Dear Angelenos:
When increasing the housing stock, City Planning is taking care to encourage sustainable growth and promote high-quality living. What makes Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), or guest houses, attractive is that they provide a welcome option for moderate-income renters in Los Angeles who are looking for accommodation in otherwise unaffordable neighborhoods.
ADUs are also a sustainable solution to promote multigenerational living. As a result of state and local legislation, more families have opted to add spaces for their loved ones—whether it’s an aging parent or a young adult fresh out of college—to existing single-family homes. ADUs are often built to scale and compatible with the style of the surrounding neighborhood, too.
Whatever their use, ADUs are an increasingly popular and affordable housing option for many residents. In Los Angeles, we permitted 2,401 ADUs from January to June of 2021 (or 24% of all housing units permitted in the first half of this year). The South Valley had the highest share of ADUs permitted (30%), followed by the North Valley (25%), South Los Angeles (15%), West Los Angeles (10%), Central (9%), East Los Angeles (9%), and the Harbor (2%).
ADUs illustrate the important role land use policies play in guiding the location, pattern, and design of development. The ongoing update to our Housing Element (aka The Plan to House LA), which aims to solve our housing crisis by supporting the construction of more affordable units, is exploring the rollout of similar policies on a citywide level.
The Housing Element identifies Los Angeles’s housing needs and opportunities, and establishes clear goals and objectives to inform future land use decisions. It will guide the creation and implementation of the City's housing policy from 2021 to 2029, so be sure to review the draft and continue to submit your comments.
Together, we are Planning4LA.
Sincerely,
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Vince Bertoni,
Director of Planning
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City Planning has processed a large quantity of Home-Sharing registration applications since the start of enforcement on July 1, 2019; to date, the Department has reviewed and processed over 12,000 new and 1,700 renewal applications, for a total of approximately 13,700 applications. As the volume of applications has leveled off, the Department has turned its attention to strengthening enforcement and ensuring the cooperation of hosting platforms.
City Planning recently notified hosting platforms by email of its new procedures. The Department will supply hosting platforms with the City’s daily “Allow List,” which includes the City's registration number, the associated property, and the number of allowed nights. By publishing this list, the Department is establishing clear lines of communication with hosting platforms and clarifying its expectations that hosting platforms must remove any listings not included on the “Allow List.”
City Planning will continue to refer listings that are found to be out of compliance to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety and the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department for review and issuance of citations.
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Downtown Community
Plan Update
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On August 26, the City Planning Commission (CPC) voted to postpone consideration of the Downtown Community Plan and new Zoning Code to the September 23 CPC meeting at the request of Councilmembers Gil Cedillo (Council District 1), Curren D. Price Jr. (CD 9), and Kevin de León (CD 14), who signed onto a joint letter requesting additional time to meet with their constituencies and collect feedback on the proposed plan.
The proposed update to the Downtown Community Plan would accommodate the City’s projected population growth through new land use strategies aimed at reinforcing Downtown’s economic base, strengthening linkages between neighborhoods, and incentivizing residential units. The plan update nearly doubles the area where residential uses are permitted Downtown, increasing it from 33% to 60% of the total plan area, while also encouraging other creative and affordable types of housing (e.g., micro-units, live-work spaces, supportive housing, and adaptive reuse projects).
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Transportation Demand Management Program |
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In August, the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program team presented at both the Sustainability Alliance and PlanCheck Neighborhood Councils. During both meetings, staff presented the proposed updates to the TDM Ordinance and answered clarifying questions related to those changes. An informational video is available online.
The draft ordinance would help reduce car dependence in Los Angeles and help the City meet the carbon pollution reduction goals set out in the Mayor’s Green New Deal. The proposal requires expanded TDM strategies from certain new developments, including incentives for public transit and carpooling, additional investments in biking and telecommuting programs, and making information about travel options more accessible to residents, employees, and visitors.
Feedback may be sent to the TDM team at planning.mobility@lacity.org. Later this year, an open house and a public hearing will be held in advance of the proposed ordinance being considered for adoption by the City Planning Commission and City Council.
