Los Angeles' Community Plans | Los Angeles Conservancy
(l-r) Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights, Hollywood Grove, and The Village Green. Photos by Larry Underhill and Adrian Scott Fine/L.A. Conservancy

"Make no little plans" is something many of us have heard before, a motto coined by famed urban planner Daniel Burnham. In a place as big and diverse as Los Angeles, a challenge with planning the city's future is, in part, a matter of scale:

UPDATE: Hollywood Community Plan

On March 18, 2021, the L.A. City Planning Commission will continue reviewing the proposed Hollywood Community Plan. This plan update will replace the 1988 plan and sets a direction for future development in Hollywood.  As proposed, the new plan will direct anticipated new development and density and create new tools to ensure the historic character of Hollywood is preserved.

The Conservancy shared the following recommendations directed toward preservation, equity, affordable housing, and implementation purposes:

  1. Expand the definition of eligible historic resources within the plan and Community Plan Implementation Overlay (CPIO) as a mitigating measure, to include those of local significance and classified as 5S3, to be consistent with the City’s surveys and previously adopted community plans, such as South Los Angeles.
  2. Specifically identify and extend preservation and housing protections to Hollywood’s historic bungalow courts and their affordable Rent Stabilized Ordinance (RSO) units as a policy in the plan.
  3. Commit to include in the plan and adopt detailed operating procedures for the proposed Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program; and
  4. Expand the CPIO boundaries to East Hollywood and tools as part of the Vermont - Western TOD Station Neighborhood Area Plan (SNAP) Specific Plan update and commit to doing so within one year.

Learn more about how you can participate and take part in the Hollywood Community Plan efforts. 

How do we craft a vision of Los Angeles that works for everyone?

While Angelenos should think big in terms of a broad, long-term vision, we also need to plan on a smaller scale, at the community level. In Los Angeles, this typically happens through Community Plans. In its most basic form, a Community Plan helps guide growth and development by stating what can and cannot be built in a specific area. It plays an important role in preserving the unique character of older and historic neighborhoods. 

This page gives you an overview of Los Angeles' Community Plans program, including ways for you to get involved in updates in your neighborhood. 

Why does Los Angeles have Community Plans?

California state law requires all local jurisdictions to adopt a comprehensive Citywide General Plan, which serves as the principal planning document for directing future growth. The City of Los Angeles last updated its General Plan in 1996 and has committed to revisions in the coming years. 

Given its size, the City has established thirty-five discrete Community Plans to implement the goals and policies of the General Plan at a local level. In this context, a "community" generally means an area of multiple neighborhoods, which can encompass a range of residential, commercial, transit, and industrial uses. 

Though each Community Plan is distinct, they all aim to manage development in their given areas by setting goals and policies that balance growth with retention of the existing fabric. These long-range documents are designed to encourage sustainable development in neighborhoods that can accommodate new density while reinforcing the unique character of older and historic communities. 

At this critical time in its growth, City of Los Angeles intends to update each of its thirty-five Community Plans. 

With most of the Community Plans woefully out of date, Mayor Eric Garcetti and City Council pledged in the spring of 2016 to amend each of the plans within a decade. Several are currently underway, and more than twenty remain in the queue for future revision. 

According to the City, the updated Community Plans will reflect the following objectives:

  • Integrate land use, infrastructure, and transportation improvement; 
  • Direct growth to centers while preserving established residential neighborhoods;
  • Create healthier, more livable neighborhoods and economically vital business districts that can provide more job and housing opportunities for city residents; and
  • Facilitate improved design of new and renovated structures and public spaces.

What do Community Plans mean for historic buildings and neighborhoods?

The New Community Plans program represents a rare chance to establish clear goals and policy recommendations for historic preservation and neighborhood conservation.  

By indicating where development can and can't take place, Community Plans offer a base level of predictability and can ease, as well as fuel, development pressures. 

The City's Community Plans are designed to address a range of topics, from housing and mobility to open space and jobs. This breadth requires a delicate balance between incentivizing new development and conserving existing resources. As a result, the process of drafting new Plans opens the doors for thoughtful and creative new tools for managing historic resources and reinforcing neighborhood character. 

Hollywood Community Plan

On March 18, 2021, the L.A. City Planning Commission will again review the proposed Hollywood Community Plan. This plan update will replace the 1988 plan and sets a direction for future development in Hollywood.  As proposed, the new plan will direct anticipated new development and density and create new tools to ensure the historic character of Hollywood is preserved.

The Conservancy has shared the following recommendations directed toward preservation, equity, affordable housing, and implementation purposes:

  1. Expand the definition of eligible historic resources within the plan and Community Plan Implementation Overlay (CPIO) as a mitigating measure, to include those of local significance and classified as 5S3, to be consistent with the City’s surveys and previously adopted community plans, such as South Los Angeles.
  2. Specifically identify and extend preservation and housing protections to Hollywood’s historic bungalow courts and their affordable Rent Stabilized Ordinance (RSO) units as a policy in the plan.
  3. Commit to include in the plan and adopt detailed operating procedures for the proposed Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program; and
  4. Expand the CPIO boundaries to East Hollywood and tools as part of the Vermont - Western TOD Station Neighborhood Area Plan (SNAP) Specific Plan update and commit to doing so within one year.

 

The Community Plans are a valuable public blueprint for what our neighborhoods will look and feel like in the near future.

For example, the New Community Plans will benefit from unprecedented information about the City's historic properties due to the recent completion of SurveyLA, Los Angeles' first-ever comprehensive program to identify historic resources citywide. This documentation is readily accessible through the new Historic Places LA database, created in partnership with the Getty Conservation Institute. 

Using findings from SurveyLA, the City can create policies and incentives in the Plans that:

The New Community Plans are the best vehicle for implementing many of the tools described in this microsite, including Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programs and conservation districts. In the future, the updated Plans will also include the City's new form-based zoning code, which is currently in-progress through the re:code LA initiative. 

What is the status of the Community Plan updates? 

Los Angeles' City Council voted in February 2017 to establish a new schedule for revising the Community Plans every six years. The City has also allocated $1.5 million in new annual funding to expand its planning staff after years of budget cuts. 

The City is actively revising the following Community Plans:

The following New Community Plans have been adopted:

The Conservancy is closely following the New Community Plans program and will continue to work with the City to incorporate meaningful protections for historic resources and older neighborhoods. For more information about the our positions on the proposed plans, click on the links to our comment letters in the column to the left.

Get involved! Community planning is a group effort, and we encourage all to participate. This is a crucial opportunity to help shape the future of L.A. neighborhoods, which will only become more important over time, as L.A. continues to grow up, both figuratively and literally.

Though the process of updating the plans often spans several years, the final product benefits tremendously when residents get involved. By writing letters, attending public workshops, and commenting during hearings, you can ensure that your voice is represented in your community's new blueprint. Click on the links above to read the latest drafts of the plans and to learn more about upcoming events.