Dear Angelenos:
During nearly two years of operating virtually, City Planning’s adaptability and resilience has been supporting not only the development community, but also thousands of small businesses, restaurants, schools, and property owners has proven to be crucial in LA’s economic recovery.
From March 2020 to January 2022, City Planning has completed more than 15,000 applications, sent out more than 2,100 Letters of Determination (LOD) for discretionary entitlements, and held over 1,100 virtual hearings for discretionary cases. City Planning staff completed a record-breaking 8,652 cases of Administrative Reviews, nearly 2,300 Environmental Clearances were issued, and staff managed 182 appeal processes. In all, City Planning staff have completed 16.6% more cases when compared to 2019 pre-COVID numbers.
Keeping projects moving forward has also remained a top priority for us. We have made a number of improvements to our services that position the City to overcome the economic effects of COVID-19. Offering online payment and filing options through the Online Application System is just one of the ways we’ve changed our practices to support critical business functions.
Together, we are Planning4LA.
Sincerely,
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Vince Bertoni,
Director of Planning
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Westwood Village Specific Plan Amendment Update |
On February 10, the City Planning Commission (CPC) recommended approval of an amendment to the Westwood Village Specific Plan that would better support local, neighborhood-serving businesses by streamlining the City’s development review process.
The Specific Plan was adopted in 1989 to reinforce the pedestrian-scale built environment within a 50-block radius immediately south of UCLA. At the time, Westwood Village was renowned for its local retail shops, restaurants, and entertainment facilities. Today, Westwood Village is plagued with high vacancy rates (over 40%) as a result of overly prescriptive uses and parking restrictions that have hindered new businesses from relocating to the area.
The proposed amendment aims to encourage and facilitate a balanced mix of uses by eliminating burdensome and outdated local restrictions, eases parking requirements, and lengthy entitlement processes for qualifying projects that are looking to invest in the neighborhood.
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Senate Bill 9 Implementation |
On February 10, City Planning issued a memorandum co-authored by the Los Angeles Housing Department and the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety that provided guidance for applicants interested in taking advantage of Senate Bill (SB) 9. This State legislation requires that any proposed housing project containing no more than two residential units within a single-family residential zone be considered ministerially (without discretionary review), provided that the project meets certain requirements, including no loss of covenanted affordable units through demolition or alteration.
SB 9 took effect on January 1, 2022. Known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (“HOME”) Act, SB 9 facilitates the subdivision of lots by single-family zoned property owners, as well as building a duplex or two detached units on a lot through a ministerial process.
While most two-unit projects proposed under SB 9 can proceed directly to Plan Check, applicants are still encouraged to meet with City Planning prior to filing if the project is located in a plan overlay. For more information, contact planning.figcounter@lacity.org.
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City Council Adopts the Restaurant Beverage Program |
On February 9, the City Council voted unanimously to approve the Restaurant Beverage Program (RBP) Ordinance, which will shorten the processing time and lower the cost of obtaining the City’s approval to serve alcoholic beverages in qualifying sit-down restaurants.
The profit margin from sales of alcoholic beverages has helped restaurant owners stay afloat during sharp rises in rent and payroll costs and, more recently, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The RBP Ordinance will create an efficient and easy-to-navigate process, providing opportunities to startups while also aiding the recovery of existing small businesses.
To participate in the program, a qualifying restaurant must be located in a neighborhood that has been identified as eligible by Resolution of the City Council. As neighborhoods opt in, the Department will update its Zone Information and Map Access System (ZIMAS) to identify when a parcel is eligible to apply under the streamlined regulations as outlined under the adopted ordinance. The RBP Ordinance goes into effect March 31, 2022.
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Ridgeline and Wildlife Pilot Study Ordinances |
On February 3, City Planning announced that the proposed Ridgeline Protection Ordinance would become part of the Wildlife Pilot Study program. In light of feedback received, the Department has determined that the goals of these parallel but related work programs would be best served by combining them into a single ordinance to consolidate present efforts.
The Wildlife Pilot Study is a proposed ordinance that introduces development regulations aimed at protecting and preserving Los Angeles’s natural resources, habitats, and ecosystems. Ridgelines, as potential corridors for wildlife mobility, have been considered a critical resource under the proposed Wildlife Pilot Study. The draft ordinance for the Wildlife Pilot Study aims to incorporate ridgeline protections, in keeping with the City’s overall goals on sustainability.
By consolidating ridgeline protections into the Wildlife Pilot Study, City Planning will be incorporating the ecological, biological, and environmental resources currently analyzed under both ordinances and apply them uniformly across Los Angeles’s ridgelines and the Wildlife Pilot Study area. The revised ordinance is slated for release this spring.
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Housing Element Implementation |
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On February 7, City Planner Blair Smith attended a Town Hall meeting that was facilitated by the Valley Neighborhood Councils alongside Councilmember John Lee’s Office. The meeting was held to discuss the 2021-2029 Housing Element, also known as the Plan to House LA, which the City Council adopted in November of last year.
