Efforts to reform L.A.'s permitting process are proceeding slower than many had hoped, reports Ryan Vaillancourt, and city leaders are looking to make more drastic changes. Could the city's planning department be consolidated as part of the effort?
"Eighteen months after the city adopted a $600,000 plan to reform its notoriously Byzantine development permitting process, implementation has been slow," says Vaillancourt. "Now, city leaders are considering more radical changes, though they may sound familiar to veterans of City Hall."
"In July 2011, consultants KH-Woolpert delivered a slate of proposed reforms, including long-term initiatives such as a five-year plan to overhaul the city’s 1946 zoning code. It also established a case management office that many say has improved coordination among staffers from the city departments involved in planning, permitting and inspections."
"However, the plan’s long list of action items has not yet resulted in the major changes that many hoped would occur."
"With the KH-Woolpert plan yielding only modest results so far, officials are now essentially turning back to consolidation," writes Vaillancourt. "Last month, the City Council directed various departments to propose structural changes that could streamline the system. A report is due by March 14."
"Despite the call for more streamlining, many developers and architects say that the system has seen important progress over the past two years."
FULL STORY: A New Tack on Development Reform
Merger of L.A.'s Planning Department Looking Increasingly Likely
Long rumored plans to merge L.A.'s Department of City Planning with Building and Safety to cut costs and streamline permitting are coming into focus, as the outgoing mayor tries to push through the reforms before he leaves office.
Street Vendors Rally for Rent Cancelation in Los Angeles
Street vendors gathered in front of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works in a May Day action to their make demands heard.
The Arts District and the 'Missed Opportunity' of Planning in L.A.
Downtown L.A.'s Arts District transformed from an industrial sector to a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood. Now, the community's attempts to protect their vision from haphazard development illuminate Los Angeles's broken planning process.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.
Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.
Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
Smith Gee Studio
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service