About
About LA County Land Bank Pilot
A June 2022 County Board motion established the Los Angeles County Land Bank Pilot to support affordable housing preservation and production, especially in areas with anticipated infrastructure investment where communities face greater risk of displacement. This effort was the result of years of advocacy by community leaders, experts, and organizers who recognized the impact that public investments have on surrounding properties and communities. The motion outlined steps to implement the pilot, including collaborating with key departments and partners, and reporting on the pilot's outcomes and impacts annually.
The Land Bank pilot will utilize $22 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) enabled and affordable housing general funds for its land acquisition strategy. The County has invested in building data-driven tools and processes to help evaluate and prioritize sites for acquisition with these limited funds, with the goal of maximizing the amount of affordable housing retained or built in areas with existing or planned infrastructure investment, where the risk of displacement is greatest. Scroll down to read more about our detailed methodology and data source.
This website aims to make it easy for anyone to submit a parcel for consideration or to join the Community Development Partner interest list. If the County acquires a parcel submitted by a confirmed Community Development Partner, the Community Development Partner will be notified when the site-specific Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are released, so they have an opportunity to form a qualified team.
Click the develop a parcel page for more information.
Land Bank Pilot Process :
Phase 1: Parcel Submission and Evaluation - Rolling submissions, reviewed in the order received
Phase 2: Parcel Due Diligence and Acquisition - Ongoing
Phase 3: Parcel Development - Requests for proposals (RFP) - Post acquisition
The Land Bank Parcel Assessment Process
The Land Bank Parcel Assessment Process is designed to help Los Angeles County identify potential acquisition sites where permanent affordable housing can be developed across LA County. It was created as part of operationalizing the Board Motion to create the LA County Land Bank Pilot, which calls for developing a data-driven strategy for acquiring properties in highly-targeted locations where new and existing infrastructure investment is increasing the risk of displacement. This process has three distinct but interrelated steps, which will be explained in greater detail below:
STEP 1
Initial Assessment
Does the parcel meet the goals of the Land Bank? Is there displacement risk, equity need, access to amenities and essential services? Could a development project be financed here?
The initial parcel assessment uses data from the County’s Equity Explorer and other established sources to evaluate each parcel based on the following criteria:
(1) Located in areas at risk of displacement, (2) Moderate to high equity needs, (3) Moderate to high access to essential services, (4) Competitive for key financing sources, and (5) Near key amenities.
The indices used to assess displacement risk, equity need, competitiveness for financing, and access to key resources can be found in the embedded map here. More details on the approach and data sources for the Initial Parcel Assessment can be found here.
STEP 2
Environmental Conditions Review
Is the parcel near new or existing infrastructure projects? What are the environmental considerations?
The Environmental Conditions Review uses publicly available data to assess environmental conditions and the proximity of parcels to existing or planned public infrastructure. This important step helps the County identify any geotechnical or environmental constraints that may impact the suitability of parcels for affordable housing development. Additionally, research indicates that proximity to significant public infrastructure investments can increase the risk of displacement.
STEP 3
Development Feasibility Review
Is the parcel a good site to develop affordable housing? How many units could we fit? What would it cost to purchase? Is it available for purchase?
The third step of the parcel evaluation process involves applying due diligence best practices to confirm whether the site can be developed and how many units would fit. At this stage, we establish the estimated cost of the parcel and confirm it is available for purchase. This all important step builds upon the comprehensive and systematic analysis of prior steps. The combination of data-driven metrics and qualitative assessments support the County’s decision-making process for strategic parcel acquisitions of sites where permanent affordable housing might be delivered faster and with a lower per-unit land cost .
Detailed Methodology and Data-Sources
Step 1: Initial Parcel Assessment:
The Initial Parcel Assessment is designed to achieve two primary goals: first, to identify the most suitable locations for affordable housing development in Los Angeles County that align with the Land Bank Pilot’s objectives, and second, to ensure these sites are competitive for key financing sources. This is accomplished by using specific datasets made visible in the web map embedded on this site. More information about the data sources is provided below.
Identifying Where to Develop
To identify the areas in Los Angeles County that are most suitable for affordable housing based on the Land Bank Pilot’s goals, this step evaluates displacement risk, equity needs, and access to essential services using established indices recommended by the County and industry experts.
Displacement Risk: The Initial Parcel Assessment evaluates displacement risk across Los Angeles County using the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) Tracking Regional Affordability and Challenges to Tenancy (TRACT) Vulnerability Index and the County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs (DCBA) Tenant Vulnerability Index. Both indices were recommended by the County and help direct affordable housing to areas most vulnerable to displacement. The web map visualizes regions identified in either index as at risk of displacement.
