The Los Angeles City Council last week cleared the way for a $2 billion redevelopment of a downtown parcel into a massive mixed-use center.

The Fourth & Central project is planned on a 7.6-acre parcel divides Skid Row from the Arts District and is owned by Los Angeles Cold Storage, which is partnering with Downtown Women’s Center for the redevelopment.

The proposal is among the largest developments in Los Angeles at the moment and will add up to 10 buildings to the site. Developers have said they will attempt to reuse one of the historic structures on the site. It was first proposed in 2021.

“We have literally spent years working on our plan to transform this industrial property into a mixed-use community. 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,” said Larry Rauch, president of Los Angeles Cold Storage, in a statement. “We are big believers in the potential of our city, and that’s why we have chosen to make this substantive investment in its future.”

Community of housing, jobs, care

Ten buildings will compose the Fourth & Central development, capped by a 30-story residential tower with 1,589 units, about a third of which will be condominiums and the remainder apartments.

Of those residential units, at least 262 will be designated as affordable at the extremely low- and very low-income levels. On top of that, there will be 401,000 square feet of creative office space added and 145,748 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

Downtown Women’s Center will provide supportive services to Fourth & Central’s residents, which will include tenant selection and care services such as case management, nursing, occupational therapy, substance abuse support and workforce development, as needed. The center will provide 24-hour service on-site.

This concept for the long-beleaguered section of downtown attracted the support of a wide variety of regional organizations, including the LA/OC Construction Trades Council, East LA Community Corp., Little Tokyo Business Organization, Union Station Homeless Services and the Central City East Association.

“We need more housing now, and the Fourth & Central project is the single largest opportunity to deliver privately funded deeply affordable homes with wrap-around supportive services to Skid Row and downtown Los Angeles,” said Jed Leano of Inner City Law Center, which also formally lent its support to Fourth & Central, in a statement. “It is very clear this project has gone above and beyond to provide meaningful benefits to the community. We applaud the development team and hope that this project serves as a model for future projects in downtown Los Angeles.”

Work to come

In obtaining approval, the project’s designers made a pair of notable compromises: reducing the residential tower’s height from 44 stories to 30 and also eliminating a hotel planned for the site.

The primary developer is Long Beach-based Studio One Eleven, which specializes in multifamily projects targeting underserved communities. Within downtown, the firm is also helming a 124-unit multifamily complex on a Chinatown parking lot for The California Endowment.

Additionally, two of the buildings – including the residential tower – were designed by global firm Adjaye Associates, operated by Ghanaian British architect David Adjaye.

With approval secured, work is expected to break ground in about two years. It is among several developments designed to reinvigorate a downtown that has struggled with office occupancy, residential draw and public safety concerns since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This project symbolizes what it means to do big things – responsibly, inclusively, and with a clear eye toward our shared future,” said Chris Rhie, a board member of Urban Environmentalists, in a statement. “We’re not just talking about buildings. We’re talking about a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable Los Angeles.”