Los Angeles City Council adopts growth plans for Hollywood and DTLA

Two plans that will determine how Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles develop over the next two decades were unanimously approved by the L.A. City Council on Wednesday, May 3, marking milestones that were years in the making.

These “community plans” lay out the types of housing or businesses that can be built or operated in an area and are part of a broader vision for citywide population growth, as officials attempt to strike a balance between meeting L.A.’s projected housing needs, including affordable housing, and a desire to ensure economically vibrant neighborhoods.

The Hollywood Community Plan — which had not been updated in 35 years — will allow as many as 35,000 new housing units to be built over the next 20 years and encourage density along transportation corridors. The plan will allow for about 58,000 more residents and bring about 29,000 new jobs to the area, with a focus on media and entertainment industries.

The downtown plan, known as DTLA 2040, is intended to allow up to 100,000 new housing units to support an additional 175,000 residents and create 100,000 new job opportunities through 2040. While it represents just 1% of the city’s land area, downtown L.A. is projected to house 20% of the city’s population growth. It’s also the city’s first community plan to require affordable units be included in all new housing developments.

Councilmember Kevin de León, who had advocated for so-called “inclusionary housing” to ensure that a mix of household incomes are planned for downtown, including low-income residents, praised the plan for addressing affordable housing while protecting the garment industry.

“This plan represents the most ambitious community plan in the history of our city – one that ensures the housing affordability and equity that Los Angeles desperately needs, building a downtown that is for all Angelenos, not just some,” de León said. “This is the first community plan in the city with inclusionary housing, making it the Northstar for the rest of the city.”

Craig Weber, L.A,’s principal city planner, noted during the council meeting that the plans don’t only address growth but offer protections to renters.

Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martínez, all of whom represent parts of Hollywood, had advocated for relocation assistance for renters who may be forced out of their homes and a guarantee that there won’t be a net loss of affordable housing units to make way for new developments. They also sought to extend affordable housing covenants – the agreements between property owners and the city about how long landlords must rent out certain units at below-market rates – ranging from 55 years to 99 years.

“The commitment that we made here was that … we would pass the plan, but there would be commitments – improving tenant protections, extending affordable housing covenants, making more affordability requirements. And this is just the beginning,” Soto-Martínez said. “There’s going to be so much more work that’s going to happen in the coming years to make this city equitable, just and good for working people.”

Regarding the community plan for downtown L.A., a number of garment workers from the Fashion District urged the council to adopt protections to prevent factories from being displaced by new hotels or luxury apartments which they fear would push them out and leave them unemployed.

Last week, the City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) tweaked the proposed DTLA 2040 plan at the request of the garment workers.

But those changes don’t sit well with everyone.

Anthony Rodriguez, executive director of the Los Angeles Fashion District Business Improvement District, told the City Council on Wednesday that there had been no forced displacement of garment workers, citing a current building vacancy rate of 18% in the area. The changes the PLUM committee made to the plan would only restrict what owners can do with their buildings despite a declining demand for manufacturing space, he said.

“Dozens of buildings have transitioned over the years from factories to retail spaces and housing,” Rodriguez said. “These properties no longer had any demand for manufacturing. They transitioned and turned into productive spaces that, in many cases, produced more jobs than they did when they were manufacturing, and many provided housing.”

Nella McOsker, CEO of Central City Association, which represents the interests of businesses, trade organizations and nonprofits downtown, said in a statement following Wednesday’s council vote that many elements of the DTLA 2040 plan are “commendable.” But she also expressed hope that the council would reconsider current restrictions in the downtown plan.

The plan would double the area in downtown L.A. zoned for housing, eliminate requirements for parking, and bolster “adaptive reuse” developments so that old buildings can be repurposed for other uses, she said.

At the same time, McOsker said her association is encouraged that the council requested city staff to report back on how restrictions placed in the Fashion District might impact housing production.

“As a place that welcomes density and serves as a transit hub, it would be a mistake to hinder new housing in Downtown,” she stated.

Although the City Council adopted both the Hollywood and downtown community plans this week, it still needs to adopt ordinances that will allow the plans to be implemented. Those ordinances must  be reviewed by the city attorney’s office before they’re presented to the council, a process that is expected to take six months or longer.