Both Specific Plans and Supplemental Districts are zoning tools used in Los Angeles to provide more detailed regulations and guidelines for development within a specific area. However, they differ in their scope, purpose, and implementation.
Specific Plan:
The New Zoning Code offers different ways to get relief from regulations, each with its own rules. To find out what your options are, check the "Relief" Subsection within the Section for the specific rule (typically either Subsection E. or F.) you're interested in. This Subsection will tell you what kind of relief might be possible and what degree of flexibility is available.
If the New Zoning Code does not require any parking (Parking Package A) or Assembly Bill 2097 (AB 2097) allows zero parking, then a project has the right to provide zero parking.
It can be easy to confuse "setbacks" and "yards," but they are distinct concepts in the New Zoning Code:
Questions regarding the New Zoning Code can be answered through a variety of resources:
Interactive Web-Based Zoning Code
The Interactive Web-Based Zoning Code provides comprehensive information about the code, including:
If you filed an entitlement application and paid all fees before the effective date of the New Zoning Code, you have Successional Rights pursuant to Sec. 1.4.4. (Successional Rights). This means you can generally continue using the zoning regulations that were in effect when you filed, even if the New Zoning Code is now in effect.
However, there are a few important caveats:
The New Zoning Code is implemented by various City Agencies, with the Department of City Planning (DCP) and the Department of Building and Safety (DBS) playing the primary roles. Other departments involved in the implementation process, such as the Department of Transportation and Public Works Department, each with specific responsibilities for certain regulations.
Each project is unique and the process may vary. However, the general process for obtaining a building permit can be summarized as follows:
If your building or use existed legally before the New Zoning Code went into effect for a property, it might be considered a nonconformity. Nonconformities are allowed to continue, but there are rules about how they can be changed or expanded.
Key Points
The New Zoning Code (Chapter 1A of the Los Angeles Municipal Code) allows for increased floor area ratio (FAR) and height beyond the base regulations in exchange for the provision of public benefits.
FAR is the measurement of the total floor area of all buildings on a lot in relation to the size of the lot, while height is the vertical dimension of a building.
Base FAR and Height