December 2017

Waiting for a Public Hearing at LA City Council’s Planning and Land-Use Management Committee, February 2018

Essentially, the Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Ordinance will make it easier and less costly to building permanent supportive housing for the currently homeless population.

The PSH:

• reduces parking requirements
• includes a floor area exemption for areas used for supportive services
• includes design standards of facade transparency, landscaping, street orientation and building articulation which promote scale, visual interest, pedestrian orientation, and are clear and easy to follow but with enough room for design freedom.

The proposed PSH will amend the Los Angeles Municipal Code to facilitate the design and construction of more Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) units. It will affect all parcels zoned for multi-family residential in High Quality Transit Areas, as well as, some parcels zoned for Public Facilities. It also establishes regulations that define PSH and project eligibility criteria and establishes unique development standards. The PSH will also facilitate administrative review and modify certain regulations related to height and density, setbacks, transitional height and parking requirements.

December 2017

Waiting for a Public Hearing at LA City Council’s Planning and Land-Use Management Committee, February 2018

The proposed Process and Procedures Amendment Ordinance will cut in half the number of project review processes for gaining entitlements and permits for development projects across the city. It will streamline and clarify the process and consolidate the decision-making pathway for how the City reviews development project proposals, etc. The proposed changes will enable a more consistent standard of review and help safe the City and the project applicant time and money.

We encourage the Department of City Planning to measure time and cost-savings that this new ordinance will deliver to the department so that we can expand the narrative about the benefits of streamlining the development process. We also shares strong support for an Alternative Compliance process, which will enable an applicant to request relief from a development standard if an alternative standard is consistent with the ‘intent’ of he original standard.

December 2017

Signed into law by Mayor Garcetti on December 13, 2017. Phased implementation of the fee begins on April 12, 2018 and reaches 100% of the fee on April 12, 2019.

The Affordable Housing Linkage Fee (AHLF) charges a fee on new development throughout the City of Los Angeles. The fee which will range from $8.00 to $15.00 per square foot for residential development and $3.00 to $5.00 per square foot for commercial development (depending on its location in the city) which will help fund the construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing, as well as, enable the Housing and Community Investment Department (HCIDLA) to extend affordability covenants on existing housing.

Of Note: the calibration threshold for projects that will be exempt from paying it by including affordable housing units. For instance, if a project dedicates at least 40% of the total units for moderate income households, or at least 20% of total units for low income (11% very low income; 8% extremely low income), the project is exempt from paying the fee.