Los Angeles has collaborated with architects and developers to create design guidelines for the city’s Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance. Read on to find out what is in store for builders and property investors.
A response to LA’s housing crisis
The city adopted the ordinance in 2005 to improve housing density and increase homeownership. It allows builders to construct single-family residences (SFRs) on small lots that have been zoned for multi-family properties.
The ordinance is one of the city’s numerous attempts to increase inventory and mitigate California’s housing crisis.
However, the absence of design guidelines has given way to real estate developments that are out of step with the dominant aesthetics of LA’s neighborhoods. These home are out of step with the neighborhoods’ architectural character and visual cohesion have received criticism from residents.
There have been complaints that the ordinance places more emphasis on quantity than quality, citing the loss of green spaces and city views due to recent small-lot projects.
Residents have also objected to developers replacing low-income housing with expensive small-lot properties that existing residents can’t afford, adding to widespread gentrification in the city.
New design guidelines
Amendments to the ordinance will help ensure that new SFRs are compatible with a neighborhood’s overall character, as well as local zoning laws.
Small lot projects must now comply with design standards for the following:
- Building orientation
- Primary entryways
- Façade articulation
- Roofline variation
- Building modulation
- Pedestrian pathways
- Landscaping
- Common areas and open spaces
Small lot subdivisions must subject themselves to these design standards by way of the Administrative Clearance process.
City Planning has issued a working draft of their new design standards for test implementation.
The establishment of these design standards is an important step towards boosting housing inventory without neglecting the aesthetic integrity of LA’s neighborhoods.
Other policy updates
Code amendment – This will require small-lot projects to have larger front and rear yard setbacks. They must also have larger setbacks if they adjoin single-family residential zones and restrictive zones. It will also limit small lot subdivisions in R2 or two-family dwelling zones as well as impose design standards on said developments.
Additionally, this component will create a process for the division of land for existing dwellings and small-lot developments like bungalow courts.
Map standards – These standards are meant to update map provisions for small lots. They will cover all walkways and common access driveways, vehicular guest parking, maintenance agreements, utility easements and on-site trash pickup.
These new components will be consolidated with existing small lot design guidelines to create a Small Lot Guide, which will include case studies and best practices. This guide will be made available online.
City Planning presented the draft for the amendment and design standards for public review in January 2016, organizing public hearings and open houses at various locations in LA to gather input.
The draft of the code amendment was approved in August 2016, while the draft ordinance with clarifying language was approved in January 2017.
Collaborative ordinances such as these will help the local government garner support and promote development, helping them strike a healthy balance between the needs of both new and existing LA residents.
