SCALING UP Equitable Housing on public land in Los Angeles

APRIL 2, 2021
Scaling Up EQUITABLE HOUSING ON PUBLIC LAND
A PLAN TO BUILD 10,000 UNITS OF HOUSING ON PUBLIC LAND IN LOS ANGELES
HELMI A HISSERICH
DIRECTOR OF HOUSING STRATEGIES
HOUSING + COMMUNITY INVESTMENT DEPARTMENT OF LOS ANGELES

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Scaling up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land
A plan to build 10,000 units of affordable housing on public land in Los Angeles
Introduction
Los Angeles City leaders are currently calling for action on two significant issues. The first is a call to
make Los Angeles a world leader in implementing modern, socially-equitable justice policies to address
structural discrimination and inequality. The second is a call to end the crisis of homelessness and
housing insecurity by rapidly scaling up development of affordable housing. This report is intended to
provide a road map to advance both of these goals by marshalling public land for a large-scale
development of <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong>.
Many cities in the world have solved big housing challenges by developing housing on public land and
keeping the land in public ownership. Sixty percent of the residents of Vienna, Austria live in social
homes on land owned by the municipal government. Singapore has sold more than a million subsidized
flats on 99-year leases to low- and moderate-income buyers. These cities view the task of building
housing as a public service, like education, healthcare, and transportation. They have used local
government’s unique capacity to serve as a steward of public land to create an abundant supply of
housing that is affordable to their residents. Los Angeles can do this too.
Land held by Los Angeles’ public agencies holds enormous untapped value. If we do it right, we can
leverage public land to scale up the supply of affordable housing across the City at a pace never seen
before in Los Angeles. If we do it wrong, or not at all, we will squander our best opportunity to end the
housing crisis and create a more just and equitable Los Angeles.
Most of the ideas in this report are already being discussed in City Hall and are the subject of Council
Motions and Mayoral Directives made during the past two years. The goal of this report is to connect
the dots between emerging ideas and ground them in the context of Los Angeles’ local government.
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Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... ii
A Personal Note from Helmi A. Hisserich ................................................................................................. iv
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. v
The Team & LEAP Grant .......................................................................................................................... vi
Our Strategic Advisors ............................................................................................................................ vi
Scaling Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> ..........................................................................................................................1
Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................1
Responding to the Priorities of Los Angeles’ Elected Officials ...................................................................2
A Mayoral Directive .................................................................................................................................2
Three City Council Motions ......................................................................................................................2
LA’s Housers ....................................................................................................................................................4
The Problem ....................................................................................................................................................5
How Much <strong>Housing</strong> does LA Need? ..........................................................................................................5
<strong>Housing</strong> Need (RHNA) vs Actual Production .............................................................................................6
Lessons from the Field .............................................................................................................................7
A New Approach .............................................................................................................................................8
Marshal Public Land ........................................................................................................................................9
Finding Public Land for <strong>Housing</strong> ...............................................................................................................9
Create Ten 1,000 - Unit, Scalable Development Opportunities................................................................ 10
Create a Partnership for <strong>Equitable</strong> Development.................................................................................... 11
Plan 10,000 Units .......................................................................................................................................... 12
Create Equity in the Planning Process .................................................................................................... 12
Parametric Planning in Site Selection ..................................................................................................... 13
Design a Scalable <strong>Housing</strong> Model .................................................................................................................. 14
Standardize Design ................................................................................................................................ 14
Front Load Planning ............................................................................................................................... 15
Scaled <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> 1,000 Unit RFP ............................................................................................... 16
Economic Impacts, Local Jobs & Workforce Training .............................................................................. 17
Create an <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Infrastructure Fund .......................................................................................... 18
Demand More Section 8 Rent Subsidies ................................................................................................. 19
Support Mixed Affordable & Workforce <strong>Housing</strong>.................................................................................... 19
Create an <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Land Trust ................................................................................................. 20
1,000 Unit <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Demonstration Project ............................................................................. 21
A Conceptual Plan.................................................................................................................................. 21
Appendix 1 -Executive Directive No. 13 ......................................................................................................... 23
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A Personal Note from Helmi A. Hisserich
I believe Los Angeles can create 100,000 new units of beautiful,
sustainable, resilient affordable housing Affordable <strong>Housing</strong> in
the next 15 years. Scaling Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land
is a public-sector driven strategy to pursue that vision. It begins
with a goal of creating 10,000 units in 5-years.
For over 20 years, I have been privileged to have had a wonderful and
