2021-2029 Housing Element

The Executive Summary describes the role and requirements for the Housing Element Update. The chapter also outlines the Plan’s six goals, highlights the Plan’s organizational format, describes the Plan’s relationship to the City’s General Plan as well as plans developed by other City agencies and regional jurisdictions, and includes a glossary of terms. This chapter also includes a summary of the outreach conducted during the plan development.

Executive Summary
Appendix 0.1 Summaries of Public Outreach

Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive overview of the City’s population, household, and housing stock characteristics, and an analysis of these factors in order to identify housing needs of the variety of household types and special needs across the City. The analysis highlights low rates of housing affordability and the creation and loss of existing low-cost housing. In addition, demographic changes such as the increase in the senior population and decrease in young families and children are assessed.

Chapter 1. Housing Needs Assessment
Appendix 1.1 Housing Element Assessment of Fair Housing

Chapter 2 addresses regulations and conditions that constitute constraints to housing production and preservation, including governmental regulations, infrastructure requirements and non-governmental market conditions such as land, construction and labor costs, opposition to housing, and restricted financing availability.

Chapter 2. Constraints On Housing Maintenance, Improvement, and Development
Appendix 2.1 Governmental, Non-Governmental, and Constraints for People with Disabilities 
Appendix 2.2. Preservation of At Risk Units 
Appendix 2.3 Generalized Summary of Zoning Regulations 
Appendix 2.4 Summary of Case Filing and Building Permitting Fees
Appendix 2.5 Coastal Zone Building Activity Data 1982-2021 
Appendix 2.6 Summary of Total Number of Affordable Housing Units and Restricted Units
Appendix 2.7 Expiration of Affordable Housing Restriction Unit Analysis
Appendix 2.8 At-Risk Expiring Affordable Housing Inventory October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2031
Appendix 2.9 List of Qualified Non-Profit Housing Development Entities 

State Housing Element law requires cities to identify opportunities for energy conservation in residential development. The City has broadened this analysis to include energy conservation, water conservation, alternative energy sources and sustainable development which supports conservation and reduces demand. These efforts reduce development costs and improve the long-term affordability of housing units. The enactment of the LA Green Building Code and other regulations like the Low-Impact Development Ordinance have greatly strengthened City efforts towards sustainability. Specific City programs include providing rebates for energy efficient appliances, shifting the time of energy use, using alternative sources of energy (i.e., solar power), installing green roofs, requiring more sustainable landscaping and site design, and adopting General Plan land use designations and zoning that facilitate higher-density, compact, infill development near transit.

Chapter 3. Opportunities for Conservation in Residential Development 

Chapter 4 identifies the City’s inventory of land suitable for residential development without the need for any legislative action by the City, identifies additional alternative methods of satisfying the RHNA, provides an analysis of the inventory’s compliance with Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) requirements, and identifies the need for rezoning programs to accommodate the RHNA allocation. The analysis demonstrates that, during the 6th cycle, the City has an anticipated unit potential of 230,947 units, of which 72,640 units are Lower Income. As a result, the Plan identifies a need for a Rezoning Program to accommodate 255,432 units.

Chapter 4. Adequate Sites for Housing
Appendix 4.1 Inventory of Adequate Sites for Housing (Table A) 
Appendix 4.2 Pipeline Development - Public Land 
Appendix 4.3 Pipeline Development - Private Development 
Appendix 4.4 Additional AFFH Data Analysis
Appendix 4.5 Land Use (Table C) 
Appendix 4.6 Technical Appendix - Regression Methodology 
Appendix 4.7 Inventory of Candidate Sites for Rezoning (Table B) 
Appendix 4.8 Potential Candidate Sites for Public Land Program 

What to Know about: RHNA, Site Selection, and Rezoning

Preparation of the Housing Element Update included the essential step of evaluating the previous 2013-2021 Housing Element in order to identify progress and evaluate the effectiveness of previous policies and programs. The review shows that building permits were issued for 117,088 new housing units. The City has therefore already met its overall RHNA target of 82,002 units; however, it is not expected to have produced enough housing in the affordable lower and moderate income categories. The review noted progress in increasing affordable housing production, particularly through mixed-income developments and showed that the goals, objectives and policies of the previous Housing Element remain largely relevant and important. This Housing Element Update builds upon them, reconfiguring and refining some of them to better focus the City’s strategy. The updates focused on advancing citywide housing priorities that specifically address the housing shortage, advancing racial equity and access to opportunity, protecting Angelenos from displacement, and promoting sustainability and resilience.  Similarly, the evaluation of programs provided insight into which efforts were more effective than others. As a result, many programs have been reconfigured so that going forward, more will be accomplished and a more accurate accounting can occur through the Housing Element’s Annual Progress Report.

Chapter 5. Review of the 2013-2021 Housing Element 
Appendix 5.1 Evaluation of 2013-2021 Goals, Objectives, Policies and Programs 

The objectives, policies and implementation programs under each goal speak to the diverse housing needs across the City. The City’s approach to alleviating housing needs and of creating sustainable mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods across the City aim to provide opportunities for housing, jobs, transit and basic amenities for all segments of the population. Each program was crafted to meet particular housing needs of the City, whether they are renters or homeowners, or populations with special needs. The goals, objectives and policies are organized around five issues: housing production; housing preservation; livable and sustainable communities; housing opportunities for all; and ending homelessness.

Chapter 6. Housing Goals, Objectives, Policies, and Programs 
Appendix 6.1 Lead and Supporting Agencies