OverviewPressLinks Back to Press page Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design Publish Date: 02/01/2004 by Tatiana Begelman Hype or Hope: A Residential Community Downtown Beyond the concept of living space, housing embraces an idea of a community environment in which the streets of the city and the space bewteen dwellings becomes as important as the units themselves. This idea is particularly potent when exploring the neighborhoods of Downtown Los Angeles and the hopes of the city government, developers, residents and others that the city will evolve into a community. Downtown housing ranges from new loft renovations, older condominiums and artist lofts to senior housing, shelters and people sleeping in boxes. The juxtaposition of neighborhoods and mix of people within the framework of housing in downtown creates a complex urban situation unlike any other in Los Angeles. The disparate communities within the confines of downtown also reveal that the notorious fragmentation of the megalopolis as it spreads across the Los Angeles Basin is not necessarily due to geographical distance. Overcoming this disconnectedness and creating a more cohesive community is at the heart of many plans for downtown. Many new housing projects pick up on this theme of developing community and reach beyond the building setbacks to create micro-neighborhoods, while other developments fill in smaller pieces within the transforming city. Housing in Downtown Los Angeles has undergone a tremendous redefinition with a number of new, mainly market-rate developments that fill-in and fill-out existing neighborhoods. The City’s adoption of the Adaptive Re-Use Ordinance in 1999 made it possible for older buildings to be more easily converted from office space to live/work space and opened up a new avenue for the renovation of the city. Developers taking advantage of the ordinance have concentrated on the Historic Core because of the availability of under-used and architecturally unique buildings in this district. Older buildings does not necessarily mean historic, however since the ordinance pertains to buildings “constructed in accordance with building and zoning codes in effect prior to July 1, 1974”. The ordinance also makes it possible for tenants to combine living and working space, thus the tendency towards “loft-style” projects. These provide a distinct counterpoint to previous Bunker Hill and South Park apartment towers, although these have also been successful in recent years. The Old Bank District development by Tom Gilmore garnered a great deal of attention as it was the first project to test out the new ordinance. Although financing was more difficult to obtain, and the hurdles in being the first were tremendous, at least Gilmore was able to buy buildings cheaply. After lenders and everyone else sat back to see how the Old Bank District project would fare, Gilmore’s success has spawned about forty new projects and building costs for developers have more than quadrupled. Part of Gilmore’s success was his extremely friendly pet policy and the inclusion of parking. Even though the Adaptive Re-Use Ordinance allows developers to keep parking requirements at pre-1999 levels, it is accepted that adequate parking is necessary to attract residential tenants downtown. Gilmore’s project is a testament to his vision for a neighborhood in a neglected section of downtown: the 230 units in the Old Bank District are almost full and the corner of Fourth and Main Streets has the feel of a neighborhood. Although resident solidarity existed before Pete’s Restaurant, the coffee shop, yoga studio and markets, these elements enliven the streetscape and expand the community into the city. Now that one development has proven the viability of creating new life downtown there will soon be a myriad of options for people who want to live there. Four projects have recently been completed, nineteen are under construction, eight have been permitted, seven are in plan check and fifteen more are searching for financing. These projects represent buildings that take advantage of the Adaptive Re-Use Ordinance (thirty-eight) as well as new construction (fifteen) and are mainly market-rate, with a smattering of affordable and mixed-income housing. Financing has become somewhat easier for newer projects downtown, especially as rentals go quickly and for-sale units sell out. Of approximately 1000 condominiums available downtown, only two are currently for sale. The Toy Warehouse Loft condominiums in the Arts District sold out within months and the Flower Street Lofts in South Park ($300,000 – one million) sold eighty-two of ninety-one units before the project even opened. According to local realtor Stephen May, there has always been a quick turnover of condominiums in the past decade, regardless of what outside perceptions may be, and prices have been rising in the past few years. Marketers define the new projects as lofts, loft style apartments and traditional apartments, depending on the perceived client base, although this nomenclature is somewhat fluid. Stylistic differences between projects as well as amenities and the micro-neighborhood ultimately make living styles a personal choice, with economics further influencing decisions. Developments contain forty units to four hundred, depending on the size of the project and the number of buildings involved. Rents generally run from $1000/month at the low end of the market for a 500 square foot studio, to $2500/month for a 1300 square foot unit, with rents