For many Los Angeles renters, buying a home is no longer just a matter of desire — it is increasingly a question of whether the city's rules make that first step nearly impossible, and City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky says the city has made starter homes too difficult to build.
She's pushing to change that by speeding up approvals for condos and townhomes while examining fees that can make those homes more expensive than rentals, MyNewsLA reported.
Here's what to know
Yaroslavsky has put forward a motion to create an expedited process for new condominium developments in Los Angeles.
She also announced a separate effort to examine city fees applied to small-scale ownership housing and look for ways to cut or delay those costs.
At the center of the push is a rule mismatch in LA's housing system: a development that otherwise qualifies for by-right construction can be forced into a longer discretionary subdivision review if units are set up to be sold individually as condos instead of rented out as apartments.
Yaroslavsky framed that gap as a practical obstacle to helping working families build equity.
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"For too many Angelenos, the first rung of homeownership has disappeared," she said in a statement.
The numbers help show the challenge.
MyNewsLA indicated that 36% of homes in Los Angeles are owner-occupied, the city's median home price is above $1 million, and in Los Angeles County, where most residents rent, homeowners do not outnumber renters until age 59.
More background
The proposal comes as state and local leaders push to add more housing in more neighborhoods — though not every type of housing creates the same opportunity for residents.
That difference matters because developers are more likely to choose the simpler and cheaper path. When rental projects face fewer hurdles than equivalent for-sale housing, apartment construction becomes the more obvious choice.
Yaroslavsky argued that condos, townhomes, and similar smaller homes can offer a more realistic path into the market than detached single-family houses.
"We are living in an economy where people who already own assets keep building wealth while working and middle-class families fall further behind. If the path to homeownership starts with a $1.5 million single-family home, we are shutting too many Angelenos out," she explained.
"Condos, townhomes and other starter homes should give first-time buyers a real opportunity to own a piece of Los Angeles and build wealth over time," Yaroslavsky added.
Senate Bill 79 set new standards around major transit stops, and Los Angeles is advancing its "Missing Middle LA" program to encourage smaller-scale housing such as ADUs, small-lot subdivisions, and starter homes.
What's being done?
One part of the plan would have the Department of City Planning, working with the Department of Building and Safety and the Bureau of Engineering, draft an ordinance within 30 days to create a quicker, simpler approval track for eligible new-construction condo developments.
The other proposal is focused on cost.
A multifamily development can face tens of thousands of dollars in extra city fees if it splits units and sells them as condos rather than keeping them under one owner as rentals.
Those added costs can include park fees, the Affordable Housing Linkage Fee, subdivision and mapping fees, and other development charges.
Yaroslavsky's plan calls for the city administrative officer and other departments to spell out those cost differences and assess possible remedies, including fee reductions, credits, deferrals, and more proportional fee structures.
"As state and local rules have changed to allow more housing in more places, we have to make sure homeownership stays part of the conversation," she said in her statement.
"If our rules make a condo substantially harder or more expensive to build than the exact same home as an apartment, we shouldn't be surprised when everything gets built for rent."
Where can I learn more?
Los Angeles' condo push is part of a broader debate over how cities and states can make housing easier and cheaper to build. These stories look at California fast-track laws, preapproved affordable home plans, and tiny-home rules.
• In California, lawmakers are pushing fewer bureaucratic hurdles to speed infill housing near transit.
• In Charleston, developers can choose a preapproved plan to add affordable homes faster.
• In Nevada County, officials approved tiny homes on wheels as another lower-cost housing option.
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