Residents Pack “Zap the ZIP” Town Hall, Press City On State Housing Laws

Residents packed the third floor of the West Hollywood Aquatic & Recreation Center on Tuesday night for a standing room only Zap the ZIP Town Hall, pressing Mayor Chelsea Byers and senior City Staff about how much control West Hollywood really has over its Zoning Improvement Program, ZIP, in the face of new state housing laws.

The neighborhood organized Zap the ZIP Town Hall followed our preview story on WEHOonline and drew an even bigger turnout than organizers expected. West Hollywood residents lined the walls and squeezed into the back, and the meeting that was scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. was still going at 8:45 p.m. before host Jonathan Finestone, president of the West Hollywood West Residents Association, finally cut it off at 9 p.m.

Finestone set the ground rules, limited people to two questions apiece, and did a nice job balancing the microphone and keeping folks on topic even when most questions turned into comments.

“Last night was a powerful evening, exceeding the capacity of the room and making one message unmistakably clear,” Finestone told WEHOonline. “Residents across West Hollywood West, Norma Triangle, Tri West and our surrounding neighborhoods are united. Our community’s number one issue is protecting our historic residential neighborhoods. Residents are demanding that the City focus exclusively on identifying residential solutions within commercial areas and commercial corridors, not through re zoning or up zoning the historic neighborhoods that define our character and history. The community could not have been clearer,” he said. “No up zoning. No re zoning. Not in our historic neighborhoods.”

Finestone said residents also voiced deep concern about their property rights. “They expressed that up zoning and re zoning historic residential areas effectively diminish the value, character and expectations of the properties they invested in, and many believe these actions undermine their private property rights by making their homes less desirable and altering the very neighborhoods they committed to,” he said.

Director of Community Development Nick Maricich opened the “Zap the ZIP” Town Hall with a short overview of ZIP, much tighter than the slide decks that have shown up at earlier community workshops. He walked through what ZIP is, and what it is not, then quickly turned the night over to questions.

“Part of the process for us is to hear from the community,” Maricich said. “We have heard throughout the process that there are concerns about changes to residential neighborhoods. We have documented this in our Staff report, our last update to the City Council in August. We have heard this at multiple community workshops, and we will be considering all of these inputs as we develop recommendations and present them to the Planning Commission and City Council next year for further direction.”

State laws at the center of the room

Much of the Zap the ZIP Town Hall circled around three state laws that now sit on top of whatever ZIP might do.

Maricich and Assistant Director of Community Development Jennifer Alkire said Senate Bill 1123, part of the Starter Home Revitalization Act, will soon streamline small lot subdivisions of up to 10 homes with ministerial approvals and limited hearings, and, starting next year, will allow those projects on certain vacant lots in single family zones as well as multifamily parcels.

SB-79, signed in October, will set state minimum standards for height, density and floor area around major rail and bus rapid transit stops, effectively requiring cities in urban counties to allow taller and denser buildings within walking distance of designated transit corridors.

On top of that, the State Density Bonus Law, on the books since 1979 but increasingly used in the current housing cycle, lets developers exceed local density caps and ask for waivers from development standards, including extra height, reduced setbacks and lower parking ratios, if they include required levels of affordable units.

Those laws, along with earlier bills like SB-9 and the state’s “builder’s remedy” penalties, framed how City Staff talked about ZIP throughout the night.

Robert Stadd, a resident of Norma Triangle for 37 years, asked the question many in the room were thinking: If the City can meet its state mandated housing target of 3,933 units for this Housing Element cycle using only commercial corridors, does it still have to touch R1 neighborhoods.

“If you’re able to meet all of your requirements in the commercial corridors, do you then have to still rezone R1,” asked Stadd”

“No, we do not have to rezone it at the City level,” Maricich said. “But there are state laws that have already changed what can be built in the R1s today. And there are other state laws that may come to impact these existing R1 areas. That was part of my presentation, to really try to communicate that some of these things are not our decision. We are trying to see how ZIP can be something that actually improves the situation, where we can modify our regulations in a way that understands that the state is already allowing certain things. Where can we put in place certain standards, within what the law allows, that could be a better outcome for the City and for the residents of the City. We do have flexibility, but we do not have total flexibility.”

Mayor Byers added that the City is judged not just on where the zoning capacity sits on paper, but whether enough units are actually likely to move into the development pipeline.

“That is the thing we are being measured against, how many units are in that pipeline to be built,” Byers said. “We are trying to create more room for units to be built, more possibilities and opportunities for units to be built all across the City to meet that goal. There is no guarantee that just because we zone the commercial corridors, owners will immediately build there. So we have to prepare ourselves to meet the moment the best way possible, to ensure that we can meet that number of housing units. As a small City, we could not rely on a corridors only approach because there is no guarantee any one property owner will actually develop.”

