Following a sharp uptick in the number of homeless Angelenos over the past several years, the City of Los Angeles has recently taken steps towards addressing the crisis. In addition to passing Measure HHH, a property tax measure which provide funding for up to 10,000 units of permanent supportive housing, officials have also identified a dozen city-owned properties which could be targeted for such developments.
However, the specter of Measure S, also known as the "Neighborhood Integrity Initiative," looms on the horizon. The proposed ballot initiative, billed as an opportunity to reign in large developments, would prevent the city from granting general plan amendments and zone changes for most new construction.
Opponents of the ballot measure, who have coalesced under the banner of the Coalition to Protect L.A. Neighborhoods & Jobs, assert that Measure S would permanently restrict the development of permanent supportive housing on nearly all of the City-owned properties, which are located in Lincoln Heights, South L.A., Venice and West L.A.
Although Measure S was revised to allow 100% affordable developments to pursue zone changes and other variances, they are still prevented from seeking general plan amendments. The City-owned properties, which have a combined capacity for up to 742 housing units, are primarily industrial sites which would require general plan amendments to allow residential construction.
Freelance GIS analyst and cartographer Mehmet Berker has created a series of graphics that further explain this issue. The cards were made with assistance from Mark Vallianatos. See them below.
