Apartments, ADUs and Small Lots—oh my! As a response to the state’s push to meet current housing needs, new developments are popping up across Los Angeles at an increasing rate (Reminder: Los Angeles is currently short 456,643 housing units). Many residents would like to prevent new housing developments for a few fear-based reasons—loss of neighborhood...Read More

Have you heard? Los Angeles has a housing problem! We’re over 450,000 housing units short based on the latest RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) assessment. Need a recap on why? Check out our short history lesson on housing and how we got here: Part 1 and Part 2, and then read up on the latest...Read More

Our previous blogs in this Affordable Housing series took a peek at the history of how we got to the current housing shortage, and then highlighted a few of the big “Streamlining” bills. If you haven’t already, check out our recent articles: Why is Housing in Los Angeles So Expensive? (Part 1) Why is Housing...Read More

I don’t know about you, but every time I read a sentence containing the abbreviations “SB” or “AB” my brain immediately hurts trying to figure out which state senate or assembly bill is being referenced. The research for this blog found me in an avalanche of state bills that all started to intertwine. How is...Read More

Welcome back to our informal discussion about rising housing costs in Los Angeles. If you missed it, make sure you check out Part 1. If you’re back for Part 2, thank you for being here! I promise this one is shorter than the last. If you remember, we’ve been looking in depth at two critical...Read More

It’s a common question: Why is housing in Los Angeles so expensive? We are constantly asked this question by clients and decided to dig deep to see what drives the high housing costs across the city. The answer is complex, and sometimes polarizing, because there are multiple underlying factors. The goal of this article is...Read More

Our previous blog, The Great LA Delay: Why Residential Development is Taking Soooo Long, detailed how the convoluted permitting process is wreaking havoc with design and development in Los Angeles. In Part 2, we tell you about a possible “Secret Weapon” that could help smooth the permitting process, we’ve got some news on how this...Read More

In our endeavor to be lifelong learners, we’ve started a new tradition at Tracy A. Stone Architect called… wait for it… “read the magazines that get mailed to the office.” Originally, we had decided to purge all the unwanted subscriptions (and if you know the design and construction industry, there are TONS that mysteriously show...Read More

  In our travels around Los Angeles presenting projects to various community groups, we face a lot of fearful residents concerned about increased density in the city. Everyone wants more affordable housing, but no one seems to want more housing. And as long as people keep moving to Los Angeles, we need more housing. After...Read More

  Top 5 Questions When Purchasing a Lot in LA The fact that development in Los Angeles is at a recent high gives rise to many questions relevant to the construction location. From structure type to zoning to whether you’re contemplating building a new house, a small residential addition or a brand new commercial structure,...Read More

We recently presented our project at a Design Review Board and got stuck between requirements of a Specific Plan and concerns of an abutting neighbor… let’s call him Bob. Bob’s concern, which he voiced at the meeting, “This project is contributing to the butterfly shortage.” As it turns out, Bob is the neighbor to the...Read More