Los Angeles has witnessed a significant acceleration in the development of affordable housing projects, with over 7,000 units being fast-tracked under Mayor Karen Bass' first executive directive. Yesterday, Mayor Bass, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, and Councilmember Nithya Raman celebrated the opening of a permanent supportive housing project in Hollywood months ahead of schedule, thanks to City Hall's efforts to cut through red tape and bureaucracy according to the City of Los Angeles.
Addressing the press at the Wilcox housing project, Mayor Bass emphasized the importance of urgency in tackling the city's housing and homelessness crisis, which currently leaves around 46,000 people living on the streets. The expedited approval processes have reduced the time required for affordable housing projects from six months to 47 days, with many more units set to come online within the next two years according to the City of Los Angeles.
Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez lauded the opening of the Wilcox project in District 13 and stressed the effectiveness of Executive Directive 1, calling for more developments of this kind with a focus on community collaboration and compassion. Councilmember Nithya Raman, Chair of the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee, also expressed support for the directive, which has already seen positive results in expediting the approval process for these much-needed housing projects.
As part of Mayor Bass' directive, signed on December 16, 2022, the development process for affordable housing projects in Los Angeles has significantly improved. This directive is responsible for accelerating the construction of a large number of affordable housing units in the city. It includes the completion of a whopping 95 affordable housing projects filed with the Department of City Planning, with 38 project cases finalized and 57 still under review. An impressive 7,301 units of affordable housing have been proposed, of which 2,990 have been approved and 4,311 are currently under review.
With the backing of City Council, the Department of City Planning announced a draft ordinance to make Executive Directive 1 permanent last Tuesday, September 12. A public hearing will be conducted on October 11, 2023, followed by consideration from the Planning Commission, City Council, and Mayor throughout November and December.
