Frogtown Mulling Strict New Rules For Building on the LA River

The riverside neighborhood of Frogtown (aka Elysian Valley) has seen lots of interest from developers since the billion-dollar revitalization of the LA River began to gather momentum in the past couple years, and residents are worried that this influx of money and construction will change the neighborhood and displace long-time residents. In response to those worries, the LA's Planning Department has proposed a new set of zoning changes that would keep projects pretty small along the river, says Eastsider LA.

According to the announcement for the upcoming public hearing on the changes, the draft zoning guidelines would mean that building heights in part of Frogtown—mostly the part sandwiched between Blake Street and the river—would be capped at 30 feet, instead of 35 as the current rules allow, and new buildings would only be allowed to take up 50 percent or less of the lot they occupy. New residential projects in these riverside lots would not be allowed at all, with exceptions for projects that are live/work units or buildings that are entirely made up of affordable housing.

The new zoning changes have to be approved by the Planning Commission and the City Council before they go into effect. The public hearing happens before either of those meetings, on June 9.