varied career in the City of Los Angeles, focused on affordable housing and economic development. I
started working with the City as a member of Honorable Mayor Richard Riordan’s business team, later
I became the director of redevelopment in Hollywood during a time of radical community
transformation. I served as a Deputy Mayor for housing and homelessness in the administration of
Honorable Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and I have worked for 12 years in the <strong>Housing</strong> & Community
Investment Department managing the financing of more than 10,000 units of affordable housing.
About 10 years ago, I realized that our approach to affordable housing in Los Angeles could never scale
to meet the urgent need. So, I went in search of new strategies that could significantly increase
affordable housing development without compromising on housing quality or important policies. In
2016, I received a Stanton Fellowship, which allowed me to pursue a hunch I had about how to
reorganize the affordable housing system in Los Angeles. The fellowship gave me the opportunity to
meet housing leaders in several European cities to learn about their approach to affordable housing. I
also began to study successful housing strategies Asia, Canada and Australia. I learned about emerging
GIS-based technology that could be used to improve planning and spatial analysis. And I learned about
the transformational changes taking place in the construction industry that are driving down the cost
of housing construction. Combining this new information with my experience in local government, I
began thinking about a 21 st Century approach to affordable housing development in Los Angeles.
I think it is time for Los Angeles to put a bold new strategy in place for affordable housing development.
The Scaling Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land plan is intended to show how it can be done. To truly
be successful, this plan requires regional coordination among major governmental institutions and an
investment of at least $500 million in predevelopment costs and related infrastructure for affordable
housing. I believe I can be more effective advocating for this strategy outside the City bureaucracy
than staying within it, so I have decided it is the right time to take my leave from the City. I offer this
plan to the Los Angeles City leaders as a strategic action plan for change.
The next generation of managers at HCIDLA are ready and able to take on a big challenge like this. But
they cannot do it alone; they need political support, community support, backing from management,
and funding to succeed. I hope you will make that a priority this year.
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Acknowledgements
This plan would not have been possible without the vision, support, and input from numerous city
leaders, city staff, community advocates, and professionals whose vision and insight for ending the
homeless crisis in Los Angeles have been instrumental shaping this strategic plan.
To the elected leaders of Los Angeles who have made
ending the housing and homelessness crisis a top priority
Hon. Mayor Eric Garcetti,
Hon. Council President Nury Martinez
Hon. Councilmember Gil Cedillo
Hon. Councilmember Paul Krekorian
Hon. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield
Hon. Councilmember Nithya Raman
Hon. Councilmember Paul Koretz
Hon. Councilmember Monica Rodriguez
Hon. Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson
Hon. Councilmember Curren Price
Hon. Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas
Hon. Councilmember Mike Bonin
Hon. Councilmember John Lee
Hon. Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell
Hon. Councilmember Kevin De Leon
Hon. Councilmember Joe Buscaino
Hon. City Attorney Mike Feuer
Hon. City Controller Ron Galperin
To <strong>Housing</strong> Strategies & Land Use Team at HCIDLA and
city staff who have helped to launch the HCIDLA Land
Development Program
Magdalina Zakaryan, HCIDLA
Rick Tonthat, HCIDLA
Gohar Paronyan, HCIDLA
Eve Bachrach, HCIDLA
Carolina Menjivar, HCIDLA
Mariana Lem, HCIDLA (retired)
Kompheak Taing, HCIDLA
Daniel Herman, HCIDLA
Diane Mattingly, HCIDLA
Arianna Wells, HCIDLA
Anna Didak, City Attorney
Mei Mei Cheng, City Attorney
Noreen Vincent, City Attorney
Claudia Monterrosa, HCIDLA Policy
Azeen Khanmalek, Mayor’s Office
Elizabeth Selby, Mayor’s Office
Blair Miller, CAO
Jacqueline Wagner, CAO
Yolanda Chavez, CAO
Clay McCarter, CLA
Kenneth Husting, LADOT
David Cataldo, LADOT
Matt Glesne, City Planning
Cally Hardy, City Planning
To the senior management team at HCIDLA who have brought
deep knowledge of Affordable <strong>Housing</strong> to HCIDLA and a
commitment to clearing away the obstacles to success
Ann Sewill, General Manager
Tricia Keane, Executive Officer
Daniel Huynh, <strong>Housing</strong> Development
To city leadership who have influenced key strategies
Amanda Daflos, Chief Innovation Officer
Christopher Hawthorne, Chief Design Officer
Jeanne Holm, Deputy Mayor & Technology Advisor
Carolyn Hull, General Manager, EWDD
Seleta Reynolds, General Manager LADOT
Brenda Shockley, Chief Equity Officer
Affordable <strong>Housing</strong> Commissioners
Commissioner Ozzie Lopez
Commissioner Janet Burt
Commissioner Larry Fondation
Commissioner Naomi Iwasaki
Commissioner Raul Claros
Commissioner Nason Buchanan
Special Thanks to organizations whose input has shaped different
aspects of this strategy.
AIA, Los Angeles Chapter
Bernards Construction
Enterprise Community Partners
IBI Group
Little Tokyo Service Center
Los Angeles Regional Open Space & Affordable <strong>Housing</strong> Coalition
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy
Los Angeles Business Council
Los Angeles Community Land Trust Coalition
Los Angeles Unified School District Board member Jackie Goldberg
Los Angeles Unified School District Real Estate Division
McKinsey Global Institute
Praxis Development Group
RSG
Southern California Association of Non-Profit <strong>Housing</strong>
Southeast Asian Community Alliance
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)
The Durfee Foundation
The Trust for Public Land
Trust South LA
UC Berkeley Terner Center for <strong>Housing</strong> Innovation
UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate
Urban Land Institute
USC Sol Price Center for Social Innovation
To the many professionals who have generously given their time to talk with us, provide data and read drafts of
this report. There are too many to name each individually, but your contributions have made an invaluable
contribution to this effort.
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The Team & LEAP Grant
In October 2020, the <strong>Housing</strong> Strategies Team was awarded a $250,000 Local Early Action Planning
Grant (LEAP Grant) to develop a strategic plan streamline and expand affordable housing on Public
Land. The HCIDLA <strong>Housing</strong> Strategies team formed a Project Team with three strategic advisors:
IBI Architects, Praxis Development Group, and RSG to develop a plan and begin implementation. The
vision of the project was to develop 10,000 Units of housing on public land with a short time frame
without Low Income <strong>Housing</strong> Tax Credits. Scaling Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land is that strategy.
The LEAP Grant goal is to prepare a request for proposals (RFP) for 1,000 units of <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on
public land in 2022.
Our Strategic Advisors
• IBI Group Role: Project Lead, Technology & Planning
A multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers, designers and technology professionals with expertise
in technology-led planning to create livable, sustainable urban places
• Praxis Development Group Role: Public Land Strategy
A full-service real estate advisory firm with expertise in partnership negotiation in both the public and
private sector
• RSG Role: Economic Development Strategy
Strategic advisors to local governments with expertise in linking economic development strategies to
transformative community development efforts
vi