A resident pushed back, saying even a few up zoned lots on a street like Rosewood could “mess up the street” and still not get the City anywhere near its numbers.

“You could be doing up zoning and alienating families and still not reach your goal,” they said. “So your answer goes both ways.”

Byers acknowledged the tension and said this is the first Housing Element cycle where the state has put real “teeth” behind the rules, including the builder’s remedy and more aggressive state enforcement.

“The consequences are taking away local control,” she said. “It is complicated. I know that is not a satisfying answer, but that is the dance we are in.”

Affordability, parking and the “elephant in the room”

Another resident, who said they had read through the ZIP reports and Housing Element materials, argued that neither ZIP nor the City’s implementation plans were addressing what they saw as the top issues raised in City surveys, affordability and parking.

Longtime resident, Ignacio Darnaude, pointed to City data showing West Hollywood is far behind its moderate income housing targets and said there is a disconnect between those goals and approvals of hotels and high end projects. They also said they do not believe developers will ever buy expensive West Hollywood lots to build truly affordable homes, and described the use of density bonus incentives for extra height and reduced setbacks as “the elephant in the room.”

On parking, Maricich said state law has sharply limited the City’s authority to require off street spaces in much of West Hollywood, but added that most developers still provide parking because lenders and tenants expect it.

“As to affordability, that is exactly what we are trying to look at here,” he said. “What are the different ways, what are the tools that we have where we can try to create incentives. There are incentives already offered by the state. How can we calibrate those to maximize the amount of affordable housing we can get built here in the City.”

He asked residents to read the recommendations when they are released next year and “tell us if we are missing the mark.”

Finestone said afterward that the comments on property rights were some of the strongest of the evening.

“Residents further expect our City to stand up to state mandates and over regulation, not roll over,” he said. “They want a proactive local government that puts its citizens first, even if that means challenging or suing the state to protect our community’s rights. And this message was consistent among both homeowners and renters. The answer from our community is a resounding no.”

Are single family neighborhoods a priority

As the night went on, the questions got more pointed.

Rebecca, another longtime resident of Norma Triangle, who said she lives on the same street as the mayor, described living through a wave of ADU construction and infill on her block, with new two story units looking into her yard and cars spilling onto the street.

“I am in a living hell, and the mayor lives across from me,” she said. “I work from home. I cannot drive down my street. I have ADUs looking into my bathroom. Where were the protections when these were being built. And how are you going to protect us if you change R1 and R2.”

She said the ZIP process feels like “smoke and mirrors,” with state rules cited as the reason for the study but not enough specifics about how ZIP will protect existing single family and small scale residential streets.

“If state rules are the reason, then ZIP should be very clear about how it is going to protect R1 and R2,” she said. “You should be putting in protections like no lot mergers in R1 and R2, keeping setbacks so you cannot build huge [mansions] on small lots, and focusing growth on Santa Monica, Sunset, Fairfax and La Brea the way Los Angeles has [done] along Wilshire. ZIP should be protecting us and opening up the commercial zones. It feels like you are using the state as a way to open a can of worms.”

Her bottom line was simple. “Has the City said that R1 and R2 are a priority,” she asked. “Because I do not feel like a priority.”

“For the purposes of this program, we are looking at all of the different districts in the City,” Byers replied. “We are not prioritizing one over another. As Jennifer said, we see tremendous potential on commercial corridors, and we are evaluating whether that is enough or if we have to explore other opportunities as well.”

Rebecca said what residents wanted to see were clear protections spelled out in writing for R1 and R2, not just assurances.

Home rule, Sacramento and how hard to push back

Several speakers pushed the City to take a more aggressive stance with the state.

One resident gave a blunt speech about “fighting for us,” saying they feel like City Hall “talks past” neighbors when they show up to meetings and warning that if elected leaders are not willing to challenge Sacramento, residents will “have to find somebody else.”

Others pointed to Santa Barbara and Beverly Hills as cities that have tried to push back on transit mandates and housing bills, and asked whether West Hollywood has done enough to join regional efforts or partner with larger neighbors. One longtime resident, who said they have lived on Rosewood for more than twenty five years, urged the City to “stand up” to Sacramento. “We all want affordability, and we all want mixed incomes and mixed races,” the resident said. “But Sacramento has taken that away from you. I question why the hell we have a City Council. Cities are not taking this lying down. Santa Barbara is not rolling over. Beverly Hills is not rolling over. Cities are standing up and saying enough, we need amendments.” They suggested West Hollywood West and similar blocks could be treated as cultural or historic areas, and pressed the City Council to push for exemptions. “This is the largest community event I have seen in my 25 years here, and that is with very little publicity,” the resident said. “If there had been more publicity, you would have had four times this crowd and people overflowing downstairs. I just want to encourage you, Mayor Byers, to really hear us.”

