LA City Council Approves Rezoning Plan Incentivizing Units Along Main Streets, High-Density Areas
In response to state housing mandates that Los Angeles add hundreds of thousands of new housing units, the LA City Council voted Tuesday to spur new development in high-density residential neighborhoods and commercial corridors.
Most of these new units will not be coming to single-family-zoned neighborhoods, despite the concerns of housing advocates. Advocates warned that leaving those areas out would essentially incentivize displacement in those areas and exacerbate existing racial segregation in the city, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The council's 15-0 vote directs the city attorney to draft an ordinance that would create incentives to build market-rate and affordable units meeting the state's requirement that the city adjust zoning to allow for the creation of 255,000 new units by February.
New developments in single-family zones would only receive incentives if a property is owned by a public agency or a faith-based organization, according to the LA Times. Single-family neighborhoods make up nearly three-quarters of the city.
Once written by the city attorney, the ordinance will come back to the full council for a vote.