LACDA TRACT Vulnerability Index: This index assesses eight key variables, including rent burden, income level, overcrowding, and unemployment, to understand renter vulnerability at the census tract level.
LA County DCBA Tenant Vulnerability Index: This index evaluates twelve variables, including education level, demographics, and the percentage of renters living below the poverty line, to assess displacement risk at the ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) level.
Equity Needs + Access to Essential Services: To understand inequities across the County, the web map makes visible the Justice Equity Needs Index (JENI) from the County’s Equity Explorer. This index identifies zip codes with the highest levels of inequity, highlighting areas most in need of public investment. JENI, created by Catalyst California, is used to understand the distribution of justice-related needs in the County to ensure Highest Need communities have the appropriate resources and services available.
The web map also visualizes the Justice Essential Services Index (JESI) to assess a parcel’s access to essential services. JESI, also created by Catalyst California, helps policymakers and advocates identify where community-based organizations are providing essential services to support those affected by the justice system. It fills a gap in JENI’s data by offering spatial information necessary for a "care-first" approach and helps direct development efforts toward areas with adequate access to care and justice-driven organizations.
Ensuring Financeability
Eligibility for financing is a crucial aspect of evaluating a site’s potential to be developed with permanent affordable housing units. In addition to assessing displacement risk and equity needs, this step helps identify parcels that are more competitive for key funding sources, such as Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) Tax Credits and LACDA Affordable Housing Funding. Proximity to key amenities and placement in designated opportunity areas also affect tax credit funding competitiveness, competitiveness for other financing, and resident well-being.
TCAC Tax Credits: TCAC Tax Credit eligibility criteria is included because they are an essential funding source for affordable housing projects. Additionally, a parcel that is competitive for TCAC tax credits is likely to be competitive for other financing sources..
Parcels located in qualified census tracts or difficult development zones receive a boost in their TCAC application score, making this a critical evaluation criterion. You can view these layers in the web map.
LACDA Affordable Housing Funding: LACDA Affordable Housing funding is a crucial local financing source with specific spatial criteria.
The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) priorities are updated annually, and the geographic priorities. The web map reflects current priorities and can be updated whenever the criteria are updated.
California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) Opportunity Map: Developed in collaboration with the Othering & Belonging Institute, this map identifies areas with characteristics linked to positive economic, educational, and health outcomes for low-income families statewide.
Access to Key Amenities: The web map visualizes proximity to key amenities identified by TCAC, using data from the County’s GitHub and other reputable government or state agency sources. These proximities, influenced by the TCAC application, increase a parcel's competitiveness for funding. They also contribute to a resident’s quality of life. The mapped amenity buffers are:
Within a High Quality Transit Area
Within ¾ mile of a fixed rail or BRT stop
Within ¾ mile of a park
Within ½ mile of a grocery store
Within ¾ mile of a public school
Within 1 mile of a medical facility
Within 1 mile of a library
Within 1 mile of a pharmacy
Step 2: Environmental Conditions Review
The Environmental Conditions Review is the second step in parcel evaluation. It incorporates publicly available data sets on environmental conditions, and maps proximity to existing or planned public infrastructure investments. This evaluation helps the County understand if parcels have known geotechnical or environmental constraints that could affect their suitability for affordable housing development. It also allows the County to evaluate whether the parcel is sufficiently close to new or existing infrastructure. Traditionally, evaluating these factors would involve consulting multiple websites and resources. However, the mapping visibility tool consolidates all relevant layers into a single, comprehensive view, streamlining the evaluation process.
Reviewed by Los Angeles County Public Works, the integrated map layers include:
(1) Existing or Planned Infrastructure Investments: Research shows that significant investments in transportation and large public spaces can increase the risk of displacement within a half-mile radius. The web map highlights transit projects completed in the last decade and those scheduled for completion by 2040. It also includes parks over one acre and other large public spaces, such as stadiums, that were completed in the last decade, under construction, or fully funded as of September 2024. This information was gathered from sources including Metro, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, Prop 68 funding, Urbanize LA, and others. If you know of a project that should be included, please contact the Land Bank Team.
(2) Geotechnical Considerations: According to Public Works, fault hazard zones present the greatest risk for constructing affordable housing. Other geotechnical conditions that can increase development costs were also mapped, including :
Flood Hazard Areas (with a 1% annual chance)
(3) Environmental Hazards map layers help identify (and avoid) sites with known contaminants, such as:
(4) Other Considerations that could impact development are visible in the web map:
(5) Geographic Boundaries provides more information about:
Data disclaimer: While this data is compiled from the county and other established sources, some amenities or environmental considerations may be missing or outdated. Please verify details independently.