In a world of single-family zoning, we we’re pleasantly surprised to stumble across this recent article in the New York Times highlighting the history of a small New Jersey town and its success with “light-touch density” (LTD): small lot single-family homes, townhouses, triplexes, and fourplexes permitted on land zoned for single-family development. California has taken...Read More

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

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

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

You know it’s bad when we get an email from a fellow architect, developer or client with the subject line “Please help!” and find they are attempting to navigate the convoluted City of Los Angeles’ permitting process. While COVID has rendered many business processes more difficult or even obsolete, residents are questioning how to get...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