LOS ANGELES (AP) — An idea for dealing with the huge homeless problem in Los Angeles would involve building multistory apartment buildings on numerous city-owned parcels.

The Los Angeles Times reports Friday that 119 parcels were purchased by the city in the decades after World War II and cleared to create parking lots for emerging commercial districts.

Planning is already underway to develop housing on public lots in Venice and Hollywood, the rest of the rest of the parcels are being reviewed to determine if they could support housing.

Opponents say merchants will lose parking and people will move away.

The idea comes as the city looks for ways to implement a voter-approved $1.2 billion bond measure intended to help fund construction of 1,000 permanent supportive housing units each year.