Resources

South Los Angeles Development Services Center Grand Opening

South Los Angeles E-Blast

• English
• Spanish

City of LA Permit Fee Reduction Program

• Programa de Reduccion de Tarifas de Permisos de la Ciudad de Los Angeles
• Jobs and Economic Development Incentive Zones (JEDI)

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 

• Existing General Plan Land Use (GPLU) Map - Study Area
• Key Historic Events

Transit Neighborhood Plans (TNP)

Learn more about other Transit Neighborhood Plans in the city and related policies below.

• TNP Website
• Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) Guidelines

Community Plans

The ESFV TNP project overlaps with two existing Community Plan Areas. The plan documents are linked below.

• Mission Hills-Panorama City-North Hills
• Arleta-Pacoima

General Plan

The General Plan serves as a blueprint for the future, prescribing policy goals and objectives to shape and guide the physical development of the city. Below are links to relevant General Plan elements.

• General Plan Overview
• General Plan Framework
• Mobility Plan 2035
• Housing Element 2021-2029
• Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles

New Zoning Code

City Planning is currently in the process of developing a new and innovative approach to regulating the use and form of buildings throughout Los Angeles. The ESFV TNP will apply the new zoning code as a part of the work program. Below are resources to learn more about this new zoning code.

• Zoning Introduction
• New Zoning Code Overview
• Overview Videos (YouTube Playlist)

Metro

Below are resources from LA Metro, the County’s transit agency, regarding the related East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project.

• East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project (Website)
• East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit First/Last Mile Plan
• East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Relocation Plan

Past E-Blasts

• March 13, 2024: The East San Fernando Valley Transit Neighborhood Plan is Underway!

Planning Glossary

The link below breaks down definitions for technical planning terms, all in one place.

• LA City Planning Glossary

Featured Media

Interested in learning more about planning and/or keeping track of current events in your neighborhood? Below are some recommendations from the ESFV TNP team to help get you started.

• Podcasts
  • LA Podcast
  • Smogland Radio
  • Transiting Los Angeles
  • Plan Dulce
  • How to LA
  • 99% Invisible
• News Sources
  • Urbanize LA
  • Streetsblog LA
  • The Source | Metro
  • LA Public Press
  • 404 by LA Times

The Department has developed a number of policy documents for the Southeast Valley. These documents regulate the look and feel of specific areas, preserve historic resources, and incentivize particular uses in designated areas. The Department will consider these existing documents during the update process. In some cases, these documents will continue to exist as complements to the updated Community Plans, and in other cases, their regulations will be incorporated into the new plans.

North Hollywood-Valley Village
Valley Village Specific Plan
NOHO Commercial & Artcraft Overlay

Sherman Oaks-Studio City-Toluca Lake-Cahuenga Pass
Ventura-Cahuenga Specific Plan
Mulholland Specific Plan
Toluca Lake Village CDO
Sherman Oaks Streetscape Plan
Studio City and Cahuenga Pass Streetscape Plan

Van Nuys-North Sherman Oaks
Van Nuys CDO
Panorama City CDO
Van Nuys HPOZ
Van Nuys Streetscape Plan

Mayor's Office
The Mayor’s Office also guides citywide planning efforts. Though these programs and plans do not originate in the Department, but they are often related to its work. The update process for the Southeast Valley Community Plans will take the Mayor's Office's efforts into consideration.

Executive Directives
Lankershim Blvd. Great Street
Van Nuys Blvd. Great Street
Sustainability pLAn

A number of citywide efforts affect the goals and vision of Community Plans. The Department creates some of these policy and planning documents as stand-alone documents or as Elements of the City’s General Plan. The Mayor's Office also engages in citywide placemaking and sustainability efforts. The Southeast Valley Community Plan Update team will consult these documents throughout the update process.

Planning Documents
The Department periodically adopts new policies, regulations, and guidelines that address citywide issues. The Community Planning process in the Southeast Valley will incorporate many of these into the zoning for the area, making them more permanent.

TOC Guidelines
LA River Masterplan
Transit Neighborhood Plans (TNP)
re:code LA

General Plan
Land use is only one factor in determining where people live, work, and play. The City’s Community Plans make up an Element of its General Plan, a document that the State of California requires every city to prepare. The City’s General Plan and citywide elements can be found on the City’s General Plan Overview page.

