Senate Bill 79 Mapping Work to Begin in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles City Council is moving toward complying with California’s new state-mandated transit-oriented development law.

The City Council earlier this week voted unanimously to approve a set of recommendations that kicks off the city’s work to comply with SB 79, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. The transit-area housing law is slated to take effect next July.

City staff are now authorized to begin detailed mapping and modeling of where SB 79’s new density and height standards would be permitted. The Department of City Planning will do so by getting software and technical support for the effort, while the City Administrative Officer has been directed to find up to $375,000 in General Fund money for the citywide analysis. The visualization effort is being billed as a way to help officials determine which parts of town could qualify for delayed implementation of the law, as well as where a locally tailored alternative plan could increase density in certain areas rather than others.

Under SB 79, signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, California cities must allow mid- to high-density housing within a half-mile of certain rail stations and major bus routes. In Los Angeles, about 150 locations could be eligible under the law.

SB 79 comes with two methods of determining how the law can be implemented.

“Delay in effectuation” allows for a temporary pause that the city can use in certain areas deemed eligible. The “transit-oriented development (TOD) alternative plan,” or “Alt Plan,” permits the city to move where dense projects can be built as long as housing capacity isn’t decreased. The city is tasked with extensive modeling and securing state approval under both methods.

Both options have their own limits, some planning officials have warned. Many low-density neighborhoods with increased access to jobs and schools will likely not qualify for the delay. Alt Plans, meanwhile, present the issue of identifying another place to build if developers opt to reduce capacity on certain parcels.

City officials plan to present initial findings for the effort early next year. Any delay ordinance or Alt Plans must be submitted to the state housing department in the first quarter in order for them to take effect before SB 79 kicks in on July 1.

— Chris Malone Méndez