Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday signed into law an ordinance that simplifies the city’s review of development projects.

Under the new ordinance, projects that require multiple approvals from the city will now have only one expiration date for individual permit approvals.

“By signing this multiple approvals ordinance today, we are making progress on reforming the zoning code and moving towards a more stable, predictable and transparent land-use regulation system in L.A.,” Villaraigosa said at a press conference accompanying the signing.

Developers and their land use attorneys had long complained about the current system of staggered expiration dates for project permits. They said it forced developers to spend months resubmitting reports and other paperwork for approvals that had already been granted.

The ordinance also grants automatic extensions for approvals granted over the past three years for dozens of projects stalled by the recession.