LA City Planning

WELCOME!

The Department of City Planning is pleased to announce the kick-off of the Neighborhood Conservation Initiative, a focused work program tasked with identifying and protecting the character-defining features of Los Angeles’ unique residential neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Conservation Initiative will address the foremost issues confronting single-family neighborhoods by working with communities to develop the following:

• An amendment to the single-family zones (Baseline Mansionization and Baseline Hillside Ordinances) across the City.

• A menu of new zoning options.

• A proposal to apply new, tailored zones and Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs) in select, neighborhoods identified in the Interim Control Ordinance (ICO).

These new zoning tools will replace two sets of Interim Control Ordinances (ICOs) adopted earlier in 2015. These ordinances were meant to provide immediate relief from demolitions and mansionization activity in areas experiencing significant change, providing time for the department to craft permanent development regulations in these neighborhoods.

The Department has prepared two new Zoning Information files on the ICOs, providing instructions to City staff in implementing the ordinances. To review the Zoning Information and text of the new ordinances, visit http://zimas.lacity.org/documents/zoneinfo/ZI2444.pdf and http://zimas.lacity.org/documents/zoneinfo/ZI2443.pdf

The ultimate goal of the Neighborhood Conservation Initiative is to deliver permanent zoning solutions that minimize out-of-scale development across the City. The work program involves the following two phases, both to be completed within the term of the ICO, which expires in March of 2017:

Phase I:

Staff is in the process of drafting the proposed amendments to current single-family zones (Baseline Mansionization and Baseline Hillside Ordinances).  These focused modifications are intended to address neighborhood character and out-of-scale single-family development based on community input and direction by City Council.

Phase II:

Beginning in early 2016, staff will be reaching-out to the residents and stakeholders of ICO neighborhoods to work collaboratively in identifying which of the new context sensitive single-family zones being developed through the re:code LA project are most appropriate for application within ICO neighborhoods. The re:code LA project seeks to create new single-family development regulations that respond to the prevailing and desirable scale, form and character of existing residences within the City.

We want to know more about the neighborhood conservation issues in your neighborhood, please take our survey by clicking here.

Click here to learn more about these efforts, any updates, and how to get involved in the process!