City Planning provided an in-depth overview of its plans for creating additional opportunities for affordable housing and its proposed Rezoning Program, two planning initiatives centered on increasing housing capacity citywide.
Under California law, every local jurisdiction must adopt a general plan that shows how it will achieve the community’s vision for the future. Like the chapters of a book, the elements that make up the General Plan each cover an aspect of the urban environment. While the State mandates that every general plan have a minimum of seven elements, it does not prescribe how they are to be organized. Of the 12 elements in the City of Los Angeles's General Plan, the Housing Element primarily focuses on addressing how local jurisdictions will meet their housing needs. |
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Meeting with the Valley Economic Alliance |
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Last month, Director of Planning Vince Bertoni was joined by Deputy Director for Project Planning Lisa Webber, Principal Senior Planner Blake Lamb, Senior City Planner Sarah Molina-Pearson, and Senior City Planner Maritza Przekop for a meeting with the Valley Economic Alliance Land Use Construction and Housing Policy Council to discuss current efforts to streamline development review and expedite housing production citywide.
Staff shared that the Department has made notable strides toward streamlining the approval process, such as moving to ministerial review for qualifying Density Bonus projects and providing expedited services for Priority Housing Projects.
Department staff also shed light on the ongoing challenges brought on by the pandemic, along with the broader efficiencies that have been implemented to simplify the entitlement process. In particular, City Planning expanded on ongoing efforts to modernize its operations.
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December 2021 represented a record-breaking month for all applications filed and approved. In addition, LA City Planning received applications for over 4,000 new proposed units, including 957 affordable housing units. While filings and approvals did decline in January 2022, LA City Planning approved 865 total units of housing for the month, providing a strong foundation for continued housing development across the City. |
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- Embarking upon an economic study to examine the possibility of inclusionary study across the proposed boundaries of the Downtown Community Plan
- Preparing final Letter of Determination (LOD) and the Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to be transmitted to the City Council later this summer
- Released revised materials in advance of City Planning Commission hearing, including Zoning, Plan Text, Land Use Map, and Community Benefits Program in June 2021
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- Preparing Draft Zoning and EIR for the Harbor LA Community Plans Update
- Released Harbor LA StoryMap with new zoning information in December 2021
- Released the Policy Document for the Harbor Gateway Plan in July 2021
- Released the Policy Document for the Wilmington-Harbor City Plan in May 2021
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- Outreach for Ventura-Cahuenga corridor in Spring 2022
- Release of General Plan Land Use Map in Fall 2022
- EIR to be initiated in Winter 2022
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- Released recorded webinars of the Draft Land Use Designations in December 2020
- Preparing draft Zoning and EIR for the SW Valley Community Plans Update
- Will conduct additional public outreach in early 2022 to go over updates to the Draft Land Use Designation Map previously released in December 2020
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- Refining Draft Plan Concepts for the Westside Plan Updates
- Preparing for continuous outreach efforts to build on existing outreach
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Watts Happening Cultural Center |
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Historic-Cultural Monument #1246, the Watts Happening Cultural Center, served as a community center for predominantly local Black artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and poets, and played an important role in the community after the Watts uprising of 1965.
Constructed in 1969, the building was designed in the Late Modern architectural style by African American architects Robert Kennard (1920-1995) and Arthur Silvers (1930-2008). The property originally housed the Mafundi Institute, a Black cultural organization that focused on community-building through the arts, and the Watts Happening Coffee House.
The Mafundi Institute was active at the subject property until 1975, and in 1982 the building was renamed the Robert Pitts Westminster Neighborhood Center. A recent revival of the Watts Happening Coffee House is in operation at the site and open to the public. For more information explore the African Americans in Los Angeles Historic Context Statement. |
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This month, the City Planning Commission approved a one million square-foot, multi-building, mixed-use development project located on six acres at 1111 W. Sunset Blvd, within the Central City North Community Plan Area. The project proposes two mixed-use development options, with and without a hotel:including up to 737 residential units and 180 hotel guest rooms (or 827 residential units if no hotel is included), with both scenarios providing up to 76 Very Low-Income units, 48,000 square feet of office, and 95,000 square feet of commercial floor area.The project would preserve the mid-century Metropolitan Water District headquarters (currently the adaptive-reuse Elysian Apartments), and features thoughtful site planning through the concentration of uses in multiple towers, interspersed with low-rise buildings in a garden setting, and a central half-acre publicly accessible open space. The project also includes significant improvements to Sunset Boulevard, including an activated commercial street wall, new Mobility Hub, and the reconfiguration of the Beaudry Avenue intersection for pedestrian safety.
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March City Planning
Commission Meetings
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March Area Planning
Commission Meetings
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Central: March 8, 22
South Los Angeles: March 1, 15
South Valley: March 10, 24
West: March 3, 17
East: March 9, 23
Harbor: March 1, 15
North Valley: March 3, 17
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March Cultural Heritage
Commission Meetings
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LOS ANGELES
CITY PLANNING
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