SoCal Towns Plan Homes Next to Future Train Stations

Small cities in Southeast Los Angeles County are embracing transit-oriented development as a long-term economic development opportunity, a strategy that is becoming a trend throughout California.

Paramount is proposing to rezone 279 acres along the route of the West Santa Ana Branch line to prepare for the development of up to 5,000 new homes as part of a transit-oriented plan for the area, according to a report in Urbanize Los Angeles.

Nearby South Gate also is creating a transit-oriented district around its future Metro train station that envisions 500 new homes and 230K SF of offices, light industry, shops and restaurants.

Both of these projects are long-term investments tied to the $3.5B West Santa Ana Branch Line—a light rail route which will take 20 years to complete before it opens.

Paramount is located north of Long Beach along the route of the 19-mile-long branch line that will connect Artesia and Downtown Los Angeles. Paramount, population 54,000, has been designated for two train stations.

Anticipating that stops on the rail line will increase its population and lift the local economy, Paramount is preparing for housing development by rezoning an area bordered by the rail right-of-way to the west; the town also is moving to increase home density limits.

Paramount has proposed a new transit-corridor development plan it calls the North Paramount Gateway Specific Plan, according to the Urbanize report.

The plan is an amalgamation of earlier plans that have been on the shelves of municipal planners in the city for nearly 30 years until the long-awaited rail extension finally became a priority for the Golden State, which rapidly is abandoning its embrace of the automobile as a primary means of transportation.

The plan increases the maximum housing density to 40 units per acre from a current limit of 22 along Paramount Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue, also lifting the limit for side streets up to 30 units per acre. Allowable building heights will range from 30 to 45 feet, with maximum floor area rights of 2.0.

In addition to 5,000 new homes, the plan envisions 31K of shops, restaurants and offices, as well as infrastructure improvements including pedestrian walkways. The plan is subject to environmental review and requires adoption by the Paramount City Council.