AIA|LA Urban Design Committee – Vertical Shared Access Reform

AIA|LA Urban Design Committee presents…

Vertical Shared Access Reform

The AIA Los Angeles Urban Design Committee and The Livable Communities Initiative are pleased to invite you to an evening of discourse surrounding the push for Vertical Shared Access Reform (aka only requiring a single egress stair in housing projects over three stories) currently underway in the California State Legislature. A panel discussion will probe the benefits offered by single-stair structures with a variety of viewpoints from the fields of architecture, urban planning, policy, and community development. This roundtable conversation will take place in a lovely domestic garden setting, with snacks and refreshments to be provided.

Speakers:

Frances Anderton, Hon. AIA|LA – Public Director, AIA Los Angeles & Author, Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles
Gerhard W. Mayer, AIA – Partner, Mayer Architects
Eduardo Mendoza – Policy Director, Livable Communities Initiative
David Pearson, AIA – Partner, PALO
Lindsay Sturman – Co-Founder, Livable Communities Initiative

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More about the program…..

California currently requires two stairwells in all multi-family buildings above 3 stories. This precaution limits the development of new housing by making it difficult to build high-density projects on small or constrained sites. Single-stair structures are permissible in other jurisdictions along the West Coast, most notably in Seattle, and single-stair legislation is currently working its way through the California Legislature in the form of Assembly Bill No. 835 (Lee). This event will discuss the benefits of reforming the current codes to allow for taller, denser, and more efficient buildings with a single means of egress – as is common in many countries around the world – and the ways in which these buildings might support more densely populated, pedestrian friendly, and livable communities in Los Angeles.

Recently, AB 835 passed the Assembly floor on 5/30/23 by a 63-0 vote and now heads to the State Senate for consideration. The specifics of this effort have been comprehensively summarized by CA YIMBY on their website, and are excerpted below:

“AB 835 will help expand the production of more affordable, family-sized apartments and flats by making it legal to build these types of homes on smaller and unusually-sized properties in our cities. By directing the State Fire Marshal to research and develop standards for “single stairway,” multi-family buildings, AB 835 will make it possible to build a wider variety of homes at a lower cost.” – Author: Lee (D, AD 24)

Please join the AIA Los Angeles Urban Design Committee and the Livable Communities Initiative for a night of discourse surrounding the push for Vertical Shared Access Reform with some of the people who have helped to shape AB 835 and who are working towards creating a more livable Los Angeles.

This event is being generously hosted by Lindsay Sturman at 231 S. Plymouth Blvd. on Thursday, July 13th from 7 pm – 9 pm.

Light refreshments will be served in a lovely domestic garden setting. We hope to see you there!

Parking & Transit:

AIA|LA encourages everyone to walk, bike, or ride METRO.

If that’s not possible, parking is available on nearby neighborhood streets.  Please observe street signs and parking restrictions.

BIOS:

Frances Anderton – Public Director, AIA Los Angeles & Author, Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles

Frances Anderton is the author of Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles, published by Angel City Press. She co-produced 40 Years of Building Community, a short film about the nonprofit housing developer Community Corporation of Santa Monica. For many years Anderton hosted KCRW’s DnA: Design and Architecture radio show, and produced the current affairs shows Which Way, LA? And To The Point. She writes a regular newsletter for KCRW and she consults on programming at Helms Bakery District. Honors include the Esther McCoy Award, from the Architectural Guild of USC School of Architecture, for her work educating the public about architecture and urbanism. Her book Common Ground has been shortlisted for a Foreword Reviews NonFiction Book award. 

Gerhard W. Mayer, AIA – Partner, Mayer Architects

Gerhard W. Mayer has 25 years of experience in a wide variety of project types, both large and small, on four continents. Among others, Gerhard designed and built hotels, movie studios, airport buildings, educational buildings, shopping malls, a semi conductor FAB for AMD, and multiple residential and mixed use infill projects locally. Gerhard was part of Frank O. Gehry’s office for 8 years.

Eduardo Mendoza – Policy Director, Livable Communities Initiative

Eduardo Mendoza is the policy director for the Livable Communities Initiative and a professional city planner based in Los Angeles. He is an active member of Santa Monica Forward and the Parking Reform Network. Mendoza received his Master’s in Planning from the USC’s Price School of Public Policy. He is a current board member for Abundant Housing Los Angeles c(3) and c(4). Previously Mendoza acted as the Board Chair for Inclusive Santa Monica, and Board Chair for the Transportation & Equity, and Elections committees for the Palms Neighborhood Council. Mendoza is also a demographer who has worked with Children’s Hospital Foundation, Lucile Packard Foundation, Haynes Foundation and whose work has been featured on publications such as Cityscape, and Slate Magazine.

David Pearson, AIA – Partner, PALO

David co-founded PALO to integrate architecture and landscape with a development mindset. He is actively involved in the Urban Land Institute, the AIA and academia and works to shape both policy and design thinking around housing and the urban environment.

Lindsay Sturman – Co-Founder, Livable Communities Initiative

Lindsay is the Co-Founder of the Livable Communities Initiative and a housing, transportation and bike activist. She is also the Co-Host of the podcast Bike Talk.

AIA Los Angeles Urban Design Committee:

Jonathan Rieke, AIA – Project Leader, West of West & Chair, AIA|LA Urban Design Committee

Jonathan is a Project Leader at West of West, with experience ranging from residential interiors to large-scale ground-up development projects. He is a registered architect in California, Michigan, and Ohio and has previously worked as a designer for several award-winning firms including The Los Angeles Design Group, Bjarke Ingels Group, and Morphosis Architects. Jonathan has held academic positions at the University of Southern California, The Ohio State University, and Kent State University where he was the Schidlowski Emerging Faculty Fellow. Jonathan received his Master of Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where he was awarded the James Templeton Kelley Prize for best graduate thesis, and his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from The Ohio State University.