LA City Council wants to make it easier to build affordable housing on city land

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 crisis.”

Soto-Martínez introduced the motion along with Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson in September. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Heather Hutt.

Currently, building at a higher density than the land is zoned for requires waivers, housing density bonuses or other approvals.

“That is something that requires extra hearings, extra steps, extra paperwork,” said Nick Barnes-Batista, spokesperson for Soto-Martínez. By eliminating some of the red tape, he said, a developer could shave up to six months off a project’s timeline.

But, he said, there would still be opportunities for public input on such proposed projects.

Jeff Kalban, chair of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee and a board member of United Neighbors, a coalition of neighborhoods, said he supports making it easier to build more affordable housing in parts of town where higher density is appropriate, as long as it’s done with “smart” planning.

He said he would withhold further judgment on Wednesday’s City Council action until an ordinance is drafted, so he can see how such a policy would be implemented.

“Conceptually, it’s absolutely the right thing to do,” Kalban said about the approved motion. “You want to build on city property and try to get affordable housing in there.”

Kalban said there are numerous city-owned vacant properties throughout L.A. and suggested that some near schools could be converted into affordable housing for teachers.

The Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles (ACT-LA) supports the motion. In a letter to the City Council this week, the alliance stated that Angelenos face “an unprecedented housing crisis.”

“In resolving this crisis,” ACT-LA said, “we must approach the problem from all angles, including strategic opportunities for the development of new, deeply affordable housing.”