City Council

(5) 15-0989-S47 PLANNING AND LAND USE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT relative to drafting an ordinance to exempt Olympic and Paralympic temporary and permanent venues, training facilities, security perimeters, broadcast and media centers, transit infrastructure, live sites and fan zones, and associated structures from the requirements of City Planning approvals, zoning regulations, and conditions, including but not limited to Conditional Use Permits and conditions tied to such permits, Site Plan Review requirements, height restrictions, setback requirements, limitations imposed by Specific Plans, and any other planning or zoning regulations that could delay or impede the rapid deployment and or use of essential facilities; and related matters. Recommendations for Council action, as initiated by Motion (Park - Nazarian), SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MAYOR: 1. AUTHORIZE and DIRECT the Department of City Planning (DCP), in coordination with the City Attorney, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS), Department of Recreation and Parks, City Administrative Officer (CAO), Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA), Office of Major Events, and other relevant departments, to prepare a report with recommendations, including budgetary/fiscal impacts, and an accompanying draft ordinance to exempt Olympic and Paralympic temporary and permanent venues, training facilities, security perimeters, broadcast and media centers, transit infrastructure, live sites and fan zones, and associated structures (2028 Games Projects) from the requirements of City Planning approvals, zoning regulations, and conditions, if applicable, including but not limited to Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) and conditions tied to such permits, Site Plan Review requirements, height restrictions, setback requirements, limitations imposed by Specific Plans, and any other planning or zoning regulations; but not to exempt 2028 Games Projects from mobility improvements required under Measure HLA (Section 85.11 of Division Q of Chapter VIII of the Los Angeles Municipal Code) that could delay or impede the rapid deployment and or use of essential facilities, with an option for the Council to exclude specifically-identified 2028 Games Projects from the ordinance. This does not apply to Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) 28 by 28 transportation light rail projects, which will follow the established Master Cooperative Agreement (MCA) review process adopted by Metro and the City in 2023. 2. INSTRUCT the DCP to utilize the California Code of Regulations Title 14 Statutory Exemption Section 15272 - Olympic Games, as follows: “California Environmental Quality Act does not apply to activities or approvals necessary to the bidding for, hosting or staging of, and funding or carrying out of, Olympic Games." 3. INSTRUCT the LADBS to establish a dedicated unit to manage and expedite all development services related to the 2028 Games Projects and projects related to other major events. This unit shall coordinate all development-related services for 2028 Games projects, ensuring priority handling of all 2028 Games-related applications and projects to minimize delays and streamline the approval and construction process, providing a single point of contact, collaborating with other City departments, agencies, and external stakeholders to ensure that Olympic projects meet all requirements, tracking progress on 2028 Games Projects, and reporting to the Council and Mayor's Office on an ongoing basis to ensure that timelines are being met. 4. APPROVE, with the concurrence of the Mayor, one exempt Resolution Authority enterprise-funded position of Deputy Superintendent of Building I at the LADBS to be used for the dedicated unit. 5. INSTRUCT the DCP, and the other departments mentioned in Recommendation No. 1 above, to provide the following: a. A definition of temporary and permanent infrastructure. b. Qualifying criteria for each for fast tracking; and how to be informed of the fast tracking process; and notification to the impacted Council office(s). c. The creation of a process for fast tracking. 6. INSTRUCT the DCP, and the other departments mentioned in Recommendation No. 1 above, to approve a permitting process for fast tracking; and describe the process. 7. INSTRUCT the DCP, and the departments mentioned in Recommendation No. 1 above, to prepare the report with recommendations before the draft ordinance is prepared. Fiscal Impact Statement: Neither the CAO nor the CLA has completed a financial analysis of this report.