LA cuts required parking spaces for Angels Landing mega project

The development team behind one of Downtown’s most ambitious projects is banking on a less car-dependent future for Los Angeles, a move that could also increase the amount of commercial development in the city.

Claridge Partners founder Ricardo Pagan said earlier this week that the 2-million-square-foot mixed-use Angels Landing project will have just 465 parking spaces for 675 residential units, two hotels, food hall, an elementary school, and 45,000 square feet of retail space. Pagan made the comments at a Bisnow event.

The number is significantly less than what Los Angeles now requires, but Claridge and its partners — McFarlane Partners and The Peebles Corporation — aren’t snubbing city rules. The city itself owns the Angels Landing site and Pagan said it was officials that asked them to provide fewer vehicle spaces for the project, which means the city could do the same elsewhere in Downtown.

The square footage that would have been used for parking would be better served for commercial or retail use, Pagan said. He added that the development team was looking to “force people to use” public transit or ride sharing. He noted that the plan for fewer cars will be enough to “park you into your condo, hotel, and school without any issue but… in a way where we are not overdoing it.”

“It’s going to be all about walkability, mobility, and ride-share services,” he added.

Angels Landing is scheduled to open in 2024. The 57,000 square feet of outdoor public space will connect to a Metro stop at Fourth and Hill streets, so it will be well-positioned to take advantage of Metro ridership. The project is anchored by an 88-story tower — one of the tallest in the western United States. The city selected the development team in December. [Bisnow] – Dennis Lynch