Residential single-family neighborhoods remain protected against
zoning changes under plans approved by the City Council on Dec. 10. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The full Los Angeles City Council approved a component of the Housing Element on Dec. 10 as one of the final hurdles in getting state approval by the Feb. 12, 2025, deadline.

The council voted unanimously on the Citywide Housing Incentive Program Ordinance, also known as CHIP, approving a version that allows housing to be built along major street corridors and in some communities with mixed zoning regulations, while excluding single-family neighborhoods. Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, 4th District, sought an amendment that would have expanded areas that housing could be built, including some portions of single-family zoned neighborhoods, but the amendment was voted down 10-5. Councilmembers Raman, Eunisses Hernandez, 1st District; Ysabel Jurado, 14th District; Curren Price, 9th District; and Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, 8th District; voted in favor of Raman’s amendment. The council then approved the final Housing Element motion by a unanimous 15 votes.

The housing element is a plan required by the state of California outlining where the city plans to build housing through 2029. Los Angeles was required to submit a plan that accommodates at least 255,432 new units of housing. The CHIP ordinance will come before the council one final time in January on second-reading and will be submitted to the state. City planning officials said at a Nov. 18 council committee meeting that the department has already received an indication from the state that the plan will satisfy requirements.

The full council’s approval was applauded by residents of single-family neighborhoods who believe alternative plans could threaten the character of communities.

“I think the council absolutely did the right thing,” said Cindy Chvatal-Keane, president of the Hancock Park Homeowners Association and a member of United Neighbors, a coalition of communities citywide that oppose changes to zoning in single-family neighborhoods. “This is something that has been studied and weighed-in on by neighborhoods all over the city. The Planning Department came up with a plan, the Planning Commission approved the plan, the City Council’s PLUM Committee approved the plan and now the full council has approved the plan. I’m very happy with the outcome.”

Some supporters of creating housing in more areas throughout the city, including single-family neighborhoods, pledged to keep looking for ways to achieve the goal.

“Obviously, it’s not the outcome we were hoping for, but we’re very thankful for the leadership and powerful remarks by Councilmembers Raman and Hernandez, and also thankful for the votes of Councilmembers Harris-Dawson, Price and Jurado,” said Scott Epstein, director of policy and research for Abundant Housing L.A. and former chair of the Mid City West Neighborhood Council. “This has been a high priority for Abundant Housing L.A. We’re part of a very broad coalition that has been focused on making the incentive programs and the CHIP Ordinance apply to single-family zoned parcels within the geographies identified by the incentive programs. When you wall-off nearly three-quarters of residential land in the city, it becomes very hard to meet those numbers, because any particular location is going to have a small probability of being redeveloped. The Raman motion equates to roughly 5% of single-family zoned parcels across the entire city, so we’re talking about a meaningful but in some ways modest step towards opening up single-family neighborhoods. I just want to make sure it’s out there that there are many community members within this geography that are supportive of the idea of opening up some single-family areas.”