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SB-79 Impact Analysis & Scenario Modeling — City of Los Angeles

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Live City-Wide Scan
Scans all 86 Metro stations within City of LA boundaries.

Figures below are estimates based on LA Metro system coverage and LA County parcel data. Run a live scan to get real-time numbers.

SB-79 Eligible Parcels
48,241
Within 0.5 mi of any Metro station
Potential Net-New Units
412,800
Tier 1: 187K  ·  Tier 2: 226K
Est. Annual Tax Uplift
$2.84B
1.25% × avg $425K/unit assessed value
Compliance Gaps
14
Zones requiring ordinance updates
Unit Yield Breakdown
Potential Units by Tier
Tier 1 – Heavy Rail
187K
Tier 2 – Light/Commuter
226K
Tier 1 (B/D/A/E/K lines) = 95 ft / 160 du/ac / FAR 4.5
Tier 2 (C/G/J lines + Metrolink) = 85 ft / 140 du/ac / FAR 4.0
Top Neighborhoods by Unit Yield
Hollywood
52,400
Koreatown
38,700
Westlake
31,200
North Hollywood
28,900
Downtown LA
24,600
Silver Lake
19,800
Palms / Mar Vista
17,300
Van Nuys
15,900
Compliance Gap Analysis — Ordinances Blocking Full SB-79 Benefit
Regulatory Overlay / Zone Type Status Action Required Est. Units Locked
HPOZ Districts (31 zones)
Historic Preservation Overlay Zones — Beverly Grove, Angelino Heights, etc.		 Gap Density reduced 50% by HPOZ rules. Requires Council action to exempt SB-79 projects from height reduction. ~28,400
Coastal Zone (CLUP Override)
Venice to Playa del Rey — 30 ft height limit enforced by CA Coastal Commission		 Gap State CCC override required. City cannot unilaterally allow SB-79 heights in coastal zone. ~9,200
Airport Approach Overlay (LAX)
FAA Part 77 surfaces restrict building heights within approach corridors		 Gap FAA coordination required for height exceptions above 200 ft within approach surfaces. ~6,100
Downtown LA Specific Plan
Custom FAR matrix for DTLA — partially conflicts with SB-79 Tier 1 maximums		 Partial Specific Plan amendment needed for parcels where SB-79 FAR exceeds plan limits. PLUM Committee review pending. ~14,800
Hollywood Community Plan
2021 plan adopted custom height tiers that differ from SB-79 Tier 1 boundaries		 Partial Reconcile SB-79 station distances with Hollywood Community Plan height sub-areas. ~11,600
Baseline Hillside Ordinance
Slope density formula applies in hillside zones above 15% grade		 Gap Physical constraint — slopes reduce developable area independent of SB-79 zoning. No ordinance fix; site-by-site analysis required. ~7,900
Venice Community Plan
Venice Coastal Specific Plan imposes 30 ft height limits separate from CLUP		 Gap Specific Plan amendment or CCC approval needed before SB-79 heights apply. ~4,300
Mulholland Scenic Parkway Corridor
Scenic corridor overlay limits height and density along Mulholland Dr		 Partial Height and massing standards conflict with SB-79 Tier 2 on parcels fronting the corridor. ~2,100
Oil Drilling Zones — Baldwin Hills
Active and former oil extraction sites with environmental overlay restrictions		 Gap Environmental remediation required before residential SB-79 development. DTSC clearance needed. ~1,800
Specific Plan — El Camino Real Corridor
West LA corridor with custom massing rules for Metrolink-adjacent parcels		 Partial Specific Plan update needed to align with SB-79 Tier 2 station distances. ~3,400

Total units currently locked by compliance gaps: ~89,600 (22% of potential capacity)

All Tier 1 Tier 2
Station Zones Zoning HPOZ
All ≥ 1.5× ≥ 1.0×
Active stations shown
86
Tier 1 – Heavy Rail
Tier 2 – Light/Commuter
High opp. ratio (≥1.5×)
Moderate (1.0–1.5×)
Zone polygon
Station coverage circles show 0.25-mile and 0.5-mile SB-79 eligibility zones. Click any station to see its tier details. Zone choropleth colors parcels by SB-79 eligibility based on zoning classification.
Zone Modification Scenario Builder
Adjust zone-level density parameters and see how total unit yield shifts. Achieve the same unit target with a distribution that works better with existing topography and infrastructure.
Full Build — Session 2

📐 Modify Zone Allowances Interactive in Session 2

Zone allowances below reflect current SB-79 Tier 1 defaults. Sliders will be interactive in the full build.

R3 — Multiple Dwelling
FAR 4.5 · 95 ft · 160 du/ac · 0 parking (Tier 1)
4.5
95
160
C2 — Commercial
FAR 4.5 · 95 ft · 160 du/ac · 0 parking (Tier 1)
4.5
95
160
R2 — Two-Family
FAR 4.0 · 85 ft · 140 du/ac · 0.5/unit (Tier 2)
4.0
85
140

🎯 Hit Your Unit Target

Enter a unit target. The system will suggest alternative zone configurations that achieve the same total while redistributing density to better fit infrastructure capacity.

📊 Scenario Comparison

Baseline (SB-79 as written)
412,800
potential units
Modified Scenario A
—
adjust sliders to compute
Unit delta and neighborhood-level redistribution map will appear here after computing the scenario.

Live calculation enabled in Session 2

💡 What This Unlocks

The Scenario Builder answers:
  • What if we upzoned the Figueroa Corridor instead of Silver Lake hillsides?
  • Can we hit our RHNA targets without touching HPOZ zones?
  • If we limit Tier 1 to 75 ft instead of 95 ft, how many units do we lose?
  • Which zone combination reaches 350K units with the lowest infrastructure impact?
Each scenario can be saved and exported as a Planning Commission brief.
Reports & Export
Download data or generate reports for planning commission presentations.

📋 City-Wide Parcel CSV

All SB-79 eligible parcels with APN, address, zone, tier, estimated unit count, opportunity ratio, and market value. Compatible with ArcGIS, Excel, and GIS software.

📑 Planning Commission Brief

A print-ready summary report: SB-79 overview, unit yield by neighborhood, tier map, and compliance gap table. Formatted for 8.5×11 presentation.

⚡ Scenario Comparison PDF

Side-by-side comparison of baseline vs. modified scenario: unit delta by neighborhood, infrastructure impact, revenue change. Available after running a scenario.

🗺 Compliance Gap Summary

A focused export of the 14 identified ordinance gaps, sorted by estimated units locked. Includes recommended action for each gap and responsible city body.