Housing Element Update - Rezoning Program

We are in the middle of a housing and homelessness crisis both statewide and here in Los Angeles County. California is estimated to need an additional 3.5 million homes by 2025 to meet the demand. In our region, many residents struggle to pay rent and cannot afford to buy homes in neighborhoods where they grew up. More people are experiencing homelessness as a result. Our communities need a wide range of housing types (apartments, townhouses, and condos etc.) and sizes to meet different needs. The amount and types of housing in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County are not meeting the overall housing need. The Housing Element for 2021-2029 will help address this need. 

What is the Housing Element?

The Housing Element is the County’s housing policy guide for the unincorporated areas – areas that are NOT within any city. The County of Los Angeles, along with all California cities and counties, is required to update its Housing Element every eight years. The Housing Element identifies housing conditions and needs, and establishes the County’s housing strategy through goals and policies. It also includes programs to ensure decent, safe, sanitary, and affordable housing for current and future residents of the unincorporated areas, including those with special needs.

Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)

The foundation for the Housing Element is the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), in which the State estimates each region’s housing needs for the upcoming eight years. State law requires each city and county to plan for the estimated number of homes for its current and future residents through land use and zoning regulations. These regulations include the number of homes per acre that are allowed on a parcel, and the allowable housing types (such as single-family homes, apartments and townhouses).

The RHNA for the unincorporated areas for 2021-2029 is approximately 90,000 homes, which is the largest number the County has ever had. Neither property owners nor the County are required to build these housing units.

Sites Inventory

Per State law, the Housing Element must include a Sites Inventory to show that there is enough land in the unincorporated areas where the 90,000 new homes are allowed to be built under current land use and zoning regulations. In general, the Sites Inventory includes two types of sites:

• Vacant sites where one single-family home is allowed per parcel; and
• Vacant or underused sites where multi-family housing development (e.g. apartments and townhouses) is allowed.

An important step in the selection process for the Sites Inventory is to consider whether a site is developable and suitable for a particular housing type, such as a single-family home or a multi-family housing development. Environmentally sensitive or naturally constrained areas, as shown on the map below, are not suitable for multi-family housing development. 

Sites that are outside of environmentally sensitive or naturally constrained areas must meet several other requirements to be included in the Sites Inventory for multi-family housing development, including an allowable density of 30 or more units per acre. Also, these sites must have the potential for more homes to be built compared to what is currently on the ground.

Sites that are in the inventory are shown on the map below. As the Sites Inventory falls short of the goal to have enough land zoned for the 90,000 new homes, the Housing Element includes a rezoning program to allow for more housing, as required by State law. 

Per State law, the Housing Element Update rezoning program must include a list of sites that will be rezoned between 2021-2024. The site selection process involves many factors. Together, these factors address two questions:

1. Where should more housing, especially multi-family housing types (e.g. apartments and townhouses) be built in the unincorporated areas?
2. How likely is a particular site to be suitable for housing development in the upcoming eight years?  

Where should more housing, especially multi-family housing be built?

When determining where to rezone to allow for more housing, especially multi-family housing types such as apartments and townhouses, the main goals are to encourage infill development in urbanized areas, and to prioritize public health, safety, and equity.

Sites in environmentally sensitive or naturally constrained areas, such as the Coastal Zone, Fire Hazard Severity Zones, Significant Ecological Areas and Hillside Management Areas are not selected for rezoning as these areas are not suitable for multi-family housing development. The map below shows the environmentally sensitive and naturally constrained areas in the unincorporated areas.

Sites that are outside of environmentally sensitive or naturally constrained areas are then prioritized based on additional locational criteria. Sites that are located near transit, amenities, and services, and within areas served by existing infrastructure (e.g. public water and sewer systems) are considered more suitable for multi-family housing development and thus rezoning.

