The City Council instructed staff Wednesday to report on updates to Los Angeles’ building code calling for more affordable “family-sized” apartments, including single-stairwell apartments.
In a unanimous vote, the council approved a motion introduced by members Nithya Raman, Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield on March 5.
The Building and Safety, Fire and City Planning departments will report back within 90 with potential modifications to the city’s building code to allow for these apartment buildings up to six stories.
Raman, chair of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, said the proposal will make a “small but potentially impactful change.”
Current building code requires two stairwells in apartment buildings, mandated by fire standards. But the councilwoman said that requirement is out of date.
“We can keep buildings safe with a single stairwell and get different kinds of buildings,” Raman said. “In Los Angeles, we could get potentially larger units because you wouldn’t have to have a long hallway in every building with two stairways one on each side.”
Yaroslavsky noted that such buildings are allowed in New York and Seattle, as well as in the Netherlands. She said single-stairway buildings are just as safe as double-stairway structures, and development costs have been reduced between 6% and 13% for such buildings.
“We as a council have repeatedly discussed the need for housing that actually addresses the needs of growing families, and this motion is a clear and proven solution to make that happen cost-effectively,” Yaroslavsky said.