for some places as high as $4000-$6000 depending on the location of the unit in the building, views and other features. Life in Los Angeles (for market-rate tenant budgets) depends on having a car to such an extent that there is often a higher than one-to-one ratio of parking spaces to units and these are available either on or off-site, with various payment scales. The bottom floor of most developments offers retail and restaurant space that at the moment usually joins the neighborhood after the tenants. Pet policies vary as much as other features, but none so far can match the Old Bank District’s generous stance. Current advertising and a recent Saturday Downtown Housing Tour (jointly sponsored by the Downtown BID and the LA Conservancy) reveal a number of different housing conditions geared to shades of difference in the projected market. A brief look at a few projects provides a window into current trends: Little Tokyo Lofts have wood floors instead of the requisite concrete and higher price units have the option of fireplaces. This project is remarkable for opening the interior central area of the original structure to create an outdoor courtyard for tenants. Little Tokyo Lofts also offers a swimming pool, barbecue and “rowdy” area adjacent to the complex, plus a bridge between parking and housing so that the resident does not have to encounter the street. The Pegasus, on the high-end of recently opened projects, is a renovation of the General Petroleum Building, notable for its beautiful windows. Proclaimed a loft development, the low ceilings have the sensibility of more traditional apartments. On-site parking is $300/month on top of already high rents, with the option of a two-block walk to cheaper off-site parking that was constructed for the original building. Cats are allowed if they are de-clawed. The Higgins Building (“New York Lofts, LA Style”) has a unique rent-to-own scheme that could be an incentive to renters: fifty percent of rent paid, up to five percent of the purchase price, can be used as a down payment. Other features of this building include interior decorator assistance, roof top private areas for those who can afford it and a proposed nightclub in the basement. Individual projects such as these gradually enrich the current housing stock downtown, as opposed to the kind of urban idealism required for creating micro-neighborhoods within a few blocks. The full-block Santee Court Development, composed of a number of buildings undergoing renovation along Los Angeles Street in the Fashion District, is another example along the lines of the Old Bank District. Rental units are offered in the first phase of the project and there will be for-sale units in the next stage, for a project total of 545 units. Plans for Santee Court focus on the alley running the length of the block: this holds the potential to create a retail/restaurant walkway that could diversify and enhance the already lively neighborhood and extend activity into the evening hours. A slightly different community ideal promotes instant neighborhoods on a large scale both in the number of units and city blocks. Communities such as the 1200 unit South Village, under construction above and adjacent to the heralded Ralph’s Grocery, the 800 unit Alexan Savoy on the edge of Little Tokyo or the 3000 unit housing project proposed to replace the football stadium in South Park, invest heavily in downtown’s future. Some projects are close to the Metro Line system, but the increased loads for projects of this scale will seriously impact downtown traffic unless more new residents can be induced to take advantage of the Downtown Dash and extensive bus systems, as well as the Metro Line. The Arts District neighborhood, with relatively equivalent numbers, provides a counterpoint to the staggering developments planned in the South Park area. Originally illegal, artists’ live/work spaces were accorded legitimacy in 1981 with the Artist in Residence Ordinance and this mainly industrial area now holds approximately 1500 housing units. This district has developed over a number of years and new projects may benefit from looking at the qualities of this unplanned neighborhood and its variety of housing types. Residents have a strong sense of community, but many artists have recently left the district in search of more affordable housing. Restaurants, retail spaces and the peaceful quality of the neighborhood, combined with the appeal of artists’ studios, have all caused rents to increase. Joel Bloom, owner of Bloom’s General Store, has been working on a proposed craft overlay zone in this industrially zoned district to enable buildings to be converted more easily to artists spaces, but unless the city commits to some sort of affordable housing in this area, there might not be many arts and crafts people left. There are exceptions to an idea of extending to the community, most notable in the fortress-like Medici and Orsini complexes. Built adjacent to the freeway in those interstitial spaces normally reserved for a few homeless encampments, these are purposefully insular units, promoting a luxurious, resort-style living. The Medici, which contains 632 units, has been extremely popular, probably due to its position near Bunker Hill and the Financial District. Although surprising, the recently opened/still under construction Orsini (297 units) which has nothing in the area except a walk of a few blocks to Chinatown, also appears to have tenants, so there is definitely something downtown for every taste.