Also, historic, discriminatory land use and housing policies have resulted in disadvantaged communities with concentrated poverty. To encourage diverse, inclusive, and mixed-income neighborhoods, sites that are located in areas with more resources and opportunities in terms of educational attainment, employment, and economic mobility  as identified by the State  are also prioritized for rezoning.

The map below highlights sites that are prioritized for rezoning.

How likely is a particular site to be suitable for housing development in the upcoming eight years?

Per State law, sites that are included in the rezoning program must be suitable for housing development during the upcoming eight years. In other words, the site must be developable, with sufficient water, sewer, and other utilities available to support housing development. If a site is not vacant, the following factors are considered to determine whether the site will likely be suitable for more housing in the upcoming eight years:

• Age of Existing Buildings: Property owners and developers are more likely to redevelop the site if the existing buildings are relatively older. We use 20 years as the threshold for existing non-residential buildings, and 50 years as the threshold for existing residential buildings;

• Land Value vs. Improvement Value: If the land is more valuable than the existing improvement, the property owner is more likely to redevelop the site with a more intense use, such as multi-family housing development; and

• Contamination: Sites that are or have been contaminated (e.g. gas stations) often require a lot of money and time for clean-up. These sites are unlikely to be suitable for housing development in the near future.

In addition, State law requires that the rezoning must allow at least 16 additional homes to be built on a given property compared to what is currently on the site.

The map below highlights sites that are prioritized for rezoning and likely to be suitable for housing development in the upcoming eight years.

The following map shows the distribution of sites that are included in the Housing Element Update Rezoning Program and surrounding parcels that are also selected for rezoning to avoid singling out a small piece of land for uses that are different from that of the surrounding area.

Every parcel has both a land use category and zoning that determine what can be built there. The land use category describes the general intended uses and the number of homes per acre that are allowed on a parcel, while the zoning specifies the housing types (e.g. single-family homes, apartments and townhouses), permitting procedures and standards (e.g. maximum building height and parking requirements).

This table shows the proposed land use categories and their corresponding zoning on the selected parcels. 

The following maps show sites in Supervisorial District 1 that are included in the Housing Element Update Rezoning Program and surrounding parcels that are also selected for rezoning to avoid singling out a small piece of land for uses that are different from that of the surrounding area.

The following maps show sites in Supervisorial District 2 that are included in the Housing Element Update Rezoning Program and surrounding parcels that are also selected for rezoning to avoid singling out a small piece of land for uses that are different from that of the surrounding area.

No parcel in Supervisorial District 3 is selected for rezoning for the purposes of the Housing Element Update because of the environmentally sensitive and naturally constrained areas located in this part of the County.

Much of the District is in the Coastal Zone with environmentally sensitive habitats and coastal hazards. The risk of wildfires in the Santa Monica Mountains also makes this sub-region not suitable for multi-family development. 

This map shows the environmentally sensitive and naturally constrained areas in Supervisorial District 3. In the map, the dark red color shows the environmentally sensitive and naturally constrained areas in the unincorporated areas and the light red color shows the environmentally sensitive and naturally constrained areas in the incorporated cities.

The following maps show sites in Supervisorial District 4 that are included in the Housing Element Update Rezoning Program rezoning program and surrounding parcels that are also selected for rezoning to avoid singling out a small piece of land for uses that are different from that of the surrounding area.

The following maps show sites in Supervisorial District 5 that are included in the Housing Element Update Rezoning Program and surrounding parcels that are also selected for rezoning to avoid singling out a small piece of land for uses that are different from that of the surrounding area.

The 2021-2029 Housing Element was adopted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on May 17, 2022, and certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development on May 27, 2022.

Also, State law allows the completion of the rezoning program, meaning the adoption of the proposed changes by 2024. These land use and zoning changes will be included in various future planning efforts, such as the East San Gabriel Valley Area Plan and the Florence-Firestone Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan. 

For more information about the Housing Element Update, please visit  https://planning.lacounty.gov/housing/  or contact the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning Housing Policy Section at  housing@planning.lacounty.gov  or (213) 974-6417.