Scaling Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong>
Executive Summary
Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land is a strategic plan to create 10,000 units of <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on
public land within 5 years. The plan focuses on using public land to drive a scaled housing solution, using
technology to drive efficiency in planning and construction, and working with future residents and key
stakeholders throughout the design and development process. The plan calls for the creation of a $500
million infrastructure fund to address barriers to development. The four key elements are:
1) Marshal 300 acres of public land for <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Development
2) Plan 10,000 units of housing using cutting edge technology with input from future residents
3) Standardize housing typologies & create ten 1,000-unit <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Development opportunities
4) Create a $500 million <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Infrastructure Fund to address critical funding gaps
Those four steps constitute the “Brains” of the plan, but the “Heart” of the plan lies in the definition of
<strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong>. In this report we use the term <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> to mean affordable housing that
fosters equity in the Los Angeles housing market. The affordable industry has long recognized that implicit
bias and discrimination has created an extremely inequitable housing system. Therefore, this plan focuses
on driving down cost, while scaling up equity in the form of beautiful, sustainable, resilient affordable
housing with ample community spaces, gardens and publicly-accessible parks, and access to public transit
and good schools. Using public land will enable affordable housing to be spread throughout the city
enhancing the affordable housing stock in every neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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Responding to the Priorities of Los Angeles’ Elected Officials
One of the most challenging aspects of being a non-elected government official is to develop an effective
plan when multiple motions come to the department, or to several departments, in a short time – which is
what happens during a crisis.
Scaling Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land is a response to City Council motions and Mayoral directives
made by Los Angeles’ elected leaders during the past few years. It is not a response to one specific motion
or directive, rather it is a strategy that grew out of the collective ideas expressed by the elected leaders of
Los Angeles through numerous motions and directives, many of which are included in this report. We begin
by highlighting a Mayoral directive and three Los Angeles City Council motions and which were a catalyst
to the ideas presented in this report and which provide a framework for the strategies and goals of this
plan.
A Mayoral Directive
On October 23, 2015, Mayor Eric Garcetti directed City departments to support affordable housing
development by streamlining the permitting and entitlement process for all housing developments and to
create priority processing for affordable housing. This Executive Directive spurred housing development
during the past 5 years beyond levels previously seen in Los Angeles. The Mayor’s directive to departments
set the stage for rapid innovation and interdepartmental coordination on a scaled affordable housing
development strategy. Without the Mayor’s directive, City departments would not have the capacity to
move quickly to advance a scalable housing solution, and the Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Plan could not be
implemented. The full text of Mayor Garcetti’s executive directive to Support Affordable <strong>Housing</strong> can be
found in Appendix 1 -Executive Directive No. 13.
Three City Council Motions
1) USE PUBLIC LAND TO SCALE <strong>UP</strong> AFFORDABLE HOUSING
MOTION: Wesson, Bonin, Cedillo, Harris-Dawson, Krekorian Approved: 12/10/2019
Council File 19-1362
I HEREBY MOVE that Council RESTRICT the use of City-owned land identified for housing purposes to housing
development that is 100% affordable, with an effective start date of January 1, 2020, unless the Council determines
that an increased number of affordable units can be achieved through a different business model.
In a built-out urban environment, land is a scarce resource. Real estate developers often say that land is
more valuable than cash because “you can’t make more of it.” In addressing the housing crisis, the plan
to Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land in Los Angeles prioritizes public land as a valuable asset that
can be leveraged into large scale affordable housing production.
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2) STUDY INTERNATIONAL MODELS FOR SOCIAL HOUSING
MOTION: Bonin, Martinez, Harris-Dawson Approved: 11/04/2020
Council File 20-0197
I THEREFORE MOVE that the Office of the Chief Legislative Analyst, in cooperation with the <strong>Housing</strong> and Community
Investment Department (HCID), and in consultation with researchers, experts and activists in the field prepare a report
on the types and models of social housing used in European communities, Singapore, and any other prominent
international examples, with recommendations for their applicability in Los Angeles, including potential benefits and
hurdles.
Cities all over the world have confronted severe housing shortages, and Los Angeles can learn from their
experience. In the 1920’s, Vienna, Austria faced a housing crisis after the First World War. In response,
they implemented large-scale development of social housing on public land, and during the past century
their housing system evolved. Today, Vienna is widely regarded as having one of the best and most
affordable and sustainable housing systems in the world. The Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> plan has drawn
upon lessons from Vienna, as well as other places such as Singapore, China, Australia, the Netherlands,
Denmark, Sweden, and France. We agree that by learning about housing strategies used elsewhere, Los
Angeles can find new approaches to solving the affordable housing crisis at home.
3) ESTABLISH A RIGHT TO HOUSING FRAMEWORK
AMENDING MOTION: Ridley-Thomas, Raman Approved: 03/03/21
Council File 20-0102
Instruct the Los Angeles <strong>Housing</strong> and Community Investment Department, with the assistance of the CAO, LAHSA,
CLA and the City Attorney to report back in 60 days on what resources are necessary for the goal of establishing a
Right to <strong>Housing</strong> Framework within the City of Los Angeles, including the following:
A.) A legal framework and proposed implementation strategy, which includes targets, funding and a timeline, to
pilot an effort to achieve a Right to <strong>Housing</strong>.
B) An assessment of available funding to implement the aforementioned Right to <strong>Housing</strong> and the Comprehensive
Crisis Response Strategy, in the broader context of the City’s current efforts to end homelessness, and the extent to
which these resources would need to be future scaled up, in partnership with the County, State and Federal
Government.
Despite its extraordinary diversity, Los Angeles has a long history of structural racism, discrimination, and
implicit bias in housing that has pushed low-income people of color out of higher income neighborhoods,
farther away from work, school, and opportunity. Racial gaps in economic opportunity show up in every
aspect of LA’s housing market, but nowhere is inequity in housing more starkly apparent than in the
overrepresentation of black people experiencing homelessness 1 .
Market based solutions to the housing and homelessness crisis tend to focus only on driving down cost.
But lower cost housing alone is not going to address racial biases and inequities in the Los Angeles housing
market. Intentional strategies are needed to create equitable outcomes. Public sector investments in
affordable housing must also strive to reverse injustice and protect human rights. The Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong>
<strong>Housing</strong> plan envisions a large-scale housing development that is not dominated by private sector interests
or divorced from the social function of affordable housing, but instead one that is focused on creating
inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable communities that are permanently affordable. To achieve this,
the plan draws upon a “Right to <strong>Housing</strong>” framework adopted by the United Nations 2 and expressed in the
motion above.
1 “Report and Recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness” Los Angeles Homeless
Services Authority. December 2018
2 United Nations Human Rights Council, Forty-third session “Guidelines for the Implementation of the Right to Adequate <strong>Housing</strong>”
26 December 2019.
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More than Just <strong>Housing</strong>
Affordable housing has always been
about more than just bricks and mortar.
The building of stable, vital, healthy
communities that include services such
as child care, health care, and
educational opportunities has been the
vision for changing the nature of
poverty. It is a holistic approach that
includes the promotion of stability and
long-term homeownership and the
provision of services to meet the needs
of community residents.
<strong>Housing</strong> development organizations,
particularly nonprofit developers, have
a history of providing such services with
the housing they have built. Their
mission is long term, as they
understand that it is necessary to have
long-term ownership in order to
preserve the affordability of what they
have built. These developers now need
a sustainable business model to
continue to survive and thrive.
Sister Lillian Murphy & Janet Falk
Mercy <strong>Housing</strong>
Getting to Scale: The Need for a New
Model in <strong>Housing</strong> and Community
Development
Investing in What Works for America’s
Communities
Federal Reserve of San Francisco
LA’s Housers
One of Los Angeles’ greatest strengths is the extraordinary
group of people working in the affordable housing sector.
These are the people and organizations who have pioneered
and persevered over decades to build and maintain affordable
housing in Los Angeles. They are the visionaries, advocates,
builders, financiers, and caretakers of LA’s most vulnerable
residents: The developers who put mission before profit; The
are architects who solve problems through good design; The
construction crews who build with efficiency, hire locally, and
train the next generation of builders. They are the property
managers who protect the rights of tenants, and the financial
institutions who invest in LA’s most disadvantaged communities
for the long term. As a group, they call themselves “Housers,”
a made-up word meaning “people who think about, care about
and create affordable housing.”
Many of LA’s Housers have first-hand experience of housing
discrimination and inequality. They understand that systemic
racism and housing insecurity are deeply intertwined, and that
being vulnerable to displacement, or being prevented from
moving into the neighborhood you want to live in, takes a
terrible toll on an individual’s self-worth. LA’s Housers strive to
do more than just build housing, they work to create
communities where residents feel connected to one another
and empowered to overcome difficult obstacles to achieve their
full potential in life.
The reason we don’t have enough affordable housing in Los
Angeles is not because the LA’s Housers have failed; it is
because we have not enabled them to succeed. We have
created a system of layered subsidies and regulation that
prevents the very people who are most committed to and
capable of solving the housing crisis - without losing sight of
equity - from going to scale.
This is the problem we need to fix.
4

