In an effort to get more permanent affordable housing units built, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, Nov. 1, signaled its interest in lifting restrictions on public and city-owned land so that higher-density housing developments can be built where they’re currently not permitted.
In a 14-0 vote, the council instructed the city’s planning department to draft an ordinance to remove current zoning and density restrictions that limit how much housing can be built in “public facilities zones” (PF zones) and on city-owned land in cases where most of a site would be used for “civic purposes and publicly owned permanent affordable housing,” according to a motion the City Council approved.
The ordinance, once drafted, would return to the City Council for a final vote.
Most city properties fall under a land-use zone known as “public facilities.” As it stands, permanent housing built in PF zones can’t exceed the zoning densities of nearby zones – that is, “properties abutting, across the street or alley from, or having a common corner with, the subject property,” according to the motion.
By lifting the restriction, the city could build more permanent affordable housing units than currently permitted on land that it owns — without seeking waivers or exceptions.
The idea is to build on unused or underutilized city properties in areas where greater housing density may be appropriate, such as along commercial corridors or in neighborhoods that already have a mix of development – but not in the middle of single-family residential neighborhoods, according to Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez’s office.
“There are vacant and underutilized public lots all over the city where we can be, and should be, building affordable housing,” the councilmember said in a statement. “We’re not talking about transforming entire neighborhoods – we’re simply looking to cut the red tape that has led us into this housing and homelessness…
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