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**”Monumental” Update to LA’s Adaptive Reuse Ordinance Takes Effect This Month**
An update to Los Angeles’ 1999 adaptive reuse ordinance goes into effect this month, paving the way for developers to convert underutilized commercial buildings into much-needed housing across the city.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the newly implemented Citywide Adaptive Reuse Ordinance significantly broadens the eligibility for conversion projects. Unlike the original 1999 ordinance, which was primarily limited to pre-1975 buildings in Downtown LA, the new rules allow conversions citywide for commercial buildings that are at least 15 years old. What’s more, these projects can be approved by city staff, streamlining the process and avoiding prolonged City Council reviews.
“This is monumental for the city,” said Garrett Lee, president of Jamison Properties. “It addresses both the housing shortage and the long-term office vacancy issue.” Reports indicate that approximately 50 million square feet of office space in Los Angeles currently sits vacant — space that could now be repurposed under the updated ordinance.
Lee has already taken action, beginning the transformation of a large office high-rise near downtown into nearly 700 residential units. Meanwhile, across the city in Sherman Oaks, developer David Tedesco of IMT Residential is moving forward with plans to convert the former Sunkist Growers headquarters into housing — a site that previously couldn’t qualify under the former rules.
Pictured: Citrus Commons, IMT Residential’s planned adaptive reuse of the former Sunkist Growers headquarters. Rendering courtesy of Johnson Fain.
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