Los Angeles Approves Downtown Housing, Retail Complex

The Los Angeles City Council gave the greenlight to a long-languishing effort to remake an industrial pocket on the eastern edge of downtown Los Angeles.

The City Council approved the $2 billion Fourth & Central mixed-use development, capping off a five-year entitlement process that included environmental challenges, neighborhood opposition, a zone change and a major redesign, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. The project will replace the Los Angeles Cold Storage facility at 400 South Central Avenue with a 10-building complex spanning roughly 2.3 million square feet.

Designed by a team led by David Adjaye and Studio One Eleven, the development has shrunk significantly since its initial proposal. The tallest tower has been reduced to 30 stories from 44, topping out at 364 feet, as part of revisions made during the review process.

The city’s Planning Commission signed off on the $2 billion effort last fall. The City Council approval allows Los Angeles Cold Storage to move forward with plans for 1,589 apartments, including 262 affordable units, approximately 400,000 square feet of office space, 145,748 square feet of retail and restaurant space, 2 acres of public open space and parking for 2,426 vehicles.

Property owner Los Angeles Cold Storage shepherded the project through the entitlement process after former development partner Continuum Partners exited the venture. Denver-based Continuum joined the project when it was announced in 2021, but the landowner ultimately secured the approvals on its own.

The project also survived two appeals from members of the Little Tokyo community, who argued the development conflicted with the city’s updated Downtown Community Plan and raised concerns about alcohol-serving businesses near Skid Row. The City Council rejected both appeals, allowing the environmental review and tract map to stand.

Fourth & Central assembled a broad coalition of supporters, including organized labor, business groups, the East L.A. Community Corporation, the People Concern and the Downtown Neighborhood Council. The Downtown Women’s Center is slated to provide supportive services for residents in the affordable housing component.

“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,” Larry Rauch, president of Los Angeles Cold Storage, said of the approval, per Urbanize.

A timeline for completion has not been announced, though many developers have run into ballooning construction costs that have sidelined entitled projects across the state.

— Chris Malone Méndez