City Council passes anti-mansionization ordinance

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Tuesday that limits the building of over-sized McMansions on small lots throughout the city. This vote was a victory for Councilmember LaBonge, who championed this issue for more than a year. The result is a fundamental change in the city of Los Angeles zoning code.

“This ordinance is about preserving neighborhood character,” LaBonge said. “We wanted to make sure that neighborhoods that we know and love are protected by the proper zoning laws.”

Changes in land value, housing preferences and housing inventory have been contributing to a trend toward larger single family homes being constructed throughout Los Angeles. When larger homes replace bungalows built when Los Angeles was first developed, however, the larger structures are often incompatible with the established scale and character of older, single-family neighborhoods.

The Baseline Mansionization Ordinance grew out of a motion introduced by Councilmember LaBonge in June, 2006 and pertains to homes in flatlands only. A separate ordinance, which is now under consideration by the Los Angeles Planning Department, addresses the expansion of homes in hillside and coastal areas. As part of the discussion leading up to the vote on this measure, the City Council pledged to bring the hillside anti-mansionization ordinance for a vote within two years.

Under the new ordinance, which will be effective in 30 days, a bungalow on a typical 5,000-square-foot lot could be expanded to 3,000 square feet. Current zoning code allows more than twice that mass, with a 7,000-square-foot limit.

The ordinance will apply to 300,000 properties in single-family residential zones throughout Los Angeles.