The Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act will go into effect July 1, and aims to create 1.5 million new units, but ordinances in Los Angeles could limit its impact on certain areas in the city.<\/p>\n
In an attempt to address the housing shortage in California, state legislators have passed The Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, which will allow new developments to be built around major transit stops and will go into effect on July 1.<\/p>\n
The new law overrides local regulations that have previously prohibited certain developments, allowing developers to build taller apartment buildings between six and nine stories tall, permitting up to 1.5 million new units to be built, according to the Los Angeles Times.<\/p>\n
The range of height levels is determined by the tier that each type of transportation falls under, and the proposed building\u2019s proximity to it. Tier 1 includes heavy and very high frequency commuter rails that make 72 or more trips per day, such as the L.A. Metro B and D lines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The act says buildings adjacent to Tier 1 transit stops may be up to nine stories tall, buildings within a quarter-mile may be seven stories and buildings within a half-mile may be six stories, according to the L.A. Times.<\/p>\n
Tier 2 includes light rails and high-frequency commuter rails that make 48 or more trips per day, such as the A, C, E and K lines, as well as bus rapid transit stations and certain bus lanes. Buildings near Tier 2 can only be between five and eight stories, according to the L.A. Times.<\/p>\n
These regulations will only apply to counties with at least 15 passenger rail stations, which include: Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sacramento.<\/p>\n
Though the effects of the law will be widespread across the state, it seems it could be the most transformative in Los Angeles, which has about 150 transit stops covered by the law, according to the L.A. Times.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, cities are able to delay the law from taking full effect until 2030 if they adopt an alternative plan for housing expansion. The L.A. City Council has previously opposed the measure, saying the law undermines local government processes, according to the L.A. Times. According to LAist, LA Mayor Karen Bass had asked Gov. Gavin Newsom last year to veto the law for the same reasons.<\/p>\n
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On June 3, the City Council voted to limit the impact of the law with a \u201cLow-Rise Ordinance\u201d that allows only buildings of up to four stories tall to be built in 57 areas within L.A., deemed to be historical, at high risk of fires or economically \u201clow resource,\u201d according to LAist.<\/p>\n