The Problem
How Much <strong>Housing</strong> does LA Need?
Los Angeles needs to build about 460,000 new
homes by 2029 3 . More than half should be for
very low-, low- and moderate-income households
who earn between 50%-120% of the Median
Income 4 . To meet this goal, the City of Los Angeles
must increase the rate of affordable housing
production from the current average of about
1,700 units a year to over 37,000 units per year.
This staggering 2,200% increase in affordable
housing production is a wakeup call for everyone
trying to solve LA’s housing crisis.
Los Angeles <strong>Housing</strong> Need
(RHNA) 2021 – 2029
Income Level # Units Rent*
Very Low 115,978 $850
Low 68,743 $1,400
Moderate 75,091 $1,900
Below Moderate 259,812
Above Moderate
Total New <strong>Housing</strong> 456,643
196,831 Market Rent
*Approximate rent for a 4-person household
3 California <strong>Housing</strong> Law requires every jurisdiction in the State to assess the need for new housing every eight years. The
process - known as the Regional <strong>Housing</strong> Needs Assessment (RHNA) - sets planning targets for new housing development. The
6 th RHNA cycle was published on March 6, 2021 by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). The new 2021-
2029 RHNA for Los Angeles is 456,643 housing units.
4 Median Income for a 4-person household in Los Angeles is currently set at $77,300. Affordable rent for a 2-bedroom unit at this
100% of Median is approximately $1,700 per month. Median Income for one person is about $54,000 per year, and rent for one
bedroom would be approximately $1,500 per month.
5

