By Transit, By-Right: Impacts of Housing Development Approval Processes on Transit-Supportive Density

Transit ridership in Los Angeles County has fallen consistently over the past decade despite major investments in public transportation. The reasons for this outcome vary, but one likely culprit is the county’s built environment, which is generally auto-oriented and low-density. Allowing more, higher-density housing to be built near transit could help increase transit ridership, but this solution faces two obstacles. The first and largest obstacle is widespread restrictions on multifamily development. The second, and the focus of this brief, is the housing development process: Even if new multifamily housing is allowed on a site, a complicated, lengthy or unpredictable process could still discourage its production.

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