LeSar Development Consultants

10/15/2026

Large-scale events can expose unresolved tensions between public-space management, security planning, and homelessness systems. UCLA and USC researchers estimate that nearly 6,000 unsheltered people could be affected by security zones around 2028 Olympic venues, while acknowledging that the estimate is preliminary and actual boundaries have not yet been established.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-04/5-900-homeless-will-be-displaced-by-la-olympics

Thousands of homeless people probably will be displaced when the 2028 Olympics come to L.A., researchers say. They say the government needs a plan now for where they will go.

10/14/2026

Authors from Grounded Solutions Network argue that provisions in the new federal housing law will depend heavily on rulemaking, agency coordination, and implementation decisions. The article explores where implementation choices could shape the practical value of the new provisions.

https://shelterforce.org/2026/09/04/housing-bill-could-boost-community-land-trusts-but-implementation-is-critical/

The federal housing bill passed in July marks a major step forward in federal recognition of and support for community land trusts and other forms of shared-equity housing. But implementing these provisions is critical if the promised benefits are to be realized.

10/13/2026

Reducing the time and cost between a housing concept and a building permit is becoming an increasingly important part of the affordability conversation. Preapproved building plans can remove repetitive design and review work, but their effectiveness depends on how well they integrate with local permitting, financing, and development conditions. UCLA’s Housing Voice examines more than 40 existing programs and what their experience suggests about turning administrative streamlining into actual housing production.

https://lewis.ucla.edu/2026/09/02/122-an-overview-of-preapproved-building-plan-programs-with-seva-rodnyansky/

Seva Rodnyansky shares findings about how preapproved plan programs promise to speed up permitting and lower the cost of building new homes.

10/12/2026

Accreditation can do more than validate a training program - it can strengthen the capacity of organizations and professionals to turn learning into practical outcomes. In this article from our latest newsletter, the GPLA Leadership Team explores its partnership with The Center by Lendistry to deliver an accredited Capital Advising Training Series for professionals helping California entrepreneurs better prepare to access financing.

https://lesardevelopment.com/accreditation-spotlight-empowering-entrepreneurs-through-accredited-capital-advisor-training/

Access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses, especially those in underserved communities. To address this need, The Center by Lendistry (“The Center”) partnered with the Global Policy Leadership Academy (GPLA) to launch its first accredited Capital Advising Tr...

10/08/2026

In this article from our latest newsletter, Jennifer LeSar examines how changes to funding priorities, renewal protections, and the balance between housing and supportive services could affect communities and providers navigating the FY 2026 competition.

https://lesardevelopment.com/fy-2026-coc-competition-moves-forward-amid-policy-and-legal-changes/

Federal homelessness policy is entering a period of significant change as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) moves forward with a substantially revised approach to its Continuum of Care (CoC) program. The FY 2026 CoC competition, which reopened in September following a court....

10/07/2026

In San Diego County, two in five households spend at least 30% of their income on housing, while demand for housing-related assistance through 211 has grown substantially faster than overall requests for services since 2019. This brief makes the case for treating prevention infrastructure, coordinated data, and earlier intervention as integral parts of the homelessness response system, not simply as emergency assistance.

https://211sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/August-2026_San-Diego-Housing-Instability-Brief.pdf

10/06/2026

Denver eliminated citywide parking minimums after modeling suggested the change could enable hundreds of additional multifamily homes over time, although developers may still provide parking where residents and lenders demand it. Marketplace examines how Denver is using development economics and policy modeling to test that tradeoff.

https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/09/02/denver-changed-parking-rule-to-spur-more-housing

New computer modeling technology helped make the case.

10/05/2026

In this article from our latest newsletter, Zack Olmstead looks across the measures signed by Governor Newsom and considers what they could mean for housing delivery, financing, homelessness response, and implementation at the local level.

https://lesardevelopment.com/californias-2026-housing-legislation-which-housing-bills-were-signed/

As the end of a two-year legislative session concludes, Governor Newsom continues to take action on bills that have advanced out of the Legislature and to his desk for consideration. Emphases on affordability and how newly signed legislation helps California households and communities is a consisten...

10/02/2026

ADUs accounted for roughly a quarter of California housing permits last year, and England is now exploring planning changes that similarly make it easier to add homes on existing residential property. Politico looks at what another housing-constrained market sees in California’s experience.

https://www.politico.eu/article/labour-andy-burnham-uk-new-housing-model-californias-backyards/

09/30/2026

Los Angeles County’s housing data increasingly points to preservation and production as complementary strategies rather than competing priorities. SOLACHAN 2026 finds measurable progress in areas such as affordable rental construction and supportive housing, while 57% of renters remain cost-burdened and the county continues to fall short of its broader production goals. Particularly notable is the report’s identification of roughly 809,000 naturally occurring affordable housing units - an enormous existing resource that cannot quickly be replaced through subsidized construction alone.

https://la.myneighborhooddata.org/solachan-2026-home/