<strong>Housing</strong> Need (RHNA) vs Actual Production
ABOVE MODERATE
Between 2013-2019, new “Above
Moderate” housing development
significantly outperformed the RHNA target.
The production goal for market rate housing
was about 35,000 units and actual
production was close to 99,000 units, more
than twice the estimated need. In large part,
this can be attributed to strong housing
demand combined with public sector
incentives to streamline approvals and
increase development density. This is good
news for market rate housing production
because the future RHNA estimates the
housing need for above moderate-income
households will double in the next 8 years.
MODERATE & BELOW
Between 2013-2019, approximately 11,000
housing units were built for households
earning at or below moderate-income; this
equates to roughly 23% of the 2013 RHNA
target. It should be noted that final data for
housing production in 2020 was not
available at the time this report was
prepared. We anticipate an increase of
10,000 units of very low-income housing
production to show up in 2020, 2021, and
2022 as a result to the construction of
homeless housing units funded by Measure
HHH homeless housing bond.
Beginning in 2021, the new RHNA, estimates
Los Angeles needs 260,000 new affordable units by 2029, which means very low-, low- and moderateincome
housing production needs to increase by 2,291%!
6

Lessons from the Field
In 2016, HCIDLA created a Land Development Unit to build affordable housing on land transferred from the
former redevelopment agency. The team has worked closely with the City Administrator’s Office, the City
Attorney, the Chief Legislative Analyst, the Mayor, and Council Offices to expand development
opportunities and streamline the housing development on public land. In five years, HCIDLA’s Land
Development Unit has negotiated development agreements on 36 sites, placing more than 1,800 units into
the City’s affordable housing in the development pipeline.
Despite these successes, this system cannot be scaled to meet the need. There is no strategy to the land
selection process. The land disposition rules are overly complicated and the approvals process is
cumbersome —it takes five trips to City Council to go from site selection to project development. There is
no funding for infrastructure, yet many public sites have built in costs, such as replacement parking,
contaminated soil, and obsolete buildings with asbestos that need to be removed. These problems often
cost more than the value of the land, so the projects get stalled out looking for subsidies. Tax Credits and
funding programs are highly competitive and not guaranteed. So, after jumping over numerous
administrative, logistical and funding hurdles, we typically end up with a 49-unit project that took seven
years to complete and costs close to $600,000 per unit. If we keep doing public land development this
way, we will fail to produce affordable housing at the necessary scale.
7

A New Approach
We propose a radical re-envisioning of the entire process of developing on public land. One that focuses
on increasing the scale and speed of affordable housing development without losing sight of the focus on
equity, sustainability, and local job creation. The plan has four key strategies:
1. Marshal 300 acres of public land for <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Development
2. Plan 10,000 units of housing using cutting edge technology with input from future residents
3. Standardize housing typologies & create ten 1,000-unit <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Development opportunities
4. Create a $500 million <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Infrastructure Fund to address critical funding gaps
8

Marshal Public Land
Finding Public Land for <strong>Housing</strong>
Scaling up to 10,000 Units of <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> will require a significant amount of public land, 5 but our
current process inhibits scalable development. Most publicly owned sites in Los Angeles enter the
development queue because an elected official, a city department, or a stakeholder has identified a public
site that has not being particularly well used and pushed for it to be developed into housing. While these
types of inputs are an important part of site selection, it prevents us from thinking strategically about
scaling development across multiple properties. Rather than focusing on one parcel at a time or only on
what’s surplus, we recommend starting with the broadest possible inventory of land including property
owned by Federal, State, County, City, and Public Agencies and looking for opportunities for scalable
housing development. Rather than asking “What City owned land is surplus?” let’s ask “What land in public
ownership is the best place to build 10,000 units of housing and can we make it available?”
CONTACT, STATE, AND FEDERAL AGENCIES FOR PUBLIC PROPERTY
Motion: Ryu, Koretz, Cedillo, Harris-Dawson, Krekorian Approved: 08/26/2020
Council File:#20-0064
INSTRUCT the General Services Department, with the assistance of the Department of City Planning, to
contact other local, County, State, and Federal agencies and report with a list of publicly owned properties
that are suitable for the development of supportive housing.
5 For this analysis we estimated 300 acres of land are needed for 10,000 units, based on an average development density of 50
Dwelling Units per acre and setting 1/3 of land area for open space and ancillary public infrastructure.
9

Create Ten 1,000 - Unit, Scalable Development Opportunities
To achieve scale, Los Angeles must set bigger goals and shorter time frames for development. By enabling
development teams to take on large-scale development opportunities, we can drive significant cost
efficiency and shorten the processing time for housing development. Therefore, we recommend the public
sector establish a 12-month goal of assembling enough land for the first 1,000-unit scalable housing
development, and 5-years to identify ten 1,000-unit development opportunities.
Scalable 1,000-unit development opportunities could take many forms. They may be a group of sites zoned
for high density development near a major transit stop or multiple lots of the same size, scattered all over
the City where a replicable housing design could be repeated. The City could identify industrial land as a
temporary staging area for modular units coming off a factory floor, and plan haul routes to multiple
locations. Sites could include increasing housing density at low-rise public housing sites, creating housing
along the 51-mile LA River, building housing and parking on LADOT parking lots city wide, building on
community college land, creating housing along the perimeter of public parks, using air rights over the 101
Freeway, or repurposing obsolete schools and government offices.
SET A "NORTH STAR"
Motion: De Leon, Bonin, O’Farrell, Rodriguez, Price In Committee 02/21/2021
Council File#: 21-0052
If we are to truly address homelessness in Los Angeles, we need to set a goal, a
NORTHSTAR, to guide us on a clear path to reduce homelessness, and a timeline, that everyone - city,
county, state, and federal partners - are working towards. Without a goal, we have nothing to measure
our success or failure, and we cannot make adjustments to our path.
I THEREFORE MOVE that the City Council adopt the creation of at least 25,000 new units by 2025,
regardless of the type of unit, as the city’s Homeless <strong>Housing</strong> Goal; and, I FURTHER MOVE that the Chief
Legislative Analyst in coordination with other departments, as needed, report back on the necessary
policies and housing units of each type that need to be produced per year in order to achieve this goal as
well as areas in the city that have existing service delivery gaps.
10

