Starting Wednesday, Los Angeles as well as California’s largest metropolitan areas are allowed to build more homes and apartment buildings up to six stories tall near transit hubs — even if the neighborhoods were previously classified as single-family zones.
After Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 79 into law to boost the construction of affordable housing, housing permitting and inspection will be expedited with the new law overriding local restrictions.
For example, neighborhoods that are at least half a mile from frequently used Metro lines will effectively lose single-family zones.
Supporters of the “YIMBY” or “Yes, in my backyard” law have said having affordable housing units within a mile of bus or subway transit spots will allow working-class Californians to safely commute to and from work.
“All Californians deserve an affordable place to live – close to jobs, schools and opportunities,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement last year. “Housing near transit means shorter committed, lower costs and more time with family.”
According to the new estimation map released by the city’s planning department, the neighborhoods that will be impacted include those near Hollywood, Lankershim, Wilshire, Crenshaw and Atlantic boulevards. Some 150 transit stops and transit corridors have been greenlit for the communities for mid-rise development.
Matthew Lewis of California Yimby told NBC Los Angeles the law technically legalizes a million homes up and down the state, but it’ll take time.
“This will take place over the next five to ten years,” Lewis said. “I’m sure we will see several dozen projects in the next two to three years.”
NBC4’s Political Reporter Conan Nolan speaks with Kristine Guerrero, an opponent of SB 79. Guerrero, who is with the League of California Cities, says the bill does not prioritize building affordable housing. She calls the legislation a Sacramento power-grab that will take away local control.
In a rare dissent from Newsom’s leadership, Los Angeles city and county officials had vehemently opposed SB 79, calling it an effort to “hijack” local planning and accusing the state department of big-footing the local governments.
The Los Angeles City Council last year passed a resolution to formally oppose the bill in a 8-to-5 vote. It was later approved by Mayor Karen Bass.
Former LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky long opposed the law, saying the state legislature does not understand local cities well enough to enforce the measure.
“They don’t know the difference between Highland Park and Canoga Park,” Yaroslavsky said. “And they are making sweeping zoning changes and imposing them on the city. That’s not how it should be done.”
Critics like Yaroslavsky have argued the law was put together and pushed by corporate real estate, and it will negatively impact neighborhoods that have been protected for decades.
“Do you rip up Cheviot Hills because it’s near a transit stop? Historic zones, architectural preservation — forget about it, just build,” he said.
Housing advocates are now focusing their attention on new legislation designed to help streamline permitting for high-rise housing in downtown Los Angeles.