EPS has helped several communities explore mitigation strategies to combat the displacement of residents due to price escalation and/ or redevelopment. These studies and recommendations are shaping local policies regarding zoning, affordable housing, and public investment.
For Los Angeles County, EPS first studied displacement risks in 20 different areas of the County, evaluating demographic and economic trends that indicated the degree to which lower income and minority residents, business owners, and other vulnerable populations were being affected by rising housing prices in the region. The County subsequently adopted a “no net loss” policy regarding lower-income housing. EPS was retained to study the feasibility ofrequiring developers who were removing lower-income housing units from the available housing supply through demolition, conversion, reinvestment, orredevelopment to replace such units or pay an impact fee. The fee was incorporated into the County’s Affordable Housing Preservation Ordinance adopted in 2021.
EPS has also evaluated displacement risks and mitigation strategies for the Cities of El Segundo and Mountain View, focusing on how, where, and when requiring replacement of lower-income units could be financially feasible or may affect the tradeoffs between preserving existing housing and enhancing overall housing production. EPS also evaluated approaches such as “Opportunity to Purchase Act” that can preserve existing affordable housing opportunities for lower-income residents
