OVERVIEW

THE NEED

Los Angeles, California has witnessed a tremendous population growth in recent years, leaving the city with a housing shortage that has left many residents scrambling in an expensive and highly competitive real estate market. In this market of high housing demand and low supply, residents of the region are experiencing the realities that accompany the shortfall that exists in meeting these needs.  New ideas that streamline regulatory processes involved in the development of more housing are however, beginning to open up the supply bottleneck.

To read a case study on population growth trends in Los Angeles created by the Los Angeles Housing Department, Click here.

THE RESPONSE:  THE SMALL LOT SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE

In trying to meet the need for housing, the City of Los Angeles adopted the Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance #176354 that provides an entirely new housing option: allowing individuals or developers to purchase a lot zoned for commercial or multi-family residential use and subdivide into much smaller lots than previously required with no setback requirement between the subdivided lots.

This new zoning ordinance presents an exciting opportunity for the community of planners, architects, and developers in the City of Los Angeles:

The elimination of setback requirements frees builders and developers to create more units on a parcel of land, without having to apply for variances.

The impact of the Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance is significant: it allows for the creation of fee simple parcels without having to establish a condominium homeowners association.  The ordinance eliminates the need for multiple variances, which can stall a development project; It facilitates the building of units in existing neighborhoods, which are closer to job centers.  The Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance is a powerful tool that the City of Los Angeles has offered so that infill development is more feasible and more attractive. 

To view the Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance, Click here.

To see the planning commitment that led to the creation of the Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance, Click here.

THE COMPETITION:  “SMALL LOTS, SMART DESIGNS: Los Angeles Small Lot Subdivision Design Competition”

In evaluating the effective use of this new tool, an ad hoc committee comprised of members from the Mayor’s Office, The Enterprise Foundation, the Departments of Planning, Housing, and Building and Safety, as well at the Community Redevelopment Agency, conducted case studies exploring the Ordinance’s applicability on sample lots.  Out of this exploration, arose an ideal:  to invite innovative designs from the community of architects and planners for the purpose of creating a catalogue of design templates for infill lots in the City of Los Angeles.  These templates would represent plan-checked designs that are ready to be built by developers or individuals.

To view some documents documents, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.  To download a free copy, click here.