LA Delays State TOD Law to 2030 With its Own, Lower-density Plan

A new California state law requires cities to allow buildings of up to nine stories near transit stations — but cities can opt to delay that requirement until 2030 if they come up with their own version of upzoning, reports Jack Flemming in the Los Angeles Times.

According to Flemming, “On Tuesday, City Council voted to adopt a strategy that would delay the effects of SB 79 city-wide by upzoning 55 single-family and low-density areas, allowing for 4-16 unit buildings up to four stories tall. The 55 areas are mostly located in Central L.A., West L.A., the Eastside and the San Fernando Valley.”

The plan is the least ambitious of three proposals from the Department of City Planning. “The plan adopted Tuesday expands the Opportunity Corridor Transition Area, a provision in the Citywide Housing Incentive Program that incentivizes developers to build small, multi-family housing projects near transit. At the city council meeting, however, critics during public comment pointed out that no housing has actually been built under the provision, so there likely won’t be any built under the newly adopted strategy.”