Central City West, Los Angeles

History

One of the earliest uses of the name "Central City West" was in 1986, when the city exempted the area from a slow-growth initiative. In 1987, the Los Angeles Times reported that the "bet on the wrong side of the Harbor Freeway" was paying off with the construction of new office towers, including the $170 million Transpacific Center. The area was now being referred "The West Bank" and the Los Angeles Times noted that Asian financing was behind the highrise construction in the neighborhood. In October 1988, consultants were hired to develop a strategy to create an identifiable community out of a "confused no-man's land between the Harbor Freeway and the Westlake District". Consultants stated that the area was a "twin" to downtown, rather than a "challenge".

In 2007, developer Geoff Palmer was attracting criticism for his apartment complexes because they did not include a low-income housing component. In 2006, he had applied for the Piero II, and requested that the City waive the affordable housing requirements. The City denied the waiver and Palmer sued the city (Palmer/Sixth Street Properties LP v. City of Los Angeles), claiming the affordable housing zoning requirements in the Central City West specific plan violated the Costa-Hawkins Act. In 2009, Palmer won his case when the California Court of Appeal ruled that "as applied to Palmer's proposed project, the affordable housing ordinance conflicts with and is preempted by the vacancy decontrol provisions of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act."

In 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that with Dreamgirls and Numb3rs filming at Los Angeles Center Studios, the city’s decades-old vision for City West was finally being fulfilled. In 2007, an economic downturn halted construction in the area, but by 2011, construction of apartment buildings in the neighborhood resumed.

Geography

According to the Los Angeles Times, Central City West is a 465-acre area downtown designed as a "self-contained urban village." It is bounded by the Harbor Freeway on the east, the Hollywood Freeway on the north and Olympic Boulevard on the south. The western border consists of Glendale Boulevard, Whitmer Street, Union Street, and Albany Street.

Notable Buildings

• Beaudry Center - 333 S. Beaudry. LAUSD headquarters
• Arco Tower - 1055 W. 7th Street
• 1100 Wilshire - 2nd tallest residential building in Southern California.
• Los Angeles Center Studios - a 20-acre film production facility.

References

References

1. (September 18, 1986). "Exempting Areas from Growth Limits". [[Los Angeles Times]].
2. (November 23, 1987). "Downtown's West Bank". [[Los Angeles Times]].
3. (March 10, 1988). "City Hall". [[LA Weekly]].
4. (March 20, 1988). "City West: Planning Areas Density". [[Los Angeles Times]].
5. (June 7, 2003). "Builder attracts praise and criticism". [[Los Angeles Times]].
6. CP&DR. "Court Rules L.A. Inclusionary Housing Mandate Violates State Law".
7. "FindLaw's California Court of Appeal case and opinions.".
8. (February 14, 2011). "Downtown's 1111 Wilshire Will Break Ground in April". [[Curbed.com]].
9. (January 30, 1991). "Development Gets Go-Ahead". [[Los Angeles Times]].
10. (May 22, 1990). "Central City West (Map)". [[Los Angeles Times]].
11. "City West - Beaudry Center".
12. "City West - 1055 W