Catching up with DTLA’s growing repertoire of developments, the City of L.A. is now drafting a rezoning blueprint that would guide development in the changing landscape and replace two outdated community plans.
As part of the development of a comprehensive Downtown Community Plan, dubbed DTLA 2040, City Planning has published a new interactive map that breaks down DTLA and some surrounding areas into nine regions. Its the first step in creating a new zoning code that is expected to be adopted in 2017.
Called “place types,” each geographic category is not based on neighborhood. Instead, they are “purely descriptive of the broad common conditions the Downtown Community Plan seeks to create in terms of physical built form and the functional use aspects that differentiate one area from another,” according to the DTLA 2040 website.
The city of Los Angeles will seek feedback on the place types, displayed in a map on the website. That feedback is the next step of the process. Ultimately, the finalized place types will be translated into policies that inform the new Downtown zoning code.
“These concepts are a building block, informed by public input, which will be translated into a variety of policies and zoning tools,” the website says. “This guidance will provide each Place Type with a range of regulations intended to support its unique condition.”
For instance, the Transit Core place type, located on the western side of the Fashion District, is anchored by transit hubs that are surrounded by walkable paths. Providing a “high-energy urban experience,” the buildings in this region will be a mix of office, residential, retail and entertainment venues.
Urban Hillside Neighborhood is another place type, wedged between Chinatown and Angelino Heights (the latter of which is not technically part of DTLA, and is a neighborhood in Echo Park). “Urban Hillside neighborhoods are traditional, walkable, and compact single and multifamily residential areas,” the map says. “A limited number of small, local-serving retail establishments is integrated into the residential fabric.”
On the map, each place type is accompanied by a description of its real estate makeup and functionality, as well as photos of examples.
A full version of the Downtown Community Plan will be drafted later this year. DTLA 2040 predicts that by 2040, the downtown area will be populated by 125,000 more people, 70,000 housing units and 55,000 jobs. [City of L.A.] — Cathaleen Chen