The Department is one of many public agencies whose planning and policy decisions that impact the Southeast Valley. Key documents from other public agencies appear below.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Agency (Metro)
LA Metro is responsible for planning, building, and maintaining the County's transportation system. Through Metro's Transit Oriented Communities program, the agency promotes integration of land use, transportation, and community development, with several efforts underway in the San Fernando Valley. Additionally, Metro has a number of pending transit projects in the Valley.

Transit Oriented Communities

A number of Metro projects in the San Fernando Valley impact the Southeast Valley. These projects include: 
The East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor 
Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project 
NoHo to Pasadena Corridor North SFV BRT 
North SFV BRT 
Orange Line Improvements

Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)
SCAG is a regional association of governments for six Southern California counties (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura) and 191 cities. The SCAG Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy charts a course for closely integrating land use and transportation so the region can grow smartly and sustainably.

2016 RTP/SCS

LA County Department of Regional Planning
Although the County of Los Angeles' Department of Regional Planning does not have land use authority within the City of Los Angeles, it is responsible for planning in unincorporated areas. This includes Universal Studios, which is adjacent to the Studio City – Sherman Oaks – Toluca Lake – Cahuenga Pass community plan area. The Universal Studios Specific Plan, as well as the department’s Spanish Planning Glossary, are included here for reference.

Spanish Planning Glossary
Universal Studios Specific Plan

Community groups have also created a number of reports, plans, and visioning documents for the Southeast Valley. (If a resource is missing, please let us know.)

Valley Village NC "Valley Village Design Guide"
Valley Village NC "Valley Village Architectural Design Standards"
Sherman Oaks NC "A Vision for Sherman Oaks"
Sherman Oaks Vision Committee "Guidelines to Enhance Livability in Sherman Oaks"
Greater Valley Glen NC "Identity Action Plan for the Greater Valley Glen Community"
Sherman Oaks Vision Committee "Sherman Oaks Community Traffic Plan"

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
A state law requiring state and local agencies to analyze the potential impacts of their actions on the environment, disclose their findings to the public, and to mitigate impacts where feasible.

Community Plan
The Land Use Element of the General Plan consists of 35 Community Plans. Each focuses on a particular area or community in the City (e.g., North Hollywood – Valley Village Community Plan).

Density
The number of residential units permitted per acre of land.

Environmental Impact Report (EIR)
Type of environmental review prepared when the City determines that a project may potentially have significant environmental impacts.

Floor Area Ratio (FAR)
The ratio of the gross floor area of a building to the area of the lot where it is located. (This video explains FAR.)

General Plan
The City's guide for its future growth and development is the City's guide for its future growth and development. The State of California requires every city to adopt a General Plan. General Plans have a typical lifespan of 20 to 30 years and must be updated periodically.

Each General Plan must cover certain topics in sections called Elements (such as the Land Use Element, the Housing Element, and the Safety Element).

General Plan Framework
The Framework Element of the General Plan lays out goals and policies for topics related to growth and services. All General Plan Elements adopted by the City need to be consistent with the Framework.

Height District
Establishes a zone’s height and Floor Area Ratio limitations.

Implementation Tools
Zones or regulations included in the Community Plan that supplement basic zoning regulations and help realize the Plan’s goals for new development.

Infill Development
Development of vacant or underutilized land within urbanized areas.

Infrastructure
The public and quasi-public facilities required in order to serve the development and operational needs of a community, such as roads, public transportation, water, and sewer systems.

Land Use Designation
Examples of land use designations include residential, industrial, commercial, and open space. Each land use designation has a list of corresponding zones.

Mixed-Use Development
A project that combines compatible uses within the same structure, such as a building with residential uses above ground-floor commercial space.

Ordinance
A law or statute enacted by a city government. Zoning is established by ordinance.

Planning Commission
A committee of five or more citizens who are appointed by the City to review matters related to planning and development.

Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
Development located near transit. The City’s General Plan encourages locating new housing and businesses near transit to provide convenient alternatives to car travel (e.g., walking, bicycling, taking public transportation).

Zoning
Zoning determines the uses permitted on a parcel and provides regulations for development, including height, bulk, and setbacks.