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Monthly rates of filing and completion remained high in July. Compared to the monthly averages for 2020, filings were 27% higher and completions were up by 29%. |
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- Presented the Draft Plan and Zoning to the City Planning Commission in June 2021
- Held Public Hearing and virtual open house events in December 2020
- Facilitated Community Planning 101 webinar sessions in November 2020
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Released updated Draft Zoning, Plan Text, Land Use Map, and Community Benefits Program in November 2020
- Extended the comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to December 4, 2020 and Draft Plan to January 13, 2021 to allow for additional input
- Conducted virtual office hours in September 2020
- Released updated draft Zoning, Plan Text, Land Use Map, and Community Benefits Program in August 2020
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Released Draft EIR in August 2020 for a 120-day comment period
- Conducted office hours in January and February 2020
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- Preparing Draft Zoning and EIR for the Harbor LA Community Plans Update
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Released the Draft Policy Document for the Harbor Gateway Community Plan in July 2021
- Released the Draft Policy Document for the Wilmington-Harbor City Community Plan in May 2021
- Held Office Hours in November 2020 to collect feedback on the Draft Land Use & Basic Zoning
- Released Interactive Story Map for Harbor LA Community Plans in October 2020
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- Release of General Plan Land Use Map in Spring 2022
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Conducted a series of Office Hours in February 2020
- EIR to be initiated in 2022
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Released recorded webinars of the Draft Land Use Designations in December 2020
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Developed an interactive StoryMap in December 2020 to detail the proposed Draft Land Use Designation maps and proposed Draft Zoning
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Venice 2021 Survey deadline extended
- Refining Draft Plan Concepts
- Preparing for continuous outreach efforts to diversify and expand public participation
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Summarized community feedback in April 2021
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Held a virtual public workshop to kick off the Venice Survey 2021 in November 2020
- Conducted a series of Office Hours and virtually attended community meetings, including neighborhood council meetings in September/October 2020 and early 2021
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Released Draft Concepts and held Virtual Webinars in July 2020
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The Church of the Epiphany (2808 N. Altura Street) |
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The Church of the Epiphany in Lincoln Heights was an important local hub of the civil rights activism of the Chicano Movement. It is perhaps best known for its association with the East L.A. Walkouts, or Blowouts, that took place in the spring of 1968, as well as the Chicano Moratorium protest marches of 1969 and 1970. The church served as an important organizing space for young Mexican-American activists.
More than 15,000 high school students who participated in the Blowouts walked out of class to protest the Los Angeles Unified School District’s unequal educational opportunities, high dropout rates, lack of resources, racism among staff and teachers, and general neglect of majority Mexican-American schools.
On August 29, 1970, the National Chicano Moratorium Committee organized the largest of its marches to protest the disproportionately high number of Chicano deaths in the Vietnam War. Up to 30,000 protesters marched in East Los Angeles. Clashes between police and protesters resulted in the death of noted Los Angeles Times journalist Ruben Salazar. Reaction to his untimely death led many more Chicanos to become involved with the civil rights struggle.
The church is significant for its association with the Chicano Movement and for its architecture. Architect Ernest Coxhead designed the original chapel in the Romanesque Revival style in 1888. The large 1913 expansion, designed by architect Arthur Benton, is built mainly in the Gothic Revival style with features of other styles incorporated. The Church of the Epiphany was designated Historic-Cultural Monument #807 in 2005 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.
Click here to read SurveyLA’s Latino Los Angeles Historic Context Statement.
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On August 12, the City Planning Commission (CPC) approved the construction of a new seven-story multifamily residential development. Located in the Hollywood Community Plan Area, the proposed structure will contain 86 dwelling units; of these, 21 units, or 24% of the total units in the building, will be reserved for Very Low-Income households. The building incorporates pedestrian-friendly design elements, complete with a street-level entrance to match the overall design characteristics of the neighborhood. The project will also reduce residents’ carbon footprint, both by incorporating energy-reducing designs in its structure and by encouraging the use of public transportation through its proximity to quality transit options, such as the Hollywood DASH bus and Metro Red Line. |
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September City Planning
Commission Meetings
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September Area Planning
Commission Meetings
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Central: September 14 and 28
South Los Angeles: September 21
South Valley: September 9 and 23
West: September 1
East: September 22
Harbor: September 21
North Valley: Meeting Canceled
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LOS ANGELES
CITY PLANNING
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