Create a Partnership for <strong>Equitable</strong> Development
The Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land plan prioritizes interagency partnerships.
Last Year, Mayor Garcetti’s housing and transportation deputies helped HCIDLA and LADOT to develop an
inter-agency agreement to build affordable housing that created a framework for building housing on
public parking lots all over the City. This type of interagency partnership could be expanded to other City
departments to the entire region. To advance this effort, the project team brought on The Praxis
Development Group, to help identify partnership opportunities and to aid in structuring interagency
partnerships agreements.
The creation of a Regional Partnership for <strong>Equitable</strong> Development could be a major driver for scaling
affordable housing solutions. A single purpose entity with the authority to assemble land, clear sites, secure
entitlements, issue requests for proposals, and enter into purchase contracts for scaled housing
development could bring multiple public sector partners into alignment. A joint powers authority that
includes large jurisdictions and public agencies such as the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, the City
and County <strong>Housing</strong> Authorities, LA Unified School District, Community College District, and Metro could
assert tremendous purchasing power in the housing construction and financial markets.
To be successful, the entity created to do the land assembly work on behalf of the regional partnership
would need to be nimble, entrepreneurial, and trusted. The partnership members would need to have an
aligned mission, and the land development entity would need to build alliances with larger public sector
bureaucracies and understand how to add value to their institutional plan.
California Law encourages this type of collaboration through the creation of Tax Increment Financing “TIF”
districts 6 such as Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFD), Community Revitalization and
Investment Authorities (CRIA), which mandate multiple local agencies (cities, counties & special districts)
to cooperate in order use regional and state-authorized financing programs to fund infrastructure and
housing.
S<strong>UP</strong>PORT THE FORMATION OF AN EIFD OR CRIA
Resolution: Buscaino, O’Farrell, Bonin Approved in Committee Mar 17, 2021
Council File#: 21-0002-S49
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, with the concurrence of the Mayor, that by the adoption of this
Resolution, the City of Los Angeles hereby includes in its 2021-2022 State Legislative Program S<strong>UP</strong>PORT for
legislation or administrative action which would allow Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD) and
Community Revitalization and Investment Authority (CRIA) board members to designate alternates.
6
Several types of TIF districts have been enabled through legislation for financing housing and infrastructure. These include
Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts (EIFD), Community Revitalization and Investment Authorities (CRIA), and Affordable
<strong>Housing</strong> Authorities (AHA).
11

Plan 10,000 Units
Create Equity in the Planning Process
Engaging residents and community stakeholders early in the process is essential to building housing with
equity. The project team will work with future residents, including people who have experienced severe
housing insecurity – such as homelessness, displacement, overcrowding, and being severely rent burdened
– during the planning process. Community participants will guide the design and planning process, helping
to shape the priorities for design, location, amenities, services, and ongoing management structures. In
addition, community advocacy will be needed to push against the NIMBY 7 opposition that usually occurs
when large scale affordable housing developments are proposed.
Our partner, IBI Architects, are experts in the community engagement in design and will utilize cutting edge
technology, known as parametric modeling to bring together different perspectives into a cohesive plan.
7
NIMBY stands for “Not In My Back Yard” which is a term for resistance to change that occurs when new development
–very often affordable housing development – is proposed within a neighborhood.
12

Parametric Planning in Site Selection
Parametric modeling is a technology-based approach to planning that can help us understand and plan our
sites in a whole new way. But we aren’t outsourcing these important decisions to technology. The priorities
will be based on input from people with different knowledge about how to scale up housing with equity.
Residents and housing advocates will help shape the priorities that define a good quality of life. Modular
housing experts will help define the characteristics needed for efficient development. Architects will
provide insight into elements of good design and strategies to maximize the use of space. Planning experts
will advise on zoning and uses appropriate to the City. And affordable housing experts will provide input
on the requirements for long range management of affordable housing. Using this input, the project team
will set and rank these parameters, and then scour all public land in the City of Los Angeles to find the best
locations to build 10,000 units of equitable housing.
LOOK AT PUBLIC LAND THROUGH A NEW LENS
Resolution: Buscaino, O’Farrell, Bonin Approved Feb 24, 2021
Council File#: 21-0063
The City owns an enormous amount of land throughout its almost 470 square miles of territory. The city has done
previous analyses to determine if land is suitable for homeless housing and staff reports have shown very little land
that is available for use. However, the city needs to look at this through a new lens.
I THEREFORE MOVE that the Chief Legislative Analyst, in coordination with the City Administrative Officer,
Department of General Services, Department of Recreation and Parks, Department of Water and Power, and all
other city departments who own land to report back on the underutilization of all city-owned properties and the
feasibility of using them for temporary or permanent homeless housing.
13

