What to Know
- The vote in opposition of Senate Bill 50 comes roughly 13 months after the council officially opposed a similar bill, SB 827.
The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to oppose state legislation that would allow developers to build housing projects near rail stations, bus lines or ferry terminals that are taller or denser than local zoning laws permit.
The vote in opposition of Senate Bill 50 comes roughly 13 months after the council officially opposed a similar bill, SB 827, that was also proposed by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.
"It's difficult to know where to start. First of all, this is not an affordable housing bill, it's the opposite. It's really just a handout for developers," City Councilman Paul Koretz said before the vote.
SB 50 would significantly reshape urban neighborhoods all over the state by overriding local zoning laws, but a resolution introduced by Koretz and approved on a 12-0 vote says the bill would end up "thwarting our current efforts to gather community input and support to customize our local incentive program."
The council also approved a separate motion to instruct the Department of City Planning to prepare an analysis on SB 50 detailing its potential impacts to the city.
SB 50 is proposed by Wiener as a way to fight the state's housing shortage and encourage public transportation by eliminating "hyper-low-density zoning" within a half-mile of rail lines, bus lines and ferry terminals. Aside from overriding local laws governing height and density limits, developers working in an approved transit zone could build with no parking minimums and limited design review.
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"California's housing shortage is threatening our environment, economy, diversity, and quality of life. We must reform how we approach housing and, once and for all, elevate housing to a top priority," Wiener said earlier this month.
