Friday, January 19, 2018

The office of Los Angeles Controller Ron Galperin recently made available a searchable database of more than 8,900 city-owned parcels. This database enables the public to determine what value, if any, can be extracted from its existing assets. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority owns another 2,700 parcels, a handful of which are marketed as joint development opportunities. Among its school campuses, LAUSD has hundreds of acres of underutilized or vacant land, according to some estimates, but little is known about their location or availability.

One of the biggest drivers of development costs in Southern California is land. Leveraging public land ownership to build more affordable housing seems a logical solution, but the hurdles are many. Many such properties are considered unsuitable for residential (or any other form of) development due to their dimensions, access constraints, or undesirable location. What will it take to unlock the development potential of these properties for the public good? Can developers and architects make use of odd-sized lots? Or are the constraints ultimately regulatory and/or political?
 
Join WUF to learn more about the city's effort to market development sites, and hear perspectives from affordable housing developers and architectural design experts on the potential for innovative housing prototypes to transform available sites into viable development opportunities.

Panelists
Ron Galperin, City Controller, City of Los Angeles
Shmel Graham, Director, Operations Innovation Team, Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti
Lorcan O'Herlihy, Principal, Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects
Kevin Wronske, Partner, The Heyday Partnership

Moderator
Helmi Hisserich, Directory of Housing, L.A. Housing & Community Investment Department