In a narrow vote, the city council voted to oppose SB79, a bill that would bypass local zoning laws to allow denser development near transit stops.
After a contentious debate, the Los Angeles City Council voted against supporting a proposed state bill that would let developers build projects up to six stories within a quarter-mile of rapid transit stops.
As David Wagner explains in LAist, city leaders oppose bills like Senate Bill 79 that they argue take too much decision-making power away from local authorities in favor of state preemption.
Some council members wanted to support the bill, saying it would ease the city’s housing crisis and boost transit ridership. In a recent update to its housing plan, Los Angeles left the 72 percent of its residential land zoned for single-family homes untouched by zoning reform. “An analysis from the advocacy group Streets for All, which supports SB 79, found that 45% of the land surrounding L.A.’s ‘high-quality transit stops’ is zoned for single-family homes, duplexes, or parking lots.”
According to Wagner, “L.A. currently is falling far short of achieving its state-mandated goal of planning for nearly a half-million new homes by 2029.” At the rate it is permitting new housing — 17,200 new units in 2024 — it would have to permit three times as many homes to meet the 2029 goal.
FULL STORY: LA City Council narrowly votes to oppose state bill allowing more housing near public transit
LA Delays State TOD Law to 2030 With its Own, Lower-density Plan
SB 79 allows cities to delay its implementation if they come up with alternate plans to boost density while retaining local control near transit.
LA delays state housing mandate with 'low-rise ordinance'
The new ordinance allows the city to delay implementing SB 79, a state law requiring more density near transit.
California Gives 15 Cities ‘Final Warning’ to Submit Mandatory Housing Plans
Communities are required to produce housing elements that accommodate sufficient housing for all income levels.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association