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Wakeup Call for the Developer’s Dream Package |
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Density Bonus Law
By Leonard J. Shaffer
No one will deny that Los Angeles is in the midst of a housing crisis. We lack affordable housing in all parts of our city.
 The problem, if not addressed today, will continue to grow to a point where it may become totally unmanageable.
SB1818, the state density bonus law, was seen by some as a solution.
Its mandates were meant to force cities throughout California to
formulate plans to deal with the problem. If cities failed to enact
their own ordinances, then the SB1818 provided the route through which
developers could gain various concessions in exchange for providing
affordable housing.
Los Angeles, unfortunately, enacted an ordinance that may actually result in a reduction of affordable housing throughout the city. The ordinance is an attempt to be a "one size fits all" solution in a city with widely varying neighborhoods that have widely varying needs. Its provisions are so generous as to cause many who review them to feel it is nothing more than a developers dream package. Is there anything that we, as Neighborhood Councils can do to help correct this situation?
At its last meeting, the LA Neighborhood Council Coalition hosted speakers who reviewed SB1818 and the Los Angeles Ordinance. At the end of the presentations those present formulated a resolution that we are urging all NCs throughout the city to review and adopt. If enough NCs do so, it will send a strong message to our elected officials that the enabling ordinance must be revisited and revised in order to address many of the problems it creates.
By adopting the resolution NCs will also be urging members of the state legislature to recognize the unique character of Los Angeles by exempting the city from SB1818 if we enact our own comprehensive plan to address the issue of affordable housing. We must also convince Sacramento that Los Angeles can act responsibly when it comes to recognizing the needs of current and future citizens of our city.
Currently, Los Angeles' enabling ordinance may actually result in a reduction of affordable housing units by allowing rent controlled buildings to be replaced by larger complexes with more market rate apartments and fewer low income units. The ordinance must be revised to remove this threat and to make information more accessible to the public.
It is hoped that by allowing Los Angeles to enact local ordinances that seek to accomplish the same result as SB1818 smart density development can take place rather than what will amount to the equivalent of uncoordinated spot zoning.
The LANCC motion is as follows: "To support revising the city's SB1818 enabling Ordinance # 179681 to, among other things, bring it more into conformity with the incentives allowed by SB1818; to provide notice to the public by requesting the filing of an application in all cases even if "by right"; to allow appeals by others in addition to the immediate neighbors, owners or applicants; and to determine that even those developments with out incentives, other than parking, not be considered ministerial. Further, to support the amending of SB1818, California Government Code § 65915, at the state level to exempt from its provisions all charter cities with a population of in excess of 3 million if such cities enact comparable local legislation to incentivize the construction of affordable housing units."
The time to act is now, not six months or a year from today, but now. Our elected officials must know that we recognize there are problems and want solutions that are better for our city and our neighborhoods than the current law.
Contact the LANCC regarding this matter at
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(Leonard J. Shaffer is the Chair of the LA Neighborhood Council Coalition He also served on the NC Review Commission and is President of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council.) _
CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 33
Pub: Apr 22, 2008
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