Greetings Angelenos,
Across the nation, cities are feeling the impacts of the housing affordability crisis. Families today are struggling to make rent or payments on a home. Despite these challenges, the City of Los Angeles has risen to the occasion. We have advanced a series of policies in the last three years that have resulted in more affordable housing.
These policies are largely the outgrowth of our
Housing Element
, which identifies Los Angeles’s housing needs and establishes clear goals and objectives to inform local policy considerations. This long-range planning document references an array of programs that showcase our City’s commitment to fostering sustainable, mixed-income neighborhoods — ranging from housing production targets to strategies to combat homelessness.
In order to keep our policies current, we are initiating an update to our Housing Element. This update will include a major outreach effort, working in partnership with other City agencies and a diverse group of local stakeholders. We will be holding community workshops in the early part of 2020 to offer the public an opportunity to provide their input and share their vision for the City of Los Angeles.
As we have in the past, we will be establishing a Task Force. This Task Force will comprise one of many forums in which we will collaborate with and engage in open communication with a broad group of stakeholders, including housing experts, community advocates, and the nonprofit community. In the coming weeks, we will be sending out a call for applications. We encourage you to check back for ongoing updates and opportunities for involvement.
Through our concerted efforts, we will shape the City’s housing policies over the course of the next decade — guiding critical decisions on issues related to zoning, housing production and preservation, homelessness prevention, and much more.
Together, we are
Planning for LA
.
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Vince Bertoni,
Director of Planning
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Home-Sharing Program: Implementation and Enforcement
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On October 22, the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee adopted new Administrative Guidelines for hosting platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. These guidelines outline specific steps for the immediate takedown or removal of unlawful bookings.
City Planning developed the Administrative Guidelines to prevent illegal booking transactions and to promote information sharing on short-term rental activities in Los Angeles. The Administrative Guidelines provide hosting platforms with an alternative means of complying with the new Home-Sharing rules. Hosts would otherwise need to abide by the provisions specified within the ordinance.
To inform the public of Home-Sharing rules and eligibility requirements, City Planning is conducting targeted outreach events across Los Angeles. These public forums will continue after the start of the November 1 enforcement date. For additional information, contact
planning.home-sharing@lacity.org
.
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Downtown Community Plan Update: Release of New Zoning Tools
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On October 31, City Planning unveiled new zoning regulations for Downtown as part of a multi-year effort to update the Downtown Community Plan.
Under the proposed Plan, 60% of Downtown — compared to 33% today — would be eligible for residential uses. By the year 2040, Downtown will include 125,000 new residents, in addition to 55,000 new jobs — representing 20% of the City’s population growth in 1% of its land area. The Plan would accommodate this growth through new land use strategies that reinforce Downtown’s economic base, strengthen linkages between neighborhoods, and incentivize residential units.
City Planning will be hosting open houses on November 2 and 5 to offer stakeholders the opportunity to review the draft Plan and provide additional feedback. The final plan, along with the corresponding zoning, will be heard by the City Planning Commission in 2020.
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Supportive Housing and Emergency Shelters: New Statutory Exemption
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On October 16, City Planning issued an interdepartmental memo clarifying the City’s implementation of Assembly Bill (AB) 1197 — a California State bill that was authored by Assemblymember Santiago and signed into law last month by Governor Newsom.
AB 1197 exempts certain publicly funded emergency shelters and supportive housing projects from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), provided that these projects meet the stated definitions and eligibility criteria under State law. The bill was drafted to help address homelessness by facilitating the construction of high-quality supportive housing units and shelters.
The bill took effect on September 26 and will remain in place until it sunsets on January 1, 2025.
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Cannabis Regulations: Technical Amendments
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On October 1, City Planning released a draft ordinance that would initiate technical amendments to Los Angeles's cannabis regulations, in response to prior Council instruction.
The proposed provisions would modify location restrictions for commercial cannabis activity, revise the definitions of certain sensitive uses, and clarify existing rules related to grandfathering of Existing Medical Marijuana Dispensaries (EMMDs).
City Planning will hold a public hearing on the draft ordinance on November 13, prior to advancing the proposed changes to the City Planning Commission for their review.
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OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT - OCTOBER 2019
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City Planning Speaks to Occidental College about Public Outreach
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On October 24, Community Liaison Dylan Sittig returned to his alma mater to discuss City Planning’s public engagement and outreach processes with students enrolled in a Community Planning and Politics Practicum. The class was taught by Professor Regina Freer, a former City Planning Commissioner. Dylan discussed the extensive community engagement that is occurring through the citywide updates to the Community Plans and noted the improved technology advancements that are making it easier for the public to stay better informed, including the new features on City Planning's website.
