LA may allow taller buildings for homeless residences on city land

Los Angeles may allow taller apartment complexes for homeless residents on public land.

The City Council voted to have the city’s Planning Department draft an ordinance to strip zoning and size restrictions that limit how much permanent supportive housing can be constructed on city-owned land, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

In planning speak, that means removing current zoning and density restrictions that limit how much housing can be built in “public facilities zones” and city-owned land in cases where most of a site would be used for “civic purposes and publicly owned permanent affordable housing,” according to the approved motion.

The ordinance, once drafted, would return to the council for a final vote. The amount of city-owned land available to build affordable housing for homeless residents was undisclosed.

The city doesn’t allow homeless housing built on city land to exceed the zoning limits of the properties next door, across the street or alley, or having a common corner, according to the motion.

By lifting the restriction, the city could build more permanent affordable housing units than now on land that it owns, with less red tape. Building at a higher density than the land is zoned for requires waivers, housing density bonuses or other approvals. 

Councilman Hugo Soto-Martínez, who introduced the motion with Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, said the idea is to build on unused or underused city properties in areas where greater housing density may be appropriate. 

That means building along commercial corridors or areas with a mix of development, and not in single-family neighborhoods, he said.

“There are vacant and underutilized public lots all over the city where we can be, and should be, building affordable housing,” Soto-Martínez 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.”

Jeff Kalban, chair of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, said he supports making it easier to build more affordable housing where higher density is appropriate, as long as it’s done “smart.”

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

“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.”

— Dana Bartholomew

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