Los Angeles renews fast-food zoning banLos Angeles renews fast-food zoning ban

Lisa Jennings

The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday approved an amendment that would restrict permits for new stand-alone fast-food restaurants in certain parts of the city.

The limits target neighborhoods in South Los Angeles where a moratorium on quick-service restaurants has been in place for about two years but expired in September.

The amendment aims to correct what is described as an “over-concentration” of fast-food restaurants in the area compared with other parts of the city, which is blamed on the lack of community planning regulations that “ensure diverse retail and dining opportunities.”

The amendment establishes specific criteria for permitting, including requirements about walls, lot coverage, trash storage, parking and landscaping.

A key restriction, however, is that new stand-alone fast-food restaurants cannot be within a half-mile of existing fast-food restaurants — though those integrated into mixed-use developments or joint-tenant commercial centers are exempt.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].