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City Planning Participates in a Panel Discussion at the USC Lusk Casden Multifamily Forecast Conference
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On October 25, City Planning Executive Officer Kevin Keller spoke at the University of Southern California’s 2019 Multifamily Forecast Conference. For 15 years, the Casden Multifamily Forecast has provided a comprehensive summary of fundamental trends in the multifamily markets of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and Ventura Counties, as well as throughout the Inland Empire.
Kevin joined peers from UC Berkeley, the Low Income Housing Institute, HR&A Advisors, and the Los Angeles Fund for the panel discussion “Is Rezoning an Answer to Southern California’s Housing Crisis?” The conversation centered on tools that the City and other jurisdictions are creating to address the current housing crisis.
Over the last few years, the City of Los Angeles has been working toward updating its Zoning Code. In addition to simplifying the existing rules, the new zoning is intended to further support the City’s jobs and housing needs through more tailored regulations, which will support more variations of housing typologies at all income levels.
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Director of Planning Bertoni Gives Remarks at UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation
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On October 30, Director of Planning Vince Bertoni visited the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley to share insights on some recent land use reforms the City of Los Angeles has undertaken to increase housing capacity.
Vince shared with the group the policy initiatives the City has implemented in recent years to increase affordable housing production and protect the City’s housing stock − ranging from adoption of the Linkage Fee to implementing new rules on Home-Sharing. Leaders from across the country were invited by Carol Galante, Faculty Director of the Terner Center, to share their insights as part of a larger discussion on housing.
During his remarks, Vince highlighted the early success of the
Transit Oriented Communities Incentive Program
, which has dramatically increased the number of Extremely Low Income Units coming online across the City of Los Angeles.
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Venice Planning Working Group Meetings
On October 22 and 23, City Planning hosted a series of community meetings in Venice
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These meetings brought together residents and local organizations, including the Venice Chamber of Commerce and Neighborhood Council, to talk about zoning along Venice’s commercial corridors.
The sessions began with a presentation on the City’s new zoning tools and the current updates to the Venice Community Plan and Local Coastal Program. Following the presentation, attendees separated into groups to discuss ways to modernize the existing land use regulations along Lincoln Boulevard, Rose Avenue, and Ocean Front Walk.
Conversations focused on the form, frontage, use, and density future development projects should adhere to along these major commercial corridors. They also touched on current zoning challenges and future opportunities that new zoning structure will provide.
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- Preparing Draft Environmental Impact Report
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- Conducted Scoping Meeting in August
- Preparing Draft Environmental Impact Report
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- Reviewing comments for the Draft Environmental Impact Report
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- Preparing Draft Environmental Impact Report
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Fun fact: the Biltmore Hotel in Downtown was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument 50 years ago. The building is an example of Beaux Arts Commercial Architecture with Renaissance Revival influences. Its facade along Olive Street remains one of Los Angeles's best examples of this style of architecture.
Italian muralist Giovanni Smeraldi decorated many of the hotel’s rooms, ceilings, and walls. The artist’s decor showcases the strong link between early California history and its heritage from Castilian renaissance culture, reflecting the rich cultural and social history of the State.
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On October 24, the City Planning Commission approved a mixed-use, multifamily project on the site of the historic Sunkist Building in Sherman Oaks. The project consists of three new apartment buildings that will provide 249 units of housing. Twenty-five of these units — 10% of the overall total — are set aside for Moderate Income Households.
The project has been designed to receive LEED Silver certification for its incorporation of materials that will help reduce the project’s impact on the natural environment, including the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and over 22,000 square feet of solar panels.
The City Council will hear this project at a later date to grant the necessary approvals in order for the project to proceed with filing for its building permits.
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City Planning’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Unit is tasked with creating web-based applications that support the work of their colleagues and other City departments.
Recently, City Planning's GIS staff developed a web application to showcase the Opportunity Zones across the City of Los Angeles. This project was initiated at the request of the Mayor’s Office on behalf of the Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD).
Using GIS technology, the City is now able to display the eligible census tracts in an easily accessible format — allowing layers of information to appear with just a click of a mouse. To view the web application and explore any of the City’s designated Opportunity Zones,
click here.
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Downtown Community Plan Open Houses
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Palms-Mar Vista-Del Rey Pop Up Office Hours
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Wildlife Pilot Study Workshop
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LOS ANGELES CITY PLANNING
@PLANNING4LA
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