Tuesday, August 7
Unanimous vote on the Greater Downtown Incentive bonus ordinanceThe City Council says yes to freer rules on density in Downtown Los Angeles.
LAT
The ordinance encourages developers to build high-rises without leaving space between the buildings, allows them to reduce the size of lobbies and other communal areas, lets them build closer to sidewalks and makes it legal to build extremely small units.
Developers who reserve 15% of their units for low-income residents are now exempt from open-space requirements and can make their buildings 35% larger than current zoning codes allow.
The vote is a major victory for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others who have argued that Los Angeles needs significantly denser zoning to keep up with demand for housing. The city is in the midst of a building boom that has seen high-density housing projects rise in downtown as well as Century City, Mid-Wilshire, West L.A. and pockets of the San Fernando Valley.
Anita Nelson, executive Director SRO Housing Corporation ,on the steps of the County Kenneth Hahn building , jubilant after the board of supervisors approve loan for the James Woods Apartments on 5th Street.
