Two City-owned properties near Echo Park could be offered up for the development of permanent supportive housing, according to a motion introduced last week by Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell. 

The side-by-side lots, located at 1140-1152 N. Glendale Boulevard and 1149-1155 N. Lemoyne Street, are zoned for commercial and multifamily uses.  Both are also located within a Tier 3 zone under the Transit Oriented Communities guidelines, which would allow for a project that is otherwise taller and denser than zoning regulations would normally allow.

O'Farrell's motion directs the City Administrative Officer, with input from the Chief Legislative Analyst, the Bureau of Engineering, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, and other stakeholders to view the two properties for their suitability as permanent supportive housing sites.  It has been referred to the Council's Homelessness and Poverty Committee, which would review the proposal before passing on a recommendation to the full City Council.

In the wake of increasing pressure to deal with the twin housing and homelessness crises, City officials have recently looked to its own real estate portfolio in search of underutilized properties that could be used for temporary shelters and permanent supportive housing.  O'Farrell recently identified a parking lot in Hollywood that could be used as an emergency shelter facility.