Byers stayed poised through the exchanges, in command of the facts, and repeated a version of the same message throughout the Zap the ZIP Town Hall. She said she understands why people want the City to “fight,” but does not see much value in turning ZIP into a legal war that West Hollywood is likely to lose.

She argued instead that residents should see ZIP as a way to use what local control remains, by setting standards and guardrails before state law steamrolls over everything, not as a sign that the City is “rolling over.”

“We are not going to let the City get sued into oblivion because we make some arrogant decision that we have a better attitude than the state,” Byers said. “We can play ball and make sure that we are working our best to be diligent and get these issues dealt with ourselves before the state comes in, or the state is going to do it for us.”

Alkire added that the City does engage on legislation, including sponsoring bills related to rent stabilization and tenant protections, but cannot respond to every bill moving through Sacramento. She encouraged residents to connect with the City’s state representatives and to participate in their town halls, saying better partnerships at that level could help flag future bills earlier.

Small lots, ten units and what SB 1123 could mean on the ground

One of the more technical exchanges came from well known resident, Victor Omelczanko, who asked how SB 1123 and related “starter home” laws could play out on typical West Hollywood lots.

Citing the law’s allowance for small lot subdivisions with up to ten units and ministerial approvals,

Omelczanko asked whether a four thousand or five thousand square foot lot in West Hollywood West could be turned into multiple parcels with ten units and few opportunities for neighbors to be heard.

Maricich said the law is new and the City has only seen one application under the statute so far in another part of town, but agreed that, in general, it allows very small new lots in multifamily zones and can permit several units where there is now just one, depending on the specifics.

Shrinking room for public input on projects

Several questions focused less on ZIP itself, and more on how much voice residents will have on individual projects once new rules are in place. There was frustration expressed that the public would only be able to comment “at the very end,” after a developer had already invested in land, plans and City review.

Alkire said ZIP is not a specific project, it is a set of rules that will govern projects citywide. She acknowledged that newer state laws and bills like AB 130 have compressed review timelines and narrowed what cities can negotiate.

“Today, a development permit is the City’s required planning entitlement for many of these housing projects,” she said. “There is a specified requirement for a Planning Commission hearing. We are working on an ordinance right now that pertains more to the review process for projects, and we certainly welcome input and participation in that public process.”

Alkire explained that in the past, the City could hold a neighborhood meeting within the first sixty days of a project, respond to comments, and then move through hearings. Now, in some cases, state law requires projects to be approved or denied within that same sixty day window.

“What used to be the beginning of a process has become the end of a process,” she said. “There really is not a lot of wiggle room for the City to make changes to what the project is. There is not a lot of wiggle room for when the City can deny a project or condition a project based on. So I hear you, and I understand what you are saying, that it feels like the comment period has been pushed to the very end of a project, and really it is that the project timeline has been shrunk so much, and our discretion has been shrunk so much.”

Next steps for ZIP

After nearly two and a half hours, with residents still lining up at the microphone, Finestone stepped back up and called time.

“I think that is a good stopping point,” he told the room around 8:45 p.m., before letting Byers offer a final response.

The mayor wrapped up by thanking everyone for turning out in such large numbers and said she hoped folks left with a better sense of the timeline the City is working under and the decisions still to come. She encouraged everyone to keep emailing and calling her office and promised there will be more community meetings as Metro’s rail extension and the next phase of ZIP move forward.

City Staff said ZIP recommendations are expected to go to the Planning Commission and City Council in 2026, after they have finished analyzing feedback from community workshops, neighborhood meetings and town halls like this one. You can track the project and download presentations on the City’s Engage WeHo ZIP page, and read WEHOonline’s earlier coverage, including West Hollywood Officials Clarify What ZIP Is In Light of Residents’ Concerns and the original preview story on the town hall, for more background on what comes next.

Before people left, Finestone made one last pitch for organizing. He reminded West Hollywood West residents that their neighborhood association board elections are set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the same ARC building and asked anyone who cares about ZIP or neighborhood protections to show up.

He pointed people to the association’s new website, WeHoWest.com, and asked anyone who has not already done so to sign up for emails or send comments to the board at its “hello” address, so they can stay plugged in as ZIP, Metro and state housing laws continue to roll through West Hollywood.