Draft Community Plan

​Preview draft Community Plan here
For a summarized list of Goals & Policies, click here

The Boyle Heights Community Plan Update is reaching a significant milestone in its process to update the Community Plan for one of the oldest and most treasured neighborhoods in the city. The draft plan, which will be showcased at Open Houses on October 24 and October 28, will provide policy guidance for both new development and preservation of the community’s traditional neighborhoods. At the upcoming Open Houses, DCP seeks to update the community on the latest plan policies and the zoning that will implement the vision and goals of the community plan.  

In a brief profile of the community, the plan recognizes the unique history of Boyle Heights. The plan states: “This community was built by generations of immigrants, fostering a sense of pride in the work ethic, rich cultural identity, and community activism of those who call it home.  Boyle Heights is a historic and cultural treasure with a diverse local economy that has the potential to bring prosperity and opportunity to residents of today and to future generations. Building upon its distinctive, pedestrian friendly, traditional neighborhood character, this community envisions a plan that is supportive of environmental quality, economic vitality, and urban design that promotes safe and walkable neighborhoods”.  This is the vision statement that was collectively informed by the Department of City Planning’s ongoing outreach to multiple community stakeholder organizations and residents from 2006 until now (to read summaries of public outreach from our events please click here).   

While the plan proposes policies and new zones that foster thriving transit centers, and promote walkable mixed-use corridors, the plan also includes policies to conserve neighborhood character and preserve industrial land for jobs, innovation, and workforce training, and builds upon the recently adopted “Clean Up-Green Up” (CUGU) Ordinance that improves compatibility between industrial uses, neighborhoods, and the Los Angeles River.  

The new proposed zones, developed in conjunction with DCP’s initiative to rewrite the City’s 1946 zoning code—known as re:code LA—facilitate improved development standards that address the form and shape of buildings; the design elements of buildings; and the ways in which buildings interact with the street to encourage new development that is compatible with the traditional architecture and pedestrian friendly environments that are commonly found in Boyle Heights.  These new zones are tailored to the unique development patterns of the community and implement the vision and goals of the plan. 

The Open House will feature information about the plan by topics of interest to residents and stakeholders of the community, including housing, jobs and economy, neighborhood character, mobility, and environmental justice. At the Open Houses, DCP is also releasing a “story map,” which is an interactive community map that allows the public to find out what the new zoning will be for each parcel in the area. This interactive community map will be made available online and will be mobile friendly. 

Following the October Open Houses, the next big milestone is the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), which is being prepared to analyze the potential environmental impacts of the draft plan, in accordance with state law. Once released, the DEIR will be available for public review and comment. At that time, DCP also anticipates hosting another Open House as well as a Public Hearing to share any plan or zoning changes and to give the public another opportunity to weigh in on the plan and submit their formal public comments at the hearing.  After the Open House/Public Hearing, DCP staff will prepare a staff report and present the staff recommendation on the plan to the City Planning Commission (CPC). Ultimately, the proposed plan will be acted upon by the Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUM) of the City Council, the City Council and the Mayor (to see a diagram that explains the community plan process, please click here). 

Follow us on social media. Following the Open Houses, staff will announce pop-up office hours in key locations in the community so that the residents and stakeholders have more opportunities to talk with us about their goals and vision for their neighborhoods and to give us additional input on the draft plan.