Land Use Report – March 2021
Land Use Report – March 2021
POLICY
City Measures:
CF 09-0969-S3 “Comprehensive Fee Update” – Cost recovery recommendation from CAO to PLUM / Council now includes an increase for FILING AN APPEAL from the current $86 to proposed $ 16,000 fee (!) – significantly increased from the original recommended increase to $ 158. Two attorney letters were filed in opposition to the recommendation at PLUM’s March 2nd hearing. The item was continued until April 6th. CIS Statements needed.
CF21-0035 Rent Stabilization Ordinance Units / One-to-One Replacement/Affordable Housing at Council 3-3-21. Instruct DCP, in consultation with the City Attorney, to report on the creation of a Citywide one-to-one replacement Ordinance for RSO units, with an analysis of replacing the units on site and having the developer pay into a fund, as well as its impact on existing inclusionary housing programs. Approved in PLUM 2-16-21.
CF20-0995 Short Term Rental Ordinances / Short Term Rental Companies/Implementation and Enforcement at Council 3-03-21. Request for report on the progress of implementing and enforcing the City’s Short Term Rental Ordinances; and advise if more remedies are needed to ensure Short Term Rental companies and users abide by established law. Approved in PLUM 2-16-21. Original motion made 8-11-20 (What happened since then?)
CF17-0893 Temporary Signs / Vacant Lots / Los Angeles Municipal Code / Ordinance Amendment
In PLUM. Reports received to file 2-17 relative to an amended proposed ordinance and revised Categorical Exemption regarding temporary signs on temporary construction walls and on solid wood fences surrounding vacant lots. Continued to April 6. The majority of proposed amendments are good. HOWEVER, there is one change that is problematic. Under the guise of needing to have “graffiti abatement” on temporary construction walls where businesses are in operation on a property, the revised language would ALLOW advertising on temporary wall signs or barricades on properties where there are businesses IN OPERATION. One could argue that if there are businesses in operation on the property then it is the businesses or landlord’s responsibility to maintain both the property and the construction site. These are not properties unoccupied and unseen. They have people coming and going; thus, they should bear the responsibility of upkeep of their property. The measure would now allow for advertisement placement on the required construction barricades rationalizing it by saying that the participation in the temporary wall program will expend the area of required graffiti abatement to What it does is trade off the continued advertising blight in exchange for periodic graffiti maintenance adjacent to the site (which may already be handled by other agencies). There was a WLA location where the temporary wall signs were lighted with a noisy power generator hidden behind the wall. Lighting of these signs should be prohibited.
CF 11-1705 Sign Ordinance was considered at CPC Feb. 25th. The Commission voted to reject the changes made by the Council’s PLUM Committee and ratified their former support of Version B+ by voting to advance Version B+ to Council (once again). Commissioners Ambroz and Perlman, both members of the Commission in 2015 when the measure was last before that body led the discussion with many comments related to the negative impacts of digital billboards. However, the Commission did not address new issues that were considered by PLUM (such as the placement of billboards on public property). The measure will now return to Council.
CF 21-0039: Capital Improvement Expenditure Plan / Infrastructure Conditions / Equity / Low-Income Communities of Color. Council {President Martinez’s measure that includes the following: COVID-19 and the nationwide protests this summer in the wake of the murder of George Floyd have brought an emphasis on equity. One of the most pronounced ways in equity is visible in the City of Los Angeles is through public infrastructure and services. Wealthy, often white communities, benefit from regular street sweeping, smooth sidewalks, tree trimming, street lighting, and other public services and amenities. These communities often take these amenities for granted and are often unaware of that many parts of the city suffer from decades of neglect and have an incredibly degraded public spaces and infrastructure with rutted streets, cracked or unpaved sidewalks, no regular street sweeping, and deteriorating parks and recreation centers. http://clkrep.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2021/21-0039_mot_01-12-2021.pdf
Planning Department Updates:
City Planning Updated Hearing Notice Requirement (applies to new project applications that have paid their BTC mailing fees on or after 2-8-21): DCP is in the process of finalizing an update to its hearing notice templates. The Department’s new public hearing notice will have a dynamic look to create an engaging, flexible design that present information in an approachable format that is easier for the public to read and understand. In addition to the reorganization of information, some notable features of the updated template include:
–The general removal of the mailing envelope to facilitate quicker access to the hearing notice info.
–An integrated map of the subject site that clearly identifies where the project is located.]
–An integrated visual image of the proposed project. This image can range from a project’s proposed floor plan to its elevations, or submitted rendering.
To facilitate this change, DCP is updating its case filing instructions to require the submission of an electronic map of the subject site at filing time. The specific requirements ask that applicants provide a high-resolution electronic file of a map of the subject site in JPEG format measuring 3.75”x8” at 300 dpi.
