Low-Rise Ordinance and Senate Bill (SB) 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance
Summary
SCH Number
2026070096
Public Agency
City of Los Angeles
Document Title
Low-Rise Ordinance and Senate Bill (SB) 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/2/2026
Document Description
The Proposed Project includes two ordinances, the Low-Rise Ordinance and Senate Bill (SB) 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance, that together comprise the City’s local implementation of SB 79 (2025) or “The Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act”, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2025, pursuant to Government Code Sections 65912.155 - 65912.162. The Low-Rise Ordinance amends the Mixed Income Incentive Program (MIIP) in Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) Section 12.22 A.38 and other related code sections to establish housing incentives to allow low-scale, multifamily housing development in low density zones within a half-mile area of Opportunity Stations and renames the existing Corridor Transition Incentive Area to Low-Rise Incentive Area to better align the program’s name with intended building outcomes. Opportunity Stations areas consist of a majority of Higher and Moderate Opportunity Areas as defined by LAMC Section 12.03 and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) and are major transit stops (as defined in Public Resources Code Section 21064.3) served by heavy rail, light rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit, and certain bus lines that operate in bus-only lanes. Opportunity Station Areas are predominantly located in Central Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Northeast Los Angeles, and the South Valley The SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance will allow a temporary pause in the bill’s effectuation citywide consistent with the sites, Transit Oriented Development zone, and low resource area criteria in GSC 65912.161(b); will codify exemptions from SB 79 for sites within industrial employment hubs and that are more than one-mile walking distance from a station pursuant to GSC 65912.160(e) and will establish mapping processes. The Proposed Project will apply to the entire geographic area located within the boundaries of the City of Los Angeles, which encompasses 467 square miles. Los Angeles is a coastal city, generally surrounded by the San Gabriel Mountains to the north, urban development and the Verdugo Mountains, San Rafael Hills, and San Gabriel Valley to the east, and urban development and the Santa Susana Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, and Pacific Ocean to the west and south. The City is highly urbanized and contains a variety of residential, civic, institutional, commercial, industrial, and recreational/open space uses within the communities that comprise the City. The ordinances which comprise the proposed project were adopted by the City Council on June 23, 2026, and the City Council found that the proposed project was assessed in the Housing Element Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (ENV-2020-6762-EIR, ENV-2020-6762-EIR-ADD1, ENV-2020-6762-EIR-ADD2).
Contact Information
Name
Theadora Trindle
Agency Name
City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning
Job Title
City Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Los Angeles
Counties
Los Angeles
Regions
Citywide, Southern California
Other Location Info
Citywide
Other Information
CPC-2026-1798-MSC, CPC-2026-1797-CA; ENV-2026-1799-SE
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Senate Bill 79 Phased Implementation Ord: Gov. Code Section 65912.160(c)(1-2); Low-Rise Ord: PRC Section 21080.085(a)
Reasons for Exemption
The SB 79 Phased Implementation Ordinance is exempt because pursuant to GCS 65912.160(c)(1 - 2), an ordinance to make a zoning code consistent with the provisions of GSC 65912.155 - 65912.162 is determined not to be a project for the purposes of review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Phased Implementation Ordinance makes the City’s zoning consistent with SB 79 because it phases in local implementation through meeting the technical requirements of 65912.161(b) and permanently exempts industrial employment hubs as well as sites that are more than one-mile walking distance from a station pursuant to GCS 65912.160(e). GCS 65912.161(b) allows a local jurisdiction to not apply GCS 65912.157 to areas that meet the rules specified in GCS 65912.161(b)(A-F) so long as an ordinance is adopted “in accordance with Section 65912.160”. As such, the Phased Implementation Ordinance affirms compliance with GCS 65912.161(b) and meets the requirements of GCS Section 65912.160(c)(1), making the City’s zoning code consistent with SB 79 through the effectuation of a phased implementation approach of the bill’s provisions.
The Low-Rise Ordinance is exempt because it is consistent with PRC Section 21080.085(a) which allows a statutory exemption for rezoning that “implements that schedule of actions contained in an approved housing element.” The Low-Rise Ordinance expands the incentives of the City of Los Angeles’ Housing Element Rezoning Program to sites within a half-mile of transit. The expansion of these incentives is proposed through code amendments that codify relief from a site’s underlying zoning rules, including but not limited to density, FAR, and height, in exchange for the provision of on-site affordable housing. Enabling a site to build a project type or size not previously allowed effectively results in a site level rezoning. This rezoning approach implements the schedule of actions in the City’s Housing Element, including Programs 48 (Update to Density Bonus and Other Affordable Housing Incentive Programs), 55 (Implement CEQA Streamlining Measures), 57 (Improvements to Development Processing), 103 (Missing Middle), 121 (RHNA Re-Zoning), and 124 (Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Program).
County Clerk
Los Angeles
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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