Design a Scalable <strong>Housing</strong> Model
PROVIDE STANDARD PLANS FOR MODULAR HOUSING
Motion: Blumenfeld, De Leon, Price Approved Feb 9, 2021
Council File#: 21-0061
Instruct BOE to issue a task order solicitation to provide standard plans for modular multifamily and
supportive housing, ADUs, and bungalow courts within 30 days. These plans should meet all relevant
standards and codes, and be made available to the public at no charge.
Standardize Design
There’s a strong trend in the real estate industry toward building more things away from the construction
site. Standardization and repetitive construction processes have significant potential to drive down cost.
But to achieve economies of scale in the manufacturing process, off site housing manufacturers need a
consistent stream of demand and firm commitments for new units. 8 For this reason, the Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong>
<strong>Housing</strong> Plan proposes to identify enough land for ten 1,000-unit projects, and to front load the planning
process by bringing together critical technical partners during the planning stage.
8 Off-Site Construction in Los Angeles: Unlocking the Benefits of Innovative Approaches to <strong>Housing</strong> Production, Tyler Pullen, Terner
Center, UC Berkeley
14

Front Load Planning
PROACTIVELY SECURE ZONING
Motion: Cedillo, Harris-Dawson Approved Aug 26, 2020
Council File#: 10-1381
Instruct CAO and HCID to proactively secure zoning and entitlement changes for Affordable
<strong>Housing</strong> Opportunity Sites to optimize housing density and improve project delivery.
IBI Architects can again use the parametric model to refine the potential development scenarios based on
standardized housing design. Bringing City departments such as Department of City Planning, Los Angeles
Building and Safety, Fire Department and Public Works, the team can evaluate and refine the technical
implementation plan. This effort will be focused on driving toward an efficient development process.
Acting on its own behalf, the public sector can reduce barriers to development by clearing encumbrances,
resolve hazards, remove buildings, and getting sites ready for development. As a land owner, the city can
ensure zoning and environmental clearances are completed, so that <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> developments could
be developed by right.
15

Scaled <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> 1,000 Unit RFP
Once enough land is assembled
for 1,000 units, it will be time to
initiate a competitive selection
process to find a development
team to build <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong>
at scale.
The competitive selection
process will place an emphasis
on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
and will work with the City’s new
Civil, Human Rights and Equity
Department & the Office of
Racial Equity, to develop a jury
that represents those who have
been most affected by housing
discrimination in Los Angeles.
PROMOTE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY
Motion: Cedillo, Bonin, Martinez, Price Approved Aug 26, 2020
Council File#: 20-0761
Create a Civil, and Human Rights and Equity Department and an Office of Racial Equity to support the
work for the Civil and Human Rights; and to develop rules, regulation and outreach programs to address
discrimination and equity and promote diversity within the city.
Though Los Angeles will create its own selection process, it is
interesting to consider how developer selection is done in
other places. The City of Vienna selects developers for
multiple projects each year using a Four Pillar Model that
includes design, cost, environmental sustainability, and social
sustainability, with an emphasis on the social sustainability.
The overall aim is to create communities that will thrive over
time. The jury consists of experts such as architects,
landscape planners, ecologists, economists, and sociologists,
most of them nominated by independent institutions and the
decision they make is binding on the City for a period of two
years 9 .
9 “The Vienna Model 2, <strong>Housing</strong> for the 21 st Century”, Wolfgang Förster, William Menking Editors
16

Economic Impacts, Local Jobs & Workforce Training
There is ample evidence that offsite manufacturing has the potential to drive down cost and speed up
development timelines. But it is not yet clear if Los Angeles has the capacity to realize these gains. The
Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong> Development plan will explore the potential to create a more efficient housing
production process by offering large-scale opportunity sites and providing significant upfront coordination
on zoning, permitting, environmental review, design, and construction planning— in effect, treating public
land as the tail end of the offsite development process. Towards this end, we have brought on RSG, as an
economic development advisor to assess offsite manufacturing industry trends with a particular emphasis
on understanding local capacity to scale up production. We anticipate there will be a variety of housing
delivery systems including modular, panelized, and site-built scaling strategies that may happen
concurrently as development opportunities become organized.
With leadership from the City’s Economic and Workforce Development Department, we will explore the
potential economic benefits and opportunities for local hiring. Hiring from within economically distressed
communities of Los Angeles will ensure the economic benefits of large-scale housing production creates a
path to economic stability for LA’s residents. The City of LA could build partnerships with the building
trades, LA County Economic Development Corporation, local community colleges, and others to create
reliable pathways for stable employment and workforce training.
17

Create an <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Infrastructure Fund
Local government fiscal shortfalls are likely to persist for some years. Now is the time to push for Federal
Funds to jumpstart an <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Infrastructure Fund focused on closing funding gaps that prevent
housing projects moving from concept to construction. This is the funding that pays for tasks that need to
be completed before project construction or private investment can occur, such as community
engagement, market assessments and economic feasibility studies, architectural and engineering work, site
clean-clean up, and permitting. The fund could be used to offset the high up-front funding needed to scale
up modular housing construction locally, such as the investment in technology, staff, and physical assets
needed to scale up production to meet a rapid increase in demand 10 . The contribution of public land could
be pledged as a funding match for Federal, State, private, and philanthropic investment. Three hundred
acres of public land in Los Angeles is worth at least $1 Billion dollars, and depending on where it’s located
very likely to be worth considerably more.
CREATE A LOAN FUND FOR WORKFORCE HOUSING
Motion: Krekorian, Ridley, Thomas, Raman Approved Feb 24, 2021
Council File#: 20-1604
Instruct HCID to make recommendations on the creation of a revolving loan fund, empowered to receive
contributions from institutional investors, philanthropic organizations, and private companies that will support
increasing stock of workforce housing in the City.
10 Off-Site Construction in Los Angeles: Unlocking the Benefits of Innovative Approaches to <strong>Housing</strong> Production, Tyler Pullen,
Terner Center, UC Berkeley
18

