Culver City’s Single Stair Solution for LA Housing
Culver City has just made a groundbreaking move in the fight against California’s housing crisis, becoming the first city in the state to allow mid-rise apartment buildings with a single staircase. This decision, while seemingly minor, could significantly impact how affordable and livable urban housing is developed across Los Angeles and beyond.
Rethinking Building Design to Boost Housing
For years, California has grappled with a severe housing shortage and affordability crisis. While legislative efforts in Sacramento have aimed to clear legal hurdles for apartment construction, the intricate details of building codes often remain a bottleneck. The “single stair reform” championed by architects, urbanists, and housing advocates seeks to address this by challenging the traditional “two ways out” rule for taller buildings, common across North America.
How Culver City’s Ordinance Works
In a bold step taken in late September, Culver City adopted an ordinance permitting apartment buildings up to six stories tall with a single stairwell. This isn’t a free-for-all, however. Strict conditions apply: each floor must not exceed 4,000 square feet, contain no more than four units, and adhere to an array of enhanced fire-prevention measures. These include pressurized stairwells or open-air designs, and the highest class of automatic sprinkler systems throughout the building.
The Benefits of Single-Stair Apartments
Advocates argue that ditching the second staircase offers substantial advantages. It’s estimated that single-stair designs can reclaim up to 7% of a building’s floor space, transforming what would be lengthy, dimly lit corridors into actual homes. This translates to more units, larger apartments, or a combination, making housing potentially more affordable.
Beyond efficiency, this design flexibility allows for units with windows on multiple sides, enhancing natural light and ventilation – a stark contrast to the “fortress-like” apartment complexes common today. These “boutique apartment buildings,” as seen in cities like Seattle and New York, can also fit on smaller urban parcels, making previously unbuildable lots viable for development, especially near transit hubs in dense LA neighborhoods.
Safety Concerns vs. Data-Driven Insights
The concept of single-stair buildings often raises immediate concerns about fire safety, with fire officials citing the “more ways out, the better” philosophy rooted in historical tragedies. However, a Pew Charitable Trusts study reviewing residential fire deaths in New York City (2012-2024) and Seattle found no evidence that single-stair buildings had a higher fatality rate. The modern fire prevention systems mandated in these structures, like advanced sprinklers and alarm systems, contribute significantly to safety. The debate, then, often becomes a philosophical one: balancing perceived risks in new buildings against the very real dangers of older, less-protected housing or longer commutes due to housing scarcity.
Culver City: A California Test Case
Culver City’s timing was crucial. State lawmakers recently passed a bill freezing local building code changes for the next six years. By adopting its ordinance just before this freeze, Culver City became California’s sole municipality to implement single-stair reform for now. This makes the Los Angeles County burg a vital test case, providing a half-decade to demonstrate the tangible impacts of this policy on housing construction and affordability, potentially paving the way for wider adoption across the state after the moratorium lifts.
Comparing Building Code Approaches
| Feature | Standard US (4+ stories) | Culver City / Single-Stair Model |
|---|---|---|
| Required Stairwells | Two or more | One |
| Max Stories (Single-Stair) | N/A (generally prohibited) | Up to six (with conditions) |
| Space Efficiency | Less efficient (corridors consume ~7% floor space) | More efficient (~7% floor space reclaimed for living) |
| Design Flexibility | Limited, often leads to long, narrow units | Enhanced, allows for wider units, windows on multiple sides, fits small lots |
| Fire Safety Approach | Multiple escape routes | Enhanced prevention (e.g., pressurized stairs, advanced sprinklers) and rescue access |
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is Culver City doing this now?
To address the severe housing and affordability crisis by making it easier and more cost-effective to build mid-rise apartments, especially on smaller urban plots common in cities like ours. - Are single-stair buildings safe?
While fire officials express traditional concerns, studies in cities like New York and Seattle, which allow single-stair buildings, have shown no increased fatality rates compared to other residential structures, thanks to modern fire prevention systems. - Will other LA cities follow suit?
For the next six years, state law freezes local building code changes, making Culver City a unique test case. The state fire marshal is also studying the rules, with a report due in January 2025, which could influence future statewide policy. - What kind of apartments will this create?
The design flexibility often leads to “nicer” units with more natural light and air, fitting on smaller urban lots that previously could only accommodate single-family homes or duplexes.
This pioneering step by Culver City could signal a significant shift in urban development, bringing more affordable, well-designed housing options to the bustling neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Watching its progress over the next few years will be key to understanding the future of building in our city.
Culver City Single Stair Housing Solution
