As the conversion of existing parking spaces into accessory dwelling units (ADUs) increases across Los Angeles, including Koreatown, tenant backlash is spreading.
The Los Angeles Times reported on the 3rd that due to the ADU expansion law (SB 1211) enacted last year, LA tenants are at risk of losing the parking spaces included in their lease agreements.
This conflict is particularly prominent in areas dense with rent-controlled apartments where parking shortages are severe, such as Koreatown, Pico-Union, Silver Lake, and Hollywood.
A decrease in parking spaces not only exacerbates local parking shortages but may also force vulnerable housing populations, such as the elderly with limited mobility and individuals with disabilities, to leave their homes.
Last year in Koreatown, friction arose between a property owner attempting to convert 12 parking spaces into ADUs and tenants opposing the move.
The state ADU expansion law does not impose an obligation on property owners to secure alternative parking spaces even if existing ones are eliminated due to ADU construction.
Tracy Ellis, a 70-year-old resident of a Hollywood apartment, is facing a situation where she will not be able to use the parking lot for one to two years due to ADU construction. Leaning on a cane to get around, she lamented, “As someone who relies on a cane to move, a garage is essential for traveling to the hospital and grocery store. If I lose my parking space, I will have no choice but to move.”
On the other hand, Jacob Jade, an attorney representing the Hollywood apartment owner, argued, “Converting parking spaces into housing is the most realistic alternative to solve LA’s severe housing shortage. Even if parking lots are demolished, this cannot be considered a legal eviction.”
An official from the Los Angeles City Planning Department also stated, “While we sympathize with the tenants’ difficulties, the city government cannot violate superior state law, so we have no choice but to approve ADU construction that meets legal requirements.”
