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Dear Angelenos,
The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic games are less than two years away, an international event that organizers describe as the “operational equivalent of seven Super Bowls a day for 30 days.” Mayor Karen Bass recently issued Executive Directive No. 16, outlining the City’s vision for a “Games for All,” where civic infrastructure, culture, and play come together to build thriving communities.
Los Angeles City Planning is playing a critical role in the City’s efforts to expedite projects supporting LA28. The Department has drafted a proposed Olympic and Paralympic Planning and Zoning Exemption Ordinance which exempts certain Games-related projects on private property from planning and zoning review leading up to the 2028 Games (CF 15-0989-S47). Examples of proposed eligible projects include: training facilities, security perimeters, broadcast and media centers, and fan zones. By streamlining planning and zoning review, particularly for temporary Games-related projects, the ordinance aims to facilitate an accessible and vibrant world-class event, while creating transparent and responsive local planning processes in the lead-up to the Games.
In the next few weeks, City Planning will release the draft ordinance. We welcome Angelenos to share their comments online in the coming weeks. The Department will then incorporate this feedback into a report that will be presented to the City Planning Commission (CPC) in January 2026. Once the CPC votes on the proposed ordinance, it will be presented to the Los Angeles City Council for their consideration. City Planning is honored to be part of the process to facilitate the successful and timely execution of the Games. To stay informed about this effort, please sign up here.
Earlier this month, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 79, the “Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act,” which increases housing density near transit by introducing new by-right development standards for residential and commercially zoned parcels located ¼ mile or ½ mile from qualifying heavy rail, light rail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and full time bus lanes.
The bill goes into effect July 2026. City Planning has updated our interactive StoryMap of Citywide Potential Eligibility on our SB 79 webpage to include Fire Hazard and Historic Resources areas. Please note that these maps are not official eligibility maps, as SB 79 requires that the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) create a map of the City’s transit-oriented development stops and zones by tier. The Department has prepared its first report on SB 79, as directed by the City Council in Council File 25-1083. To learn more, click here.
We are planning for people, communities and our future. We are #Planning4LA.
Sincerely,
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Vince Bertoni,
Director of Planning
| | | | Missing Middle LA
Expanding Housing
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Los Angeles City Planning recently launched the Missing Middle LA Program, which consists of local citywide Zoning Code amendments implementing state law that aim to create smaller, neighborhood-scale homes such as accessory dwelling units (ADUs), duplexes, and small lot townhomes in order to meet the demand for more affordable alternatives to traditional single-family homes on larger lots. The proposed ordinances will benefit Angelenos by empowering residents to tailor their housing choices to diverse lifestyle, family, and financial needs - whether it's generating rental income to sustain homeownership, creating space for multigenerational living, planning to age in place, or choosing to downsize. City Planning is collecting stories from people that have had experience living, owning or building small scale multifamily housing, as well as those who are being impacted by the housing affordability crisis and limited homeownership options. The Department invites Angelenos to share your personal housing experiences through our testimonial form.
Learn more about the Missing Middle LA Program through the program’s Fact Sheet or signing up for updates here by selecting Missing Middle LA under Current Planning Initiatives.
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African American Historic Places LA
Stylesville Barbershop in Pacoima
| Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR) joined Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez (CD 7) earlier this month at an event celebrating the Stylesville Barber Shop & Salon in Pacoima, one of the sites selected for African American Historic Places LA (AAHPLA), a project honoring the City’s Black heritage. A physical plaque was installed at the barber shop, considered Pacoima’s oldest Black owned businesses. Stylesville first opened its doors on Van Nuys Boulevard in 1957 during a time when Pacoima was heavily segregated. The shop was founded by Freddie and Ollie Carter, which Ollie still owns. OHR has worked in partnership with the Getty Conservation Institute Resources on the AAHPLA project since 2022. The project’s next phase includes expanding the historic preservation framework for African American history in Los Angeles and launching cultural preservation strategies with three local communities: the Central Avenue corridor in Southeast LA, the Venice Oakwood neighborhood, and Pacoima in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. | | | | HistoricPlacesLA Revealed Share Your Ideas for Latino Landmarks!
