DTLA 2040 rezoning plan advances to City Council

To add residential units, proposal upzones for dense housing near transit, abolishes parking requirements

(iStock)
(iStock)

A comprehensive rezoning plan for Downtown Los Angeles that anticipates 175,000 new residents and 100,000 new jobs is headed to the City Council.

The City Planning Commission amended and approved the draft DTLA 2040 plan, sending it to the Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee for consideration, according to Urbanize.

DTLA 2040 includes upzoning for dense housing near transit, project height minimums in some areas, and would abolish parking requirements altogether.

The fate of Skid Row has been a matter of contention in debates over the long-range plan. The version approved by the Planning Commission bars any new housing there except for deed-restricted affordable housing.

Some advocates want that zoning extended beyond its proposed boundaries in the current plan.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

DTLA 2040 would replace the Transfer of Floor Area Rights program with a base-bonus system. The TFAR program essentially allowed developers to buy density from other parcels to boost density on large development projects.

A base-bonus system would allow developers to secure additional floor area in exchange for on-site public benefits including affordable housing and public open space, according to Urbanize.

The Planning Commission made a handful of changes to the DTLA 2040 plan before sending it to the Council.
In the base-bonus system, commissioners removed density bonuses in exchange for moderate-income housing and mandated 99-year affordability covenants for affordable housing.

[Urbanize] — Dennis Lynch