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Keys to the City: South LA's Development Services Center

Published on: 9th June, 2025

On this episode, we speak with Kinikia Gardner, a Senior Planner with the Los Angeles City Planning Department. With more than two decades of experience in urban planning, Kinikia has focused her career on making the planning process more accessible and equitable, especially for historically underserved communities.

She currently leads the South LA Development Services Center, one of only a few centers across the city where residents, business owners, and developers can get in-person help with permits, zoning, land use, and development questions. These centers are part of the Planning Department’s effort to demystify a process that often feels out of reach for everyday Angelenos.

Kinikia is also a member of Black Planners of Los Angeles, a Qualified Minority Employee Organization within the City that helped push for the creation of the South LA center.

Resources

planning.lacity.gov

planning.lacity.gov/project-review/south-los-angeles-development-services-center

appointments.lacity.org/apptsys/Public/Account

South LA DSC

Address: 8475 S. Vermont Avenue, 1st Floor

Email: planning.southla@lacity.org

Instagram: www.instagram.com/planning4la

Community Announcements

Event Name: CicLAvia

Neighborhoods Featured: Historic South Central, Florence-Firestone, Watts

Date: Sunday, June 22nd