Demand More Section 8 Rent Subsidies
Rent subsidies from the Federal government, such as Section 8 rent vouchers, are essential to ending
homelessness and Scaling up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> for the very poor. Rental subsidies enable extremely lowincome
residents to retain housing and prevent them from falling into homelessness by ensuring they pay
no more than 30% of their income for rent. Rent subsidies are critically important to part of the financial
strategy for scaling because they underwrite at fair market rents for 15-20 year terms. But Los Angeles
needs far more Section 8 than we currently have. The <strong>Housing</strong> Authority of Los Angeles has 62,000 eligible
households on the Section 8 waitlist, and hundreds of thousands eligible applicants didn’t make it on to the
waiting list. Los Angeles is one of the most rent burdened cities in the US, and must demand significantly
bigger allocation of Section 8 rental vouchers to Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> for extremely low-income
households at risk of homelessness.
Support Mixed Affordable & Workforce <strong>Housing</strong>
Rather than focus solely on homeless housing, the Scaling Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> on Public Land proposes
to create housing for a mix of incomes that ranges from extremely low-income housing (30% of AMI) to
moderate income workforce housing at (150% of AMI) including both rental and homeownership
opportunities. These income targets are broader than the traditional Low-Income <strong>Housing</strong> Tax Credit
housing models but offer distinct advantages over housing that serves a narrower income group. Although
results differ by location, there is substantial evidence that mixed income communities promote social
interaction that leads to improved outcomes for people – especially children – living in poverty.
In addition, a broader income mix increases project cash flow, which in turn enables developers to leverage
more private debt and use fewer subsidies, and simplifies the financial stack. A more streamlined financing
approach will benefit scalability and speed in the development process.
19

Create an <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Land Trust
The Scale Up <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> plan is exploring the potential for placing public land in an <strong>Equitable</strong>
<strong>Housing</strong> Land Trust. This would keep land under community stewardship for the long term, ensuring
protection from speculation and affordability in perpetuity. Community Land Trusts are non-profit
organizations governed by boards and must include existing residents as members. This governance model
places emphasis on equity and inclusion. Collaborating as the Los Angeles Community Land Trust Coalition,
five existing Community Land Trusts are actively working to develop affordable housing and to advance
cooperative ownership opportunities and have given input into this report. In addition, several Council
members have made recommendations to explore the feasibility of the City entering into agreements with
Community Land Trusts. Using public land to achieve equitable housing development, could enable the
creation of land trust that brings public land closer to the community whom it serves.
CREATE A LAND TRUST
Motion: Koretz, Bonin, Harris-Dawson
Pending Consideration
03/17/2021
20

1,000 Unit <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Demonstration Project
The Los Angeles <strong>Housing</strong> and Community Investment Department (HCIDLA) <strong>Housing</strong> Strategies team could
immediately begin to implement a 1,000 Unit <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Demonstration Project, but will need staff
support and $50 Million in funding to make it a reality.
A Conceptual Plan
Identify Public Land – Using parametric modeling, the project team could identify public land opportunities
for 1,000 units of housing. The first step is to bring together technical advisors and community stakeholders
to discuss and define the parameters that characterize the “best equitable housing development
opportunities.”
Create a Land Partnership – The site selection process may reveal interagency partnership opportunities
for scaled development. For example, HCIDLA and LADOT could work together to evaluate housing and
transportation on over 100 public parking lots at once – rather than evaluating them one at time. The
partnership could evaluate parking demand and housing potential concurrently to determine if is cost
effective to develop a large-scale housing/transportation development plan on LA’s parking lots.
Plan 1,000 Units – Using parametric modeling to evaluate development scenarios, and working with an
interagency team led by the Mayor’s Office of <strong>Housing</strong> Production and including the City Planning,
Department of Building and Safety, Fire Department, Public Works and others, the City could take the steps
necessary to create a by right development opportunity for 1,000 units on publicly owned land.
Design a Scalable <strong>Housing</strong> Model - Concurrently with the site planning, the project team can evaluate
scalable housing typologies. A request for information could give the City team the ability to compare
onsite and offsite multifamily construction approaches to determine the most scalable, highest quality,
least costly development approach. This information will be used to define the type of housing called for
in an RFP.
21

Secure $50 Million in Infrastructure Funds – Implementing the first 1,000 Units will require at least $50
Million in funding. A portion of the funds would be used for community engagement, planning, site
clearance, and project planning. However, the majority of funds would be awarded to the selected
developer along with a ground lease on public land to offset project gaps. The initial $50 Million for this
demonstration project could come from Local, State, Federal, or philanthropic sources, but will need to be
secured prior to project implementation.
Create a Workforce Development Strategy – As planning gets underway for a large-scale housing
development project, EWDD could plan a local hiring and workforce development strategy to be
implemented in partnership with the development.
Issue an RFP for 1,000 Units – Once sufficient public land has been identified for 1,000 units, funding has
been secured, and barriers to development have been addressed, the project team will be ready to issue a
Request for Proposals for Scaled <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Development. The Civil, Human Rights and Equity
Department, and the Office of Racial Equity would serve as important advisors to the process, ensuring
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion remain a central focus of the RFP and the jury formation.
Create an <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> Land Trust – Building <strong>Equitable</strong> <strong>Housing</strong> is only the first step. With input from
experts in community land trusts, the City could explore best practices in long-term stewardship of housing
based on a model of equity and inclusion. Using a Land Trust model, residents could have a stake in the
stewardship of housing— helping to ensure that communities thrive and remain economically viable over
the long term without the need for continual public investment or management. The community land trust
also oversees the resale of any ownership units, keeping prices affordable to all future buyers by retaining
public subsidy invested at the outset in the land.
22

Appendix 1 -Executive Directive No. 13
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