Simon Ha Housing Solutions

I celebrated the day with over a thousand people that are working tirelessly to solve our affordable housing crisis at the Southern California Association of NonProfit Housing (SCANPH) conference. The movement is growing!

Topic: Affordable Housing Policy Reform - Commercial Prevailing Wage I serve on the AIA CA Housing Steering Committee alongside a group of architects that design housing in California. We regularly review and discuss potential solutions to increase housing production and make housing more affordable and attainable. I would like to gather input from those of you involved in building subsidized affordable housing. Spearheaded by Michael Malinowski FAIA and Brian Lane, FAIA, we are currently discussing a potential proposal to lower the cost of affordable housing by increasing the commercial prevailing wage threshold from 4 stories to 8 stories. The rationale behind this is that Type III podium construction has a height limit of 85 feet or 8 stories. Construction for buildings 4 stories or fewer would still require prevailing wage (union labor). However, construction up to 8 stories is typically performed by the same subcontractors. Once a project reaches high-rise status, it requires the next level of skilled labor, where "commercial prevailing wage" makes sense. I would like to hear from those in California's affordable housing development and construction sector on whether this adjustment could help reduce costs and boost housing production. Please share your stories and insights. #housingsolutions #affordablehousing

Topic – Rethinking Single-Family Zoning (Update: I've added some additional comments based on some of the concerns posted by readers. Please see the comment section) What would actually happen if you were allowed to build two units on a single lot? I live in a coastal community where single-story, old bungalow-style homes, built in the 1930s and 1940s, have been converting into multi-unit properties. Most conversions include a main house plus a second unit addition (similar to ADUs), attached twin homes (condos), or split lots with two detached two-story homes (fee simple) over the last 30 years or so. My street has 24 lots, each 60’x120’. Currently, there are 39 homes on those original 24 lots. The house across from mine is an original 1,161 sq. ft. single-story house built in 1941. The lot that I live on once had a similar-sized bungalow, but in 2003 it was converted into two twin homes, each about 2,000 sq. ft. If my street could be used as an example of how the neighborhood densifies over time, 15 new homes were added over about 30 years, increasing the density by 62.5%. Can this happen in every neighborhood? The short answer is yes, but it depends. Adding ADUs is relatively easy. Owner-occupants can continue to live in the house while the unit is being added. I think we can make some meaningful progress by incentivizing and streamlining ADU production. However, anything involving the demolition of existing buildings and rebuilding would displace the occupants for a year or more. This would be difficult for most homeowners in terms of time, cost, and expertise, in addition to managing the disruption to their everyday lives. Development professionals will be required to make this housing delivery model work. Although it’s a slow way to increase housing stock, it’s a less disruptive way to add density to existing and established neighborhoods that fear change. #housingdeliverysystem #housingproduction #housingsolutions

Huge congrats to Housing Diversity Corporation and STS Construction Services for getting to the finish line and obtaining TCO. Also big round of applause to my former teammates at Steinberg Hart Fredrik Nilsson AIA, LEED AP, Jason Claypool, Natalie Popik, AIA, NCARB, Justin Kwak and others involved from concept to implementation. ULI Los Angeles will be hosting a Case Study and Site Tour: Liv DTLA High Density Micro Housing event on 10/23 at 5pm. https://lnkd.in/gjVWcHZM Join ULI Los Angeles for an exclusive tour of Liv DTLA and a panel consisting of the team behind the development. Liv DTLA was developed by Housing Diversity Corp in partnership with STS Construction and Development and designed by Steinberg Hart. The 8-story project includes 227 units, originally designed to be affordable to moderate-income renters, on a 15,020-sf lot in the heart of DTLA. Due to the pandemic, the development team modified their moderate-income housing business plan. They recently negotiated one of the first master leases with LAHSA—the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Join us to discover how this forward-thinking development reshapes urban living by providing stylish, compact, and accessible housing options for the city's vibrant community.

Great panel today at the #NetZeroConference discussing commercial to housing coversion with Webly Bowles, Michael Malinowski FAIA, and Karin Liljegren, FAIA.

What are California lawmakers doing to address the housing crisis and facilitate office-to-residential conversions? Of the 30 housing bills introduced for 2024, three focus on adaptive reuse. AB 2909, which aimed to offer tax incentives, lacked enough support to move forward. However, AB 2910 and AB 3068 are awaiting the governor's approval. AB 2910 link: https://lnkd.in/gCbuMvbf AB 3068 link: https://lnkd.in/g8FBq8Bd AB 2910 allows Los Angeles to adopt alternate building regulations for adaptive reuse projects, while AB 3068 permits conversion to housing by-right with reduced exactions, though it includes labor and affordable housing requirements. If you’re attending the Net Zero Conference tomorrow, join our session on "Commercial to Housing: Everything, All at Once." #NetZeroFuture #housingsolutions

Great MICD (Mayor's Institute on City Design) event in Albuquerque with Mayor Keller of Albuquerque, Mayor Holt of Oklahoma City, Mayor Daggett of Flagstaff, Chairman Gonzalez of the Caddo Nation, and Chairman Escobedo of the Tejon Tribe. Thanks to MASS Design Group for organizing and hosting the event! I met many great people doing amazing work in Albuquerque and all over the country.

Now that summer is over and my sabbatical is winding down, it's time to get back into the groove. Here are some activities coming up. Hope you can join some of these. Sept. 4-6: Mayor's Institute on City Design, City Special Session in Albuquerque, NM, hosted by MASS Design Group bringing select group of Tribal leaders and Mayor's together. I'm joining Tejon Tribe Chairman Escobedo who is one of the Tribal leaders invited. Sept. 17-18: NetZero Conference, Anaheim, CA I'll speaking on a panel for Commercial to Resi conversion. https://lnkd.in/gVQGA46r Oct. 17: AIA CA Housing Streamlining for California Virtual Workshop. I'll be co-moderating the session featuring Professor Nicholas Marantz from UCI. Oct. 23: ULI LA Case Study and Tour at LivDTLA (aka 1411 S. Flower micro housing). I'm moderating a panel discussing several completed micro housing projects in LA and partnership with Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority master lease program. Nov. 4-8: UN Habitat World Urban Forum in Cairo, Egypt. AIA Housing and Community Development members will be presenting several training and discussion sessions. I will be presenting a session with my colleagues from US, Kenya, and Egypt on Adequate Housing and Homelessless & Informal Settlements in LA, Nairobi, and Cairo. https://lnkd.in/gpHFmVDd More to come with additional information on these events. #housingsolutions #adequatehousingforall Joseph Kunkel Michael Malinowski FAIA Karin Liljegren, FAIA Webly Bowles Brian Lane, FAIA Kayte Edson Thomas Wong, MSW André F. Bueno Kathleen Dorgan Donald Whitehead JANE ANYANGO Sara Samir

Office to Residential conversion in City of LA will get easier once AB2910 is signed by the Governor and law goes into effect. #CityofLA #AB2910 #RealEstate #adaptivereuse For more info: https://lnkd.in/gxX52vNs