Housing Element Rezoning Program Takes Effect February 11, 2025

On February 7th, the Los Angeles City Council adopted and Mayor Karen Bass signed key ordinances associated with the City’s Housing Element Rezoning Program – critical code amendments that are anticipated to address LA’s tremendous housing need. The Citywide Housing Incentive Program (CHIP) Ordinance, the Housing Element Sites and Minimum Density Ordinance, and Resident Protections Ordinance (RPO) will take effect on February 11, 2025.

Collectively, these ordinances represent some of the boldest housing policy changes that LA has seen in decades. CHIP and its accompanying ordinances are also an integral part of LA’s rebuild and recovery process following the Palisades Fire and are key to City Planning’s goal to provide more sustainable housing options citywide. The CHIP Ordinance significantly expands access to affordable housing along major corridors, including commercial corridors, near transit, and in higher resource areas with consideration given towards protecting environmentally vulnerable areas, such as communities subject to fire hazards. The Housing Element Sites and Minimum Density Ordinance implements a range of housing element law requirements for identified sites: housing replacement, by-right development for 20% affordable projects, ensuring no net loss of affordable housing, and establishing minimum density criteria. The RPO introduces longer affordability requirements (99 years), and strengthens housing replacement requirements and occupant protections to mitigate displacement and promote equitable development. This suite of citywide housing ordinances represents a step forward for LA and the culmination of over two years of comprehensive outreach efforts, including numerous in-person events, multilingual, live webinars, and active social media engagement.

To learn more about how to use the incentives in the Citywide Housing Incentive Program Ordinance and the implementation of local density bonus programs, click here.

To learn more about the Resident Protections Ordinance and Housing Element Sites and Minimum Density Ordinance, click here.