Although Los Angeles’ codes have long allow housing development in commercial zones, the “commercial corner/mini-shopping center” rules have proved frustrating to housing developers. In March 2000, the Housing Crisis Task Force recommended rewriting the rules to remove barriers to residential building. In May 2003, the City adopted revisions to the Mini-Shopping Centers and Commercial Corner Developments.

In the 1980’s when mini-mall construction was sweeping the city like wildfire – with similar disastrous effects – the City instituted a set of rules to prevent the most egregious. The result was a set standards aimed at improving the aesthetics and reducing impacts on residential neighborhoods of “commercial corner” and “mini-shopping center” developments. As often happens, there have been unintended consequences.

Los Angeles has a surplus of commercially zoned land and many of the commercial strips are not flourishing. In December 2002, the City created a new Residential Accessory Zone (RAS) to stimulate housing construction on sagging commercial corridors. This strategy is in keeping with the General Plan Framework, the City of Los Angeles is directing its new housing construction along commercial corridors where public transportation is available.

With the changes made in the corner commercial tandem parking for residential buildings is now allowed; multi-family developments that are adjacent to other multi-family or in a regional or commercial center are except from corner commercial standards; the requirement that at least 50% of street-facing walls be windows has been dropped for residential. The adopted ordinance is in the Los Angeles Municipal Code in Sections 12.03, 12.22A23, 12.24W27 and 13.09F1.

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