It's a small world theme today as we move on to coverage of the city's Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance: "Developed by the Los Angeles planning department, passed by the City Council at the end of 2004 and still obscure to most Angelenos, the ordinance allows developers to build a collection of single-family homes or detached town houses on a single lot," writes Christopher Hawthorne in today's Los Angeles Times, noting the ordinance has resulted in projects like Silver Lake's Auburn 7 and Maltman Bungalows. Even though developers still have to go through hurdles in terms of dealing with city codes and departmental regulations, they like this ordinance because they can bypass the fees associated with erecting condo projects. And given that the ordinance only applies to areas zoned "for multifamily or commercial development, it won't change the character of single-family neighborhoods -- an important detail in staying out of the anti-growth movement's cross hairs," writes Hawthorne.
And because these homes are smaller, they may be affordable to buyers. Well, one Curbed reader has already written in about that point: "The prices listed in the article range from $400,000 to $800,000 so some even count as ‘affordable’ by LA standards," she notes. "I’m not sure what the city definition of ‘affordable’ is, however."
· Fledgling home projects emerge from L.A.'s small-lot ordinance [LA Times]
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