–The proposed project site shall be outlined and located at the center of the map.
–The map must be zoomed in to show at least two labeled, adjacent streets.
–Unlike the required Radius Map, this map shall only outline the project site and not any additional properties that are owned by the owner. For example, if the project is a tenant space in a shopping center, only the tenant space should be outlined and not the entire shopping center.
–The map may identify surrounding parcels and uses.
–The project’s Radius Map may be used as a baseline map; however, it must meet all of the specifications as described above and shall not include the radius lines.
–Do not use a satellite image as a map of the site, as these images can often be outdated.
CF 20-15-2036 –STAP /Streets LA program update: An interactive map of first year bus shelter and PAK upgrade locations (digital shelters) and for new bus shelters and is now available on line.
Note that some locations appear to place digital items on protected corridors that do not allow for digital signage.
From the Mayor’s office:
Launch of the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Standard Plan Program — a new initiative administered by Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) that offers builders and homeowners a variety of pre-approved ADU building plans and designs to allow for faster and less expensive permitting. ADUs now comprise 22% of newly-permitted housing units. The ADU Standard Plan Program gives homeowners access to 20 pre-approved design options from 10 different firms. By choosing from one of the pre-approved layouts, homeowners can now reduce the LADBS plan check review process from 4 to 6 weeks to as little as one day.
Building off the rising interest in ADUs, the City has continued to explore ways to reduce the time associated with securing ADU permits to bolster L.A.’s affordable housing stock. Mayor Garcetti launched the L.A. ADU Accelerator in fall of 2019 to allow homeowners to rent their accessory dwelling units to older adults facing housing insecurity in exchange for benefits such as tenant screening, timely rent, and landlord support.
For more information about the program and its participants, please visit the website, here.
LA ADU Accelerator for Tenants has partnered with ONEGeneration to provide support services to the program’s older adult tenants. The LA ADU Accelerator Program is looking for tenants who are cooperative, embody the spirit of sharing, are responsible and respectful, and open to having proactive dialogue with landlords and program staff.
If you are an older adult in need of housing or other support services, please reach out to ONEGeneration at (818) 708 – 6617 or complete this Tenant Interest Form and a representative from ONEGeneration will get back to you. Learn more HERE
Department of City Planning: Supporting Economic Recovery Through Planning
March 18th, 12pm. Agenda RSVP
City Planning has reallocated existing resources to identify ways to put our communities first. While no single initiative can rebuild Los Angeles’s economy in the aftermath of COVID-19, the Code Studies section would like to introduce a few new policy proposals that may aid in recovery and also serve as an example of the work we do within the City Planning Department.
We invite you and your members to attend, and look forward to creating a forum for future discussions on how best to engage with a broad cross section of business interests within the City.
The LA Green New Deal Learn how to be part of the Green New Deal with this toolkit available for Neighborhood Councils and the public. https://plan.lamayor.org/neighborhood-council/neighborhood_council.html
LOCAL PROJECTS being tracked
Wally’s – Westwood Blvd.: Project has been presented twice to WSSM HOA community and developer is in the process of revising plans to incorporate some commercial activity on the ground floor in addition to tiering of rear of building’s higher floors. There has been good conversation and response thus far and it is expected that new renderings of the project will be provided to WSSM and WNC for consideration for April board meetings.
Cloud Kitchen- 2352-56 Sepulveda Blvd.: Project is winding its way through Dept. of Building and Safety review without acknowledgement of issues related to the type of business and its compatibility with adjacent uses or its potential impacts on traffic and circulation in the area. Attempts to engage with project reps have not been responded to in a timely or transparent manner.
Santa Monica Blvd. – Conversion of existing office building to office condo project. Contacts with project rep ongoing. Potential issue related to uses of offices and whether adequate parking exists for a mix of users that includes medical uses (which require parking in addition to traditional office uses).
Bentley Ave. new apartment construction project – Plans just received.
