Photo: APU GOMES / AFP / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday unanimously approved zoning for Fourth & Central, one of the largest mixed-used development projects in the city's history.
Located on eight acres adjacent to the Little Tokyo/Arts District Metro station, Fourth & Central will consist of 1,521 apartment units, 400,000 square feet of office space, more than 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and two acres of public open space across 10 buildings at the crossroads of Little Tokyo, Skid Row and the Arts District.
Cold storage facilities, parking lots and warehouses are currently at the site.
The project will be owned by the warehouse company Los Angeles Cold Storage. The Downtown Women's Center will be the service provider for residents.
"We have literally spent years working on our plan to transform this industrial property into a mixed-use community," Larry Rauch, president of Los Angeles Cold Storage, said in a statement.
"To hear our city's decision-makers agree with our vision for what downtown Los Angeles can and should be makes today's major milestone all the more rewarding," Rauch added.
The master plan for the site proposes a total of 10 buildings, ranging in height from two to 30 stories. When completed, the project will provide a minimum of 262 affordable units at extremely low- and very low-income levels, according to the developers.
Downtown Women's Center will provide supportive services to tenants who were previously unhoused, such as tenant identification and selection, on- site office space, case management, nursing, occupational therapy and substance abuse support.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents the 14th Council District, which encompasses some downtown and Eastside neighborhoods, hailed the project. Jurado highlighted her efforts to ensure a robust community benefits package.
"After months of negotiations, we are moving forward with an opportunity to make 4th and Central a model for community-guided development that builds people-powered neighborhoods in Los Angeles," Jurado said in a statement.
"For generations, Little Tokyo and Skid Row have shaped the history, culture and identity of this city while too often being excluded from decisions about their own future. This effort is about changing that legacy -- using public action to ensure that growth in downtown creates housing, community- serving spaces, economic opportunity, and lasting benefits for the people who have built and sustained these neighborhoods," Jurado added.
The agreement, according to Jurado, secures additional affordable housing, community-serving spaces, local job opportunities, a dedicated community investment fund, and stronger public oversight, embedding those commitments directly into the project.
Other details of the agreement, consist of the following:
-- Deliver a significant investment in affordable housing and local job opportunities;
-- Provide more extremely low-income affordable housing than required under the DTLA 2040 Community Plan;
-- Create permanent space for community-serving businesses and organizations rooted in Little Tokyo and Skid Row;
-- Establish a dedicated community investment fund to support neighborhood priorities over the long term; and
-- Add new safeguards and public oversight for alcohol-related uses, including public hearings for future alcohol permits and the creation of an Alcohol Advisory Group.
Kristin Fukushima, executive director of the Little Tokyo Community Council, hailed the agreement.
"The Little Tokyo Community Council is proud of the Little Tokyo community, in partnership with members from the Skid Row community, and our work on the 4th & Central Cold Storage campaign over the last few years," Fukushima said in a statement.
"After countless hours of work alongside community members and partners, we are proud to have secured meaningful benefits and mitigations that will help make this a better project."