Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass, revealed today that the city is working on fast-tracking more than 7,000 units of affordable housing, aiming to address the shortage faced by the city's residents. This move comes as the Los Angeles Department of City Planning released a draft ordinance which proposes to make Executive Directive 1 a permanent program in the city, according to an official announcement released earlier today.
Executive Directive 1, signed by Mayor Bass in December 2022, has already demonstrated promising results in accelerating and lowering the cost of affordable housing projects being built in Los Angeles. This directive has already managed to authorize double the number of approved affordable housing units within three months. Mayor Bass expressed her gratitude to Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky, Council President Paul Krekorian, and Council President Pro Tem Marqueece Harris-Dawson for helping to make this directive permanent.
In her statement, Mayor Bass said, "We should be building as much affordable housing throughout the City as possible and Executive Directive 1 is delivering real results. The directive has doubled the number of Executive Directive 1 approved affordable housing units in three months and is helping people come inside faster and remain housed for good." The draft ordinance, available for public review here, will be subject to a public hearing on October 11, 2023, before being considered by the Planning Commission, City Council and Mayor later in the year.
Since its implementation on December 16, 2022, Executive Directive 1 has shown steady progress in increasing the number of affordable housing projects and units in development. So far, 95 affordable housing projects have been filed with the Department of City Planning, with 38 project cases completed, and 57 currently under review. The directive has resulted in a total of 7,301 units of affordable housing being proposed, of which 2,990 units have been approved and 4,311 units are currently under review.
In addition to her efforts with Executive Directive 1, Mayor Bass has been committed to addressing the housing and homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. With the support of city departments and community partners, she has led various initiatives, including the expansion of the city's emergency shelter program, rapid rehousing programs, and assistance to tenants and landlords affected by the pandemic.