EVENTS OF INTEREST:
LA Business Council: Mayoral Housing, Transportation & Jobs Summit – “A summit focused on addressing the mounting affordable housing and congestion crisis and their effect on businesses and employment in the L.A. region” held Feb. 19, 2021. The entire proceedings can be viewed at: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsO8j0hz588. Includes panels on: Scaling Cost-effective, Replicable & Streamlined Housing Solutions, An Equitable Economic Recovery, Developing a Bicameral Housing & Homeless State Policy Agenda (featuring panelists Scott Wiener and David Chiu – comments on the legislative year last year re: housing debate and looking forward, on holding local governments responsible for homelessness, got to streamline for ) moderated by Darrell Steinberg), On Evicted: Poverty & Profit in the American City (featuring Holly Mitchell and Dr. Matthew Desmond), Investing in Active & Public Transportation Infrastructure, Moving Toward a Comprehensive Strategy for Homelessness (featuring Mike Feuer (how much authority can Judge Carter take? vs. the need for the City to take action on its own, the need for key metrics and a goal for eliminating homelessness within 5 years, that leaders should govern), Mike Bonin (speaking on/advocating for an “invevitable” consent decree and that we should stop putting off the inevitable on homelessness (or face a receivership,)), Kevin de Leon (on having a northstar goal number) and Mark Ridley-Thomas (noting removal of 207/day homeless off the streets with the addition of 227/homeless/day), advocating for AB71 which would create a statewide annual dedicated funding stream for homeless issues). Keynote speakers during the day included: Mayor Garcetti, Emile Haddad (Chairman/CEO of FivePoint), Toni Atkins, Anthony Rendon, Maxine Waters. Agenda can be viewed at: https://labusinesscouncil.org/events/mayoral-housing-transportation-jobs-summit/.
TRANSPORTATION – RELATED ARTICLE OF INTEREST / Issues/Survey
Congestion Pricing/”Traffic Reduction”
Metro considers congestion pricing for DTLA, I-10 Freeway, Santa Monica Mountains
The pilot program would not begin until 2025 at the earliest
Four locations are being studied for a congestion pricing pilot program that will consider implementation via:
VMT pricing, where a fee is charged per mile driven by a vehicle;
Cordon pricing, in which a fee is charged for entering a certain area; and
Corridor pricing, where fees are charged for access to heavily-trafficked roads or highways.
The four locations are:
- Santa Monica Mountains via tolling on freeways and parallel roadways to reduce congestion/manage traffic 1a) between I-405 and I-5 or 1b) between US 101 & I-5
NOTE: Metro has already received funds under Measure M to expand its ExpressLanes network to
the carpool lanes of the 405.
- Downtown LA Freeway: This could include the 101, the 5, and the 10 – while also adding other transportation improvements to the area. Alternatively, a cordon could be implemented around the perimeter of Downtown, where drivers would be charged to enter.
- Downtown LA
- I-10 Freeway west of Downtown
Metro Board will vote this summer on which concept to continue studying – a process which would continue through Spring 2022. At that point, the Board would then decide on whether to implement a pilot program in partnership with one or more cities. Should the Board of Directors vote to implement a pilot, Metro would be required to seek federal and state approvals for the project, which would be launched in 2025.
METRO Traffic Reduction Study Fact Sheet: http://media.metro.net/2020/TRS-Fact-Sheet-Summer-2020.pdf
METRO Online Feb 10 public outreach meeting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb5AHxohmpg
CALTRANS ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN SURVEY – Walking and biking near and along state routes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb5AHxohmpg
LAND USE – RELATED ARTICLES AND LINKS OF INTEREST
Article reports on “the increasing popularity in the $3.4 trillion SFR market, which has seen exponential growth over the past year as COVID-19 has disrupted migration patterns. Build-for-rent properties, a sub-segment of SFR that are purpose-built housing to be operated as single-family rental investments, currently make up about 10% of new home construction. “
https://www.sfchronicle.com/local-politics/article/San-Francisco-offered-permanent-housing-to-15994868.phpReferences /
Article from Urbanize LA written by Abundant Housing Director of Policy that describes Abundant Housing position on housing, priorities for placement of housing, etc.: https://urbanize.city/la/post/op-ed-one-year-fix-housing-la?utm_source=Urbanize+LA+Newsletter&utm_campaign=01502c9d60-URBANIZE_WEEKLY_2018_04_16_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f2c8779a36-01502c9d60-199394433
https://citywatchla.com/index.php/cw/los-angeles/21343-chiu-wiener-attack-left-right-pincers-on-housing Chiu-Wiener Attack ‘Left-Right Pincers’ on Housing, Zelda Bronstein , Citywatch – 08 March 2021. Within the article are links to a recorded program/conversation between state Assemblymembers Ting and Chiu and State Senators Scott Wiener and Nancy Skinner on housing issues: https://www.spur.org/events/2021-03-02/view-sacramento-evening-legislative-leaders. The article also has a link to Assemblymember Kamlager’s statement when she voted to oppose SB 1120.
Groundbreaking video about two WLA VA properties to create housing in two existing structures (Building 205 and 208) on the VA property for homeless VA supportive housing. Enhanced lease project to be used to provide 120 units in the next year and a half. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx6-b3qEKrw Project HHH supported project, with Step up on Second, VA, Shangrila Housing and veteran assistance groups.