120-unit Pencil Tower planned for DTLA

David Lawrence Gray Architects designed and is developing 17-story project

David Lawrence Gray and a rendering of the 120-unit tower (David Lawrence Gray Architects, University of Washington)
David Lawrence Gray and a rendering of the 120-unit tower (David Lawrence Gray Architects, University of Washington)

A 120-unit apartment tower could rise on Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles.

David Lawrence Gray Architects designed and is developing the project, according to Urbanize.

The 17-story complex would be built at 216 South Spring Street, with a mix of studio, one-, two, three-, and four-bedroom units. Fourteen of the units would be set aside as affordable, according to plans.

There will also be 2,500 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, along with a rooftop pool. The project is dubbed “Pencil Tower” on the company’s website.

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David Lawrence Gray said that the goal of the project was to “show the city how to comply with the Downtown design guidelines and the objective of the DTLA 2040 plan,” and to do so “on an infill lot without a corner on it,” according to the report.

The DTLA 2040 plan is a comprehensive rezoning of Downtown L.A. that includes upzoning in some parts of the area.

The project would not include a podium, and all the parking would be underground. Podium-style developments have been popular with developers in the last decade, although they have become somewhat divisive among city planners and residents. The podiums are often used for parking.

A planning advisory panel last year urged developers to reduce above-ground parking in future developments. The city is also expected to reduce parking requirements in Downtown L.A., which could cut back on podium-style developments. [Urbanize] — Dennis Lynch