Objective Design Standards for Infill Housing and ADUs in Historic Districts (HPOZs)
Why Objective Design Standards (ODS)?
Several State laws (including, but not limited to, the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), SB 330, SB 35, and AB 2011) aim to increase housing production by limiting design review for eligible projects to objective design standards only. This streamlining is intended to expedite project approval and incentivize the construction of new housing statewide.
While Los Angeles’s existing HPOZ Preservation Plans contain detailed guidelines, most of these existing guidelines do not qualify as objective standards under State law. In many circumstances, this leaves designated local historic districts with only minimal standards to guide the review of eligible infill housing projects and ADUs under State housing laws.
California defines an objective standard as a “design standard that involves no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and is uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant or proponent and the public official before submittal of an application” (Gov. Code § 66300(a)(7)).
Therefore, Objective Design Standards for HPOZ’s are being developed to ensure that new development in historic neighborhoods are sensitive and compatible.
The development of the ODS is being funded by a Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 2.0 grant received from the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). The City’s Office of Historic Resources (OHR) contracted with Architectural Resources Group (ARG) to prepare the ODS, which must be completed by the REAP 2.0 grant deadline in December 2026 (L.A. City Planning ODS Fact Sheet).
Where will the ODS apply?
The ODS for HPOZs will only apply to the following eligible project types:
– New multi-family residential infill (including eligible streamlined affordable housing projects)
– New mixed-use infill
– New ADU
How you can get involved
In March 2026 the city presented the ODS to HPOZ Boards and a workshop was offered at the 2026 Neighborhoods Conference: Meeting the Moment.
This online survey requests you share your thoughts and feedback as the project moves forward. Feedback is due April 1, 2026. ODS Standards for Infill Housing and ADUS Survey
Coming Up:
The first ODS virtual public workshop will be held on April 13, 2026. To register for this virtual workshop, click here
ODS drafts will be released throughout the spring and summer, followed by a second public workshop. The second public workshop is scheduled for June-July. Public hearings and presentations to the City Planning Commission and City Council will occur in the late summer and early fall 2026.
Learn more directly from Los Angeles City Planning here