SCAG Awards More Than $12 Million For Innovative Approaches To Housing And Climate Adaptation

News

On Oct. 5, SCAG’s Regional Council approved the allocation of $12.3 million to 22 projects across the six-county region that support increased housing production, sustainable land-use strategies and multimodal communities.

Funds come from the state’s Regional Early Action Planning (REAP 2.0) grant program and Senate Bill 1. The bulk of the competitive grant funding – just over $8 million – is programmed through SCAG’s Housing Infill on Public and Private Lands (HIPP) Pilot Program. The remaining $4.3 million awarded today is programmed through SCAG’s Sustainable Communities Program – Civic Engagement, Equity and Environmental Justice (SCP CEEEJ) call.

The metropolitan planning organization representing six counties, 191 cities and a population of nearly 19 million people, SCAG has a critical role in addressing the housing crisis and climate change, and helping local jurisdictions overcome barriers to build more housing.

“We congratulate these 22 projects for the innovative approaches they’re taking in addressing two of Southern California’s most urgent needs – housing and climate adaptation – and look forward to the positive impact they will have on their communities and the region,” said SCAG Chief Operating Officer Darin Chidsey.

These two funding programs are part of SCAG’s larger REAP 2.0 program, designed to implement Connect SoCal, SCAG’s regional plan for the future of Southern California, by supporting integrated and transformative planning and implementation activities that realize the region’s mobility, land use, housing and environmental goals.

The following is a list of awardees by county. The SCP CEEEJ projects are broken into two categories – Multimodal Communities and Housing and Land Use Strategies.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

HIPP Awardees

  • City of San Fernando. San Fernando Housing Infill ($791,818). This project will evaluate opportunities for streamlined infill housing development on private and public lands through a comprehensive approach to increase capacity and affordability.
  • City of Los Angeles. Scaling up Housing Development on City-Owned Land ($2.9 million). This project will re-envision how the city uses assets and partners with other public agencies to maximize housing production on public lands.
  • City of Culver City. Fox Hills Specific Plan Update ($505,000). The updated plan will guide the redevelopment and transformation of approximately 330 acres of existing suburban office park, surface parking and underutilized commercial lands into walkable, high-density mixed residential uses with transit access.
  • City of Long Beach. Inclusionary Housing Program ($250,000). This project will update the city’s existing Inclusionary Housing Program with expanded program boundaries, and new unit requirements and incentives to increase affordable housing development.
  • City of South Pasadena. Missing Middle Housing Program ($57,000). This project will establish a floating zone with objective design and development standards and a ministerial approval process for certain housing types in infill low-density residential zones within high-quality transit areas.

SCP CEEEJ – Mulitmodal Communities Awardees

  • City of Los Angeles Department of Transportation: Reconnecting MacArthur Park ($500,000). This project will explore the permanent closure of Wilshire Boulevard between Parkview and Alvarado Streets through a traffic study, as well as a community visioning, engagement and planning effort. Central City Neighborhood Partners is a co-awardee.
  • City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Bureau of Street Services: Linking Warner Center as an Active Transportation Hub to Jobs and Housing ($499,701). This project will reimagine Warner Center as an active transportation hub for jobs and housing, identify barriers to walking and biking, identify the top 20 priority corridors and develop active transportation design prototypes for typical roadways in the Warner Center area.
  • County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works: East LA Moves / El Este Se Mueve Mobility Corridor Plans ($454,586). This project will identify community-centered transportation improvements for implementation along key corridors in unincorporated East Los Angeles. The Plans will be developed through a participatory planning process to create a shared vision of safety and mobility for all corridor users. Public Matters is a co-awardee.

SCP CEEEJ – Housing and Land-Use Strategies Awardees

  • City of La Puente: Mixed Use Development for Underutilized Commercial Zones ($427,350). This project will encourage infill development by initiating an amendment to the General Plan and Zoning Code to include a new mixed-use zoning program that can be applied to existing underutilized commercial properties.  Active SGV is co-awardee.
  • City of Lancaster: TOD Zones Update ($230,560). This project will result in a comprehensive update to the underutilized 2015 form-based Transit-Oriented Development Zones Plan and will help realize the city’s vision for compact mixed-use development near the Metrolink Commuter Rail Station.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY

HIPP Awardee

  • City of Riverside. Missing Middle Prototype Plans for Infill Housing Sites ($500,000). This project will expand mid-scale housing stock through prototype plans for infill development sites.

SCP CEEEJ – Multimodal Communities Awardee

  • City of Moreno Valley: Pedestrian Access Plan ($294,018). This project will develop a citywide Pedestrian Access Plan that will lay out the pedestrian routes to access major employment centers, shopping centers, regional transit centers, schools and residential neighborhoods.

SCP CEEEJ – Housing and Land-Use Strategies Awardee

SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

HIPP Awardees

  • San Bernardino County Transportation Authority / San Bernardino Council of Governments. Public Land-to-Residential Project–Inventory, Analysis & Toolkit for Workforce and Teacher Housing ($720,000). This project includes a comprehensive assessment of public lands in San Bernardino County to identify sites available for residential development. It also includes a toolkit to help public agencies use the Surplus Land Act to make sites available for affordable housing development with a focus on educators and the regional workforce.
  • City of Rialto. Catalytic Housing Initiative for Downtown Rialto ($193,875). This project will accelerate development of affordable housing on public and private lands in Rialto’s downtown by identifying site-specific constraints and solutions for utilities, financing and residential and mixed-use development.

SCP CEEEJ – Multimodal Communities Awardee

  • San Bernardino County Transportation Authority / San Bernardino Council of Governments. Active Transportation Priority Projects Outreach and Engagement ($294,765). This project will leverage outreach and community engagement to identify priority active transportation projects and inform planning efforts. Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice is co-awardee.

ORANGE COUNTY

SCP CEEEJ – Housing and Land-Use Strategies Awardees

  • City of Laguna Beach: Environmental Impact Report – Downtown Specific Plan Phase II ($200,000). This project will result in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Phase II of the City’s Downtown Specific Plan, with a goal to expand opportunities for infill housing, allow nearly unlimited housing density, increase maximum allowable building heights and allow parcel mergers for affordable housing projects in certain areas. The Kennedy Commission is a co-awardee.
  • City of Santa Ana: Transformative Engagement for Zoning Code Update ($469,700). This project will develop an inclusive community engagement plan to inform a comprehensive update to the City’s Zoning Code, where zoning districts and development standards will be developed for properties. The Kennedy Commission is a co-awardee.

VENTURA COUNTY

HIPP Awardees

  • County of Ventura. Public Land Affordable Housing Development Pipeline ($765,500). This collaboration between the county, cities and school districts to develop a pipeline of available public lands for housing/mixed use.
  • City of Moorpark. Downtown Specific Plan ($250,000). This project will build upon the city’s Downtown Specific Plan, with a special focus on increased density, mixed-use areas, objective development standards, permit streamlining and potential incentives for affordability.
  • City of Oxnard. TOD/HQTC Program ($1,075,807). This project will create a Specific Plan for transit-oriented development and high-quality transit corridors to reduce the cost of housing production and increase the number of affordable housing units by incentivizing deeper affordability for very low, extremely low, and acutely low-income households in proximity to transit.

SCP CEEEJ – Housing and Land-Use Strategies Awardee

  • County of Ventura, Resources Management Agency, Planning Division: Farmworker Housing Study and Action Plan ($499,991). This project will develop a Farmworker Housing Study and Action Plan for county and city governments, affordable housing providers, farmworker advocates and other public and private stakeholders, including those in the healthcare, transportation, finance and education sectors. House Farm Workers! is a co-awardee.