LA began 2025 by moving 924,245 TEUs, up 8% from a year ago. Both San Pedro ports saw their second-busiest years on record in 2024, handling nearly 20 million TEUs combined, L.A. Business First reported.

“This January milestone adds to a great run of strong volume, with the last seven months averaging more than 927,000 container units,” said Port of LA executive director Gene Seroka. “A strong economy, along with importers bringing in cargo as a hedge against tariffs and ahead of Lunar New Year, were key factors in January.”

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and officials from across the nation attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, a $1.567-billion project that will double the footprint of the Port of Long Beach’s existing rail yard from 82 acres to 171 acres. 

Pier B will be built in phases, with construction scheduled for completion by 2032. The project will more than triple the Port’s capacity for on-dock rail to 4.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units per year, reducing emissions and stress on the local and regional road network, according to the Port.

“The Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility will add 130,000 feet of new tracks, build 36 new support tracks and more than double the number of trains leaving the Port to 17 per day,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “These improvements will benefit the entire U.S. supply chain and get us closer to the operational and environmental transformation into a zero-emissions port.”

A one-time Greensboro car dealership may be converted into a mixed-use project that could include office, multifamily and restaurant space.

GCMC Properties is working with Trask Land Co. Inc. of Wilmington on the former Gate City Motors site.

Triad Business Journal reports that GCMC purchased the 3.5-acre site at the end of 2019 for $2.7 million. Demolition of the former car dealership commenced in January 2020. The site had been vacant since 2011. 

Trask Land Company says it performs all types of development—commercial, industrial, retail/mixed-use and multi-family—that includes creating and implementing projects from the rezoning stage to both commercial and residential infrastructure and commercial build-to-suit.

Trask projects include a Scotts Hill 55+ apartment community, a Wilmington shopping center and a corporate headquarters for a fintech company.

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for La Playa Residence Hall, a $115-million, 108,000-square-foot student housing project. The project is a part of the State of California’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, which aims to increase below-rate rental options for students living on campus. 

“La Playa Residence Hall will add 424 residents to CSULB’s Hillside Housing village, improving access to affordable on-campus housing at The Beach,” said Yan Krymsky, principal and design director at Perkins&Will’s Los Angeles studio, which designed the project. The project will encompass three five-story buildings with outdoor amenities ranging from patios and dining areas to a welcome plaza and central lawn. 

Once complete, La Playa Residence Hall will hold 424 beds distributed across a mix of single- and double-occupancy student rooms, with lounges, study areas and maintenance facilities located on each floor. Inside each building, there will also be a kitchen on the ground floor, three apartments for staff or faculty, a 2,000-square-foot multipurpose room and music practice rooms. Completion is targeted for summer 2026.

Industry leaders and power players are connecting at Connect Phoenix Multifamily & Single-Family Build-to-Rent on April 18 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. Don’t miss the expert’s take on where the market is headed, and what changes are on the horizon. Register Now!

Be there in person for the 8th Annual Connect Los Angeles 2024, May 1 at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown. Industry leading experts will share insights and forecasts on today’s CRE markets.