LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Two Los Angeles City Council members introduced a motion Wednesday seeking to streamline the construction of affordable housing on public land.
The motion introduced by Councilman Hugo Soto-Martínez and Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson aims to cut the red tape on this type of construction, which is "often subject to additional bureaucratic steps and lengthy permitting times," according to a statement from Soto-Martínez.
"These are vacant and underutilized public lots in the city where we can be and should be building affordable housing," the statement said. "This motion puts us on a track to make that vision a reality by cutting some of the red tape that has led us into this crisis of housing affordability."
Most public land in the city receives the land use and zoning designations of Public Facilities Zones, in which permanent housing uses can only be permitted using the zoning densities of nearby zones.
If nearby parcels of land are zoned as single-family housing or industrial land, then nearby public land is unable to be used for housing without expensive and time-consuming zoning reviews and permits.
Harris-Dawson added that the motion is "essential" to increasing affordable housing.
"We have experienced how present zoning restrictions hinder production," Harris-Dawson said in a statement. "Frankly, this situation demands a responsive system that meets people's needs."
Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement thanking the council members for introducing the motion.
"The city of Los Angeles should hold nothing back when it comes to bringing people inside and helping make sure that they can stay inside for good," Bass said. "We must continue to work together on an urgent and strategic approach to using city land to help deliver more housing and save lives."
The motion builds on Bass' executive directives to speed the construction of affordable housing. Her Executive Directive No. 1 expedites permits and other necessary documents for developing temporary shelters and affordable housing projects throughout the city, while Executive Directive No. 3 allows the emergency use of viable city-owned property for interim and temporary housing, and affordable housing projects.
According to the mayor's office, the first directive reduced the time frame for review of affordable housing permits from an average of six months to 37 days. The City Council has also introduced policies to codify aspects of the mayor's first directive.
But those policies don't apply to public land due to its separate zoning status.