New Density Bonus Program in Transit Oriented Communities

As a part of Measure JJJ, the Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) Program has recently hit Los Angeles with new regulations to promote affordable housing. Effective September 22, 2017, the TOC Program allows a density bonus if the new development dedicates a specified amount of units to affordable housing, which is outlined on the TOC Guideline.

In order to qualify for TOC, your property must be in close proximity to major transit stops. To check whether or not your property falls in the TOC zone, please visit the ZIMAS website and check under the ‘Planning and Zoning’ tab. Owners can determine whether or not a property qualifies for TOC. If it does, there are four Tiers that each property within, depending on the location of the property.

Below is a brief summary of the different tiers:

TIER 1 (Low):

Must be within 750-2640 ft of intersection between two regular buses, 1500-2640 ft of intersection between Rapid Bus + regular bus, or 1500-2640 ft of Metrolink Rail Station
50% increase in number of dwelling units
40% increase in FAR
Parking requirement of 0.5 spaces per bedroom (max)
8% of total number of dwelling units shall be affordable to Extremely Low Income (ELI), 11% to Very Low (VL) income, or 20% to Lower income.

TIER 2 (Medium):

Must be <750 ft from the intersection between two regular buses, 750-<1500 ft from the intersection between Rapid Bus + regular bus, 1500-2640 ft from the intersection between two Rapid buses, or 750-<1500 ft of Metrolink Rail Stations
60% increase in number of dwelling units
45% increase in FAR
Parking requirement of 0.5 spaces per unit
9% of total number of dwelling units shall be affordable to Extremely Low Income (ELI), 12% to Very Low (VL) income, or 21% to Lower income.

TIER 3 (High):

Must be <750 ft from the intersection of Rapid Bus + regular bus, <1500 ft from the intersection of two Rapid Bus, <750 ft from Metrolink Rail Stations, or <2640 ft from Metro Rail Stations
70% increase in number of dwelling units
50% increase in FAR
Parking requirement of 0.5 spaces per unit
10% of total number of dwelling units shall be affordable to Extremely Low Income (ELI), 14% to Very Low (VL) income, or 23% to Lower income.

TIER 4 (Regional):

Must be <750 ft from intersection with another rail line or a Rapid Bus
80% increase in number of dwelling units
55% increase in FAR
No parking requirement for residential units
11% of total number of dwelling units shall be affordable to Extremely Low Income (ELI), 15% to Very Low (VL) income, or 25% to Lower income.

The above TOC incentives are only general guidelines for different tiers. In order to get a more accurate depiction of what your property qualifies for, it would be best to contact HCIDLA representatives. As always if you’re interested in buying or selling an apartment building orwould like a FREE market evaluation of your property, please email us or contact us at 818-915-9118!