Metro is beginning the environmental review phase for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor project, which will build a heavy rail line or monorail between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside. A second phase will eventually be built to LAX.

As part of the environmental review, a formal public comment period will begin today, November 30, and will run through February 11, 2022. Metro encourages the public to submit comments on the project during this time — including any thoughts on the six alternatives under study (see below) and issues that Metro should consider during the environmental review.

An online presentation on the project is here.

Here’s how to submit comments:

Online Comment Form: https://bit.ly/SepulvedaCommentForm
By mail: Peter Carter, Project Manager
LA Metro
One Gateway Plaza, 99-22-6
Los Angeles, CA 90012
By email: sepulvedatransit@metro.net
By phone: 213.922.7375

Metro will also be holding three virtual meetings in the coming weeks. Each meeting will feature the same information.

Tuesday, December 7, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_k9DENFCNQq-CLFneINXb_g

Tuesday, January 11, 2022, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QEfrVMtZRFKYZqPVgz26wg

Saturday, January 22, 2022, 10 a.m. to Noon 
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QwXtjBgbT8qR7-gO8nghzA

Planning on the project so far has resulted in six alternatives to be studied. Below are the details on each along with a legend that explains the lines on each map:This is a long form text area designed for your content that you can fill up with as many words as your heart desires. You can write articles, long mission statements, company policies, executive profiles, company awards/distinctions, office locations, shareholder reports, whitepapers, media mentions and other pieces of content that don’t fit into a shorter, more succinct space.

Articles – Good topics for articles include anything related to your company – recent changes to operations, the latest company softball game – or the industry you’re in. General business trends (think national and even international) are great article fodder, too.

Mission statements – You can tell a lot about a company by its mission statement. Don’t have one? Now might be a good time to create one and post it here. A good mission statement tells you what drives a company to do what it does.

Company policies – Are there company policies that are particularly important to your business? Perhaps your unlimited paternity/maternity leave policy has endeared you to employees across the company. This is a good place to talk about that.

Executive profiles – A company is only as strong as its executive leadership. This is a good place to show off who’s occupying the corner offices. Write a nice bio about each executive that includes what they do, how long they’ve been at it, and what got them to where they are.

Historically, the Century Glen HOA (formerly known as Tract 7260) made a deal in 1986 with the City of Los Angeles and the historical Days Inn Hotel (now the Courtyard Marriott Hotel) to set the rooftop height at ground to the hillside homes above.  Zoning for this commercial property is C2-VL1-0.  "VL1" means "Height District 1, Very Low", which limits the roof height of the adjacent commercial buildings to 45'.  The HOA is currently in negotiations with the City to maintain this zoning and to interface with the Hotel regarding a new signage remodel and new cellular tower co-locations.  We are currently investigating an entitlement granted in 2016 for a height exception granted for 59'4"under LAMC 12.24F.

As State legislation is adopted or revised, the City issues local implementation guidance as needed. Earlier this year, Los Angeles City Planning issued memorandums on Senate Bill (SB) 9. In addition to SB 9, SB 290, SB 728, Assembly Bill (AB) 634, and SB 478 all took effect on January 1, 2022. The bills expand State Density Bonus incentives for student and moderate-income housing, authorize the purchase of for-sale units by a qualified nonprofit, address jurisdictions' ability to increase covenant terms beyond 55 years, and permit Floor Area Ratio (FAR) increases in low-density multi-family neighborhoods and commercial corridors.  

City Planning has prepared two memorandums for the local implementation of these laws. The first memorandum includes SB 290, SB 728, and AB 634 and describes the changes, clarifications and additions to State Density Bonus Law. The second memorandum focuses on SB 478 and summarizes FAR allowances for sites permitting a density between three and ten units and clarifies minimum lot size requirements. Both memorandums will serve as interim guidance for staff and project applicants regarding the implementation of bills until the City’s Density Bonus Ordinance is updated or these memorandums are otherwise superseded.    

Key Provisions and Restrictions 

Note: Included below is a partial list of provisions and restrictions. Please consult the memorandum for detailed instructions.   

Density Bonus Memorandum   

SB 290 

1) Allows one Density Bonus incentive or concession for student housing developments when the development contains at least 20% of the units for Lower-Income Students; 

2) Reduces parking requirements for housing with at least 40% Moderate-Income units within one half-mile of a major transit stop to 0.5 parking spaces per bedroom; 3) Removes findings of a “specific adverse impact on the physical environment” as a basis for denial of a Density Bonus concession, incentive, or waiver; 

and Clarifies definitions.   

SB 728 

Authorizes a qualified nonprofit housing corporation to purchase a for-sale unit created through Density Bonus.   

AB 634 

Clarifies that State law does not preclude the adoption of a local ordinance that requires affordability terms beyond 55 years.  

SB 478 Memorandum   

Provides minimum statewide standards on Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and minimum lot sizes for housing development projects of three to ten units on land zoned for multi-family or mixed-uses, commonly known as “missing middle” housing. Specifically, for eligible projects, the bill provides that local jurisdictions may not:   

1) Impose a FAR standard that is less than 1.0:1 for an eligible housing development project consisting of three to seven units, 

2) Impose a FAR standard that is less than 1.25:1 for an eligible housing development project consisting of eight to ten units, 

3) Deny an eligible housing development project located on an existing legal parcel solely on the basis that the lot area of the proposed lot does not meet the local agency’s requirements for minimum lot size, and 

4) Impose any other lot coverage requirements that would physically preclude a qualifying project from achieving the permitted FAR described above.     

For any questions related to these memos, please contact the Citywide housing policy team at planning.housingpolicy@lacity.org. For questions about the building permit process, please contact LADBS by dialing 311 or visiting https://www.ladbs.org/our-organization/customer-services/contact-us.