High-rises near transit could expand

Legislation would override local zoning to help address state's housing shortage.

- BY JAMES RAINEY

A 278-UNIT residential tower was recently built in Los Angeles' Skid Row.

In the 1980s and '90s, California was in the thrall of the "slow growth" movement.

Goaded particularly by increasing traffic, communities fought hard against the construction of office buildings, shopping centers and big apartment complexes.

Homeowners hurled "high-rise" like a curse. Ballot measures stifled construction in many cities. In 1986, voters in Los Angeles voted 2 to 1 to approve the landmark Proposition U, which cut in half the size of new buildings proposed for most of the city's commercial and industrial zones.

The slow-growth trend began to ebb not long into the new millennium. It finally flipped dramatically last week, when the state Legislature approved a bill that would clear a path for high-rise residential buildings near many bus and rail stops.

Senate Bill 79 will be sent in October to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is expected to sign the measure, which would override local zoning — permitting construction of up to nine stories, in some cases — for builders who propose housing projects within half a mile of transit stations.