| Last month, Los Angeles City Planning’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR) launched HistoricPlacesLA Revealed: Latino Los Angeles, a program which will highlight sites that reflect the heritage of Los Angeles’s Latino communities, the city’s largest ethnic/cultural group. City Planning continues to urge Angelenos to contribute stories, photographs, and historical information to this project. The project will install more than 100 physical markers throughout the City highlighting sites that reflect the heritage of Los Angeles’s Latino communities, the city’s largest ethnic/cultural group. The markers will have QR codes linked to multimedia content in HistoricPlacesLA, the City’s online inventory of designated and surveyed historic resources. For more information about the project, or to tell us about an historic Latino site that you think should receive a marker, please visit the webpage for the initiative. | | Climate Vulnerability Assessment Panel at California APA Monterey: Ground Me in Resiliency | | From left to right - Julio Garcia, Executive Director, Rise South City and City Planner Gabriela Juarez | | Los Angeles City Planner Gabriela Juarez recently presented at the American Planning Association California 2025 Conference in Monterey, where she highlighted the Department’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA). The project was presented as part of the session titled “Ground Me in Resiliency,” which showcased community-driven climate planning efforts with meaningful engagement approaches. The panel included representatives from the California Strategic Growth Council (CA SGC), and Yolo County, as well as one of the California Smart Growth Council’s engagement grant recipients, Rise South City, a Community Based Organization (CBO) based in the Bay Area. Gabriela shared the successful approach of the Department’s first ever paid partnerships with key community-based organizations (CBOs) to lead engagement efforts as well as the resulting community designed recommendations for mitigation strategies and resources. | | City Planning joins BPLA at 20th Annual Taste of Soul Festival | | From left to right - Ryan Aubrey, Content Creator Council District 8; Umaymah Rashid, Metro Local Government Community Relations Manager, South LA; Terri Osborne, Planning Deputy Council District 8; Community Member; Hakeem Parke-Davis, Planning Deputy Council District 10; CA State Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas; Joe Luckey, City Planning Associate and BPLA Founder; Pamela Thornton, Planning Deputy Council District 15; Kyle Winston, City Planner and BPLA President; Bryan Walker, Administrative Clerk | | |
Los Angeles City Planning staff joined the Black Planners of Los Angeles (BPLA) at the 20th Annual Taste of Soul Family Festival, an event that transforms Crenshaw Boulevard into a vibrant celebration of more than 300,000 people that connects families with local businesses, resources and entertainment across South Los Angeles. BPLA also welcomed staff from Council Districts 6, 8, 10, and 15 to join their booth at the festival.
This year, BPLA launched “The Urbanist: Black Gamechangers Reshaping Los Angeles,” a new initiative honoring African American leaders whose work has shaped the city’s cultural and physical landscape. The project highlights how identity, place, and lived experience intersect, encouraging community members to recognize their own power in shaping the city’s future.
| | Project applications filed decreased by 3% and completed applications decreased by 13% between August and September 2025. Proposals for affordable housing units decreased by 57%, while the number of affordable units approved by Los Angeles City Planning decreased 24% from 1,178 units in August to 468 units in September. | | | | - The City Council adopted the Boyle Heights Community Plan on Sept. 25, 2024. The plan’s final ordinances were referred to the City Attorney to be finalized.
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- On Sept. 9, 2025, the City Council unanimously approved Wilmington-Harbor City and Harbor Gateway Community Plans.
- The Plans will move into form and legality with the City Attorney’s Office. Upon the completion of the City Attorney’s legal review, the plans will return to the City Council for final adoption.
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- Staff is finalizing draft policy documents for all three Community Plan Updates to release to the public by the end of 2025.
- Updating the StoryMap with revised land uses and draft zoning and starting public outreach in early 2026.
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- City Planning released the 2025 Story Map for each of the four Community Plan Areas, along with an interactive ArcGIS StoryMap and additional supporting materials, available on the program website. The latest drafts incorporate input heard during the many outreach events held in 2024.
- The team is hosting virtual office hours on October 21, 23, 29, and November 5 to continue engagement and answer questions related to the latest draft materials released. To participate, submit an appointment request form here.
- The team is preparing to conduct two virtual scoping meetings later this year.
| | TRANSIT NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS | | | |
- Finalizing the proposed draft Land Use Map for public release in Winter quarter, which will include an interactive web map and feedback survey.
- Analyzing the circulation map and reviewing the zoning districts.
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- Preparing for an information session and public hearing early next year to include detailed General Plan Land Use and Zoning maps. Plan materials to be updated on the project website in coming weeks.
- Work continues on proposed updates to the City’s Enhanced Networks and limited street redesignations in relation to the OLTNP.
| | The building at 901 Abbot Kinney Blvd., cited as the Bay Cities Garage by the LA Conservancy and SurveyLA, has hosted a rich and varied set of creative uses since its initial construction in 1912. It first functioned as a train shed, briefly serving as a funeral parlor before making way for a variety of manufacturing uses that by the Second World War consisted mainly of assembly space for the Evans Products Company. Charles and Ray Eames, the husband and wife duo with backgrounds in architecture and painting, started their office out of just three rooms. Their partnership, the Eames Office, produced furniture, graphics, exhibitions, and films that had a profound influence on mid-century design. From 1943 to 1988, the office grew to occupy the entire building and was widely regarded as the most creative address in the country. Charles died in 1978, and the building was sold upon Ray’s death ten years later. It then became the location of Bright and Associates, an advertising agency that hired the architectural designer Franklin D. Israel to design their offices. Israel kept the Eames influence, immortalizing Ray Eames’ iconic “901” painted sign in a dramatic sweep of bonderized sheet metal. | | |
Several months ago, the City Planning Commission (CPC) approved the construction of a five-story mixed-use structure located at 8620 West 3rd St. in the Wilshire Community Plan Area of Council District 5. The proposed structure will include 18 dwelling units with three units set aside for Very Low Income Households. All 18 units will be one-bedroom units. On the ground and second floors will be medical office space, with the residential units being located throughout the third, fourth and fifth floors of the proposed building. The project will also provide a total of 2,042 square feet of rooftop open space for residents.
Staff Report
| | November City Planning Commission Meetings | | | |
View agendas and future meeting dates for the City Planning Commission (CPC), Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC), and all Area Planning Commissions (APCs) by visiting Commissions, Boards, Hearings.
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CITY PLANNING
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