SONC Opposes Elimination of Faith Based Organization Date Regulations

Posted on 05/16/2024

May 16, 2024

Los Angeles City Council and its Committees
Affordable Housing Commission
City Planning Commission

Opposition to Elimination of Faith Based Organization Date Regulations Re: SB 4

Against — CF 23-0172. Religious Institutions / Faith-Based Owned Property / Affordable Housing / Supportive Housing / Development / Land Use / SB 4 (Wiener).

To City Council,

The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council (SONC) in a unanimous vote (16-0) adopted a position to oppose CF 23-0172; specifically, SONC opposes the removal of date of ownership criterion from the Faith Based Incentive Program in LA’s Housing Element.

Last year, Senate Bill 4 granted Faith Based Organizations and Institutions of Higher Learning the right to build 100% affordable housing on property they owned even in restricted zones, provided these properties were owned prior to January 1, 2024.

This bill was a means of helping these institutions build affordable housing, but the bill also added a time restriction to prevent these organizations from becoming land speculators acquiring new properties and being granted these special waivers.

Now the Planning Department has proposed adding more flexibility to SB 4 by removing the date of ownership criterion. These groups will now be the only group that can purchase new sites on an advantaged basis in single family neighborhoods.

We support Faith Based Organizations being allowed to build on land they acquired prior to January 1, 2024.

We oppose these organizations being allowed to build multi-family housing on land they acquired after January 1, 2024 in single-family neighborhoods.

We ask that the date of ownership restriction be added to the FBO Incentive Program.

Files