LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles City Council today approved a motion to codify the Mayor’s first Executive Directive, which expedites and decreases the cost of building zoning-compliant affordable and temporary housing projects.
The motion was introduced by Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, Council President Paul Krekorian, Councilmember Nithya Raman and Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. It was approved by the City Council’s Planning Land Use and Management Committee and Housing and Homelessness Committee last week.
“I want to commend the City Council for taking another important step to codify Executive Directive 1, which has already helped accelerate and lower the cost of affordable housing in Los Angeles. When we lock arms and work towards shared goals, City Hall can urgently confront homelessness,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “My Office will work with the City Planning Department to ensure the draft ordinance to make Executive Directive 1 permanent is prepared for review in 90 days.”
"We can never hope to close the affordability gap between housing costs and what hard-working Angelenos can actually afford unless we increase the supply of affordable housing," said Council President Paul Krekorian. "The Mayor's Executive Directive simplifying regulatory review for affordable housing development was a major step in that direction. The Council's action today means we will continue this progress to provide our people with the housing they need."
Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson remarked, "This legislation breaks down barriers to affordable housing in L.A., showing the Council's commitment to effective solutions. Collaboration with the Mayor's Office and City Planning shaped this motion. Codifying Executive Directive 1 recognizes the progress we’ve made in accelerating affordable housing. Together, we confront homelessness and ensure Directive 1's lasting impact."
“This legislation will permanently eliminate the slow, rigid bureaucracy that has kept L.A. from building housing that people can actually afford. Today’s action proves that the City Council has the will and the fortitude to take on our affordability crisis with real, effective solutions. This motion is a result of months of coordination and partnership with the Mayor’s Office and substantive contributions from City Planning and the leadership of Council President Krekorian and Councilmember Raman and their staff,” said Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky.
“I am extremely heartened by what we’ve seen come out of ED1 in just the last six months,” said Councilmember Nithya Raman. “In my own district, projects that could have been market rate became 100% affordable – all because of a change in City policy. Our affordable housing crisis can feel overwhelming but what ED1 shows is that we have real power to make change and we must use it.”
“If we want to create the housing we need throughout LA, we have to cut existing red tape and make it easier to build affordable housing,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield. “I’m grateful to my colleagues who share this urgency because the affordability crisis so many Angelenos face is not going to go away unless we implement substantial change."
Signed December 16, 2022, Executive Directive 1 has dramatically increased the number of affordable housing and temporary housing projects and units in the development pipeline, including:
48 affordable housing projects have been filed with the Department of City Planning
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20 project cases have been completed (28 are currently under review)
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4,232 units of affordable housing were proposed
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1496 units of affordable housing are approved (2736 are currently under review)
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37 days is the average processing time for projects with complete paperwork
The Department of City Planning established a website with comprehensive guidance for implementation and eligibility criteria. Visit the page here.