Los Angeles is continuing to process entitlements, even in the midst of a pandemic. That is certainly saying something for a city that is often ridiculed for its lengthy, arduous entitlement process. The City of Los Angeles has moved the process online—even public hearings—and extended major deadlines to keep the pipeline moving. Of course, nothing is perfect, but so far, most developers have said the virtual experience is holding up.

"All of the planning counters in L.A. and L.A. County have gone remote," Alex DeGood, land use partner at California-based real estate-focused law firm Cox, Castle & Nicholson, tells GlobeSt.com. "Ostensibly, you can submit most things online or dropped off physically without interaction. I have heard varying reports with how well that is working. It is about the same level as before, and we'll see how well this plays out and how long we are in this level of lockdown."

As a result, developers are able to keep moving on existing projects and new projects, and almost all developers already underway on a project have taken that option. "If you have already invested significantly, unless there is an immediate cataclysmic financial issue that prevents you from being able to go forward, you are going to go forward," says DeGood. "All of those projects that are in the pipeline are moving forward."