Bold Solution for Los Angles Housing Shortage
Transforming old tract housing into urban village.
We know the problem: Los Angeles has a critical shortage of housing. Most would say that a big part of the problem is a lack of vacant property available for development without having to tear down existing structures.
Los Angeles Architect David Denton and his colleague, Beverly Hills Planning Commissioner and entrepreneur Joseph Shooshani would disagree. They’ve developed a new plan that they think could substantially ease the problem without overburdening existing resources or property owners.
Mr. Denton, a former managing principal at Frank Gehry’s firm says, "In fact there’s a lot of available land for development – literally right in front of us. Our front yards.”
Denton and Shooshani detail the three factors that come together to form their recommendation: First is the severe shortage of affordable housing. Second, the rising popularity of small houses. Finally, the increasing criticism of grass lawns as detrimental and unsustainable to the environment.
Mr. Denton says, "Those three elements come together with a simple solution, which is to build small houses on the existing front yards."
This isn’t merely a pontification. Denton and Shooshani have already developed models for their idea and presented it to potential investors and municipalities to prove that this can, in fact, work. Mr. Denton has built this model in the Virtual World and loves to give tours
They point out that tens of thousands of small houses were built in the Los Angeles Basin after the Second World War on lots 50 feet wide with front and back lawns.
In a recently published report presenting their concept, Denton's designs demonstrate that small houses, which they call Urban Cottages, can be built on small front yards without razing any structures or diminishing the existing house.
Denton and Shooshani envision a layer of cottage units in front of the existing houses that offers the opportunity to transform the neighborhood from a tract housing development into an urban village, offering for many a very desirable alternative to multi-unit high rise developments.
The team is pursuing funding sources that will allow individual homeowners to secure no down payment loans to construct the cottages, which could then be rented out. The homeowners would be able to pocket part of the rent they receive, with the rest going to pay off the mortgage. They would eventually own the house outright. They would also have the right to sell or lease the development rights to their front yards.
Housing construction in Los Angeles is now mostly multi-unit complexes which are very expensive: a minimum of $500,000 per unit. These costs are of course then passed on to renters, which exacerbates the crisis in having truly affordable housing available in Los Angeles.
Their proposal includes the possibility of prefabricated housing, which would significantly reduce the cost of construction and would be built in a fraction of the time. The financial benefits would be realized by the homeowners, rather than corporate developers with hefty profit expectations.
They also propose the incorporation of vertical gardens on the new structures that in addition to being decorative green can also be used for gardens and growing food.
While they are aware that this idea requires a seismic shift in the way many people currently see neighborhoods and the existing zoning regulations, they are confident that the benefits far outweigh the initial fear of change.
Mr. Shooshani: “I feel like California is once again leading the way in innovative solutions and now is the time to try bold steps to address the housing crisis. This plan is good for homeowners, good for renters, good for the environment and good for our communities in general.
Mr. Denton and Mr. Shooshani are available to provide a demonstration of their project model to interested parties upon request.
For more information or to schedule a demonstration, contact
David Denton dentonarchitect@gmail.com, (310) 902-3749
Joseph Shooshani shooshani8888@gmail.com (310) 409-8888
www.infronthousing.com
David Denton
David Denton Architect
+1 310-902-3749
email us here
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