Around the Corner

2025 Year-End & Moving Forward

This week, we are taking a look back at the key planning, permitting, and development trends that shaped 2025.

After 114 editions, we are pausing the Around the Corner newsletter as we shift focus to new offerings. We’re grateful to everyone who has followed along, shared feedback, and engaged with our updates over the past two years.

Thank you for being part of the ATC community. We hope to be back in your inbox soon!

Feel free to contact Natanael von Euler directly with any questions at [email protected]

The 2025 Year-End Summary

Rebuilding LA After the Fires

Gov. Newsom and Mayor Bass moved quickly to cut red tape for fire victims.

Mayor Bass's Executive Order 1 streamlined rebuilding by allowing homes to be reconstructed up to 110% of their original size, exempting projects from CEQA and Coastal Commission review, and letting residents use modular homes or RVs on their properties during reconstruction.

Gov. Newsom followed with an executive order that fast-tracks the rebuilding of homes and schools affected by the disaster by suspending local permitting laws and building codes, at the request of local officials.

Transit-Oriented Development at the State Level

California legislator approved SB 79: Mandatory Upzoning Near Transit 🚊🏠, mandating upzoning within ½ mile of major transit stations in California's largest metros and ¼ mile in smaller cities. This override of local zoning puts the state's housing goals front and center.

CEQA Reforms Arrive

Gov. Newsom signed AB 130 and SB 131, exempting most infill residential developments from CEQA and carving out new exemptions for farmworker housing, childcare centers, food pantries, health clinics, wildfire mitigation, and climate adaptation projects. AB 306 added a building standards moratorium through 2031, giving developers certainty on residential requirements.

RSO Changes in LA

LA City Council approved the first major overhaul of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance in nearly 40 years, capping annual rent increases at 1%–4% (tied to 90% of CPI) for RSO units—a significant tightening from previous limits.

The ULA Debate

A UCLA Study found that Measure ULA (LA's "mansion tax") reduced new housing production by roughly 1,910 units per year—an 18% drop. The findings reignited conversations about the unintended consequences of well-intentioned policies.

Additional Updates

• The head of LA’s Homeless Services Authority resigned just days after LA County voted to redirect $350 million in funding away from the agency

• The City of West Hollywood launched a major update to its zoning regulations aimed at increasing housing supply, boosting affordability, and improving equitable access. A draft plan is expected between July 2025 and January 2026

• The DOJ formed a task force to investigate "fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption" involving the use of funds to combat homelessness in Southern California

• Apple Music to open a three-story studio in Culver City this summer that will have a 4,000 sf soundstage for live performances and fan events

Projects

• 700 South Flower St (The Bloc), CPC-2021-9958-TDR-SPR-HCA: Approved DA and construction of a 53-story residential tower with 466 dwelling units. The Project Site is currently developed with The Bloc, a mixed-use development comprised of a 26-story hotel and a 33-story office building on the northern portion of the site, and a nine-story podium building containing commercial uses, six levels of above-ground parking, and two levels of subterranean parking on the southern portion of the site. The Project proposes the development of a residential tower with up to 466 units, enclosure of the existing rooftop parking level, and the addition of two above-ground parking levels above the existing nine-story podium building. Project and existing uses would total 1,894,988 sf of floor area, resulting in a FAR of 10.2:1.

• 8945 Helms Pl, CPC-2024-3020-DB-VHCA: Construction of a five-story, 61-feet-seven-inch-tall residential apartment building with 78 dwelling units (including 11 VLI and one ELI unit). The Project will be approximately 48,432 sf in floor area, with a FAR of 3.52:1. The site is currently improved with three one-story single-family dwellings, which will be demolished.

• 9860 South Sepulveda Blvd, APCW-2025-3846-SPPE-CLQ: Construction of a new pedestrian bridge, two elevator access structures and stairways, and associated support structures spanning at LAX and across South Sepulveda Boulevard on the north side of the intersection with West Century Blvd.

• 5950 Hollywood Blvd, ZA-2022-6687-CUB-DB-SPR-HCA-1A: Denied appeal and approved mixed-use development comprised of 350 residential units (i44 VLI ), 136,000 sf of office, 18,004 sf of retail, and 4,038 sf of restaurant. The proposed uses would be within three primary buildings (Buildings A, B, and C), and 11 low-rise structures dispersed throughout the Project Site. One of the low-rise structures would be a 4,038 sf, two-story restaurant, and the remaining 10 structures would include 38 residential townhomes, ranging from two to four stories in height. Upon completion, the Project would result in a total floor area of 501,185 sf on a 3.7-acre site.

• 2250–2270 W. Pico Blvd, 1309–1315 S. Arapahoe St, CPC-2018-3544-GPA-VZC-HD-CU-SPR: General Plan Amendment that includes

  • Changes land use designation in the South Los Angeles Community Plan from Commercial Manufacturing and Low Medium II Residential to Neighborhood Commercial.

The Week Ahead

Jan 7 | West LA Area Planning Commission

• 237 E Montreal St, APCW-2022-3943-SPE-CDP-MEL-HCA: The construction of a new four-story, 2,452 sf SFD with an attached two-car garage, attached 742 ADU, basement, patio, courtyard, roof deck, retaining walls, on-grade stairs, and elevated driveway

Jan 8 | LA City Planning Commission

• Citywide, CPC-2025-6189-CA: The proposed 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Planning and Zoning Exemption Ordinance (Proposed Ordinance) would amend Chapter I and Chapter 1A of the LAMC. The proposed Ordinance would add a new Subdivision 40 to Subsection 12.22 A of Article 2 of Chapter I and a new Division 1.7 to Article 1 of Chapter 1A to exempt certain 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games related projects from planning and zoning requirements of the Zoning Code in preparation for the Games.

Jan 8 | South Valley Area Planning Commission

• 17660 West Ventura Blvd, ZA-2017-4754-CU-SPPA-SPP-PA2-1A: Plan approval to review condition compliance of a previously-approved 1,999 sf fast-food restaurant with an ancillary drive-through with outdoor seating and hours of operation from 5:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., Monday through Saturday, and drive-through hours open to the public during the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday