L.A. City Council expected to OK 'inclusionary zoning' today
The mandate would require builders to include units for the poor, thus making Los Angeles eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars in state housing bond funds.
New condominium projects in neighborhoods such as Brentwood, Studio City and other affluent parts of Los Angeles could be required to include units for very poor people if the City Council approves a new housing plan as expected today.
The commitment to a so-called inclusionary zoning law, which has been a contentious topic in Los Angeles for years, is part of a comprehensive housing plan that the city must adopt to be eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars in state housing bond funds.
The plan calls for the City Council to introduce a proposed law by the end of the year that would mandate developers build units for poor people.
Advocates for the poor hail the plan as a significant symbolic move.
"The city is taking a huge step forward in figuring out how to address the housing crisis," said Peter Kuhns, an organizer for the Assn. of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, a group of low-income residents.
Others warned the action would set the stage for a fight over the next few months as developers, advocates for the poor and other interested parties hash out the details.
City officials estimate they must build more than 110,000 units of housing over the next eight years to keep up with rising demand.
Other aspects of the housing plan include a new fund that would give private companies loans to build affordable housing; plans to help large employers build housing for their employees; and a faster permit process for so-called green buildings.
jessica.garrison@latimes.com
