What residents should know about Religious Facilities rezoning

Published on September 16, 2026

There has been significant discussion on social media about Lakewood’s Housing Element Religious Facilities Rezone Program. We appreciate the questions residents have raised and want to clarify what the rezoning would—and would not—do:

Most importantly, the rezoning would not require housing to be built on a church property.
There are no housing developments or new construction being proposed or approved as part of this action.
A religious organization could continue to use its property for church-related purposes.

The rezoning is part of our state-required Housing Element, which plans for Lakewood’s housing needs from 2021 through 2029. Under California law, the City must demonstrate that enough appropriately zoned land is available to accommodate its Regional Housing Needs Allocation of more than 4,000 units.

The City has sued the State over housing mandates but unfortunately was not successful. However, the State did certify the city's Housing Element, which includes a requirement to rezone church properties to allow for housing if the property owner chooses to pursue it.

Completing the rezoning program is also necessary to prevent the State from de-certifying our adopted Housing Element, which could result in significant financial penalties and potentially the removal of any city land-use decision-making power, effectively shifting those decisions to the State, the courts and private developers.

We understand residents have questions about this issue and hope this information helps clarify what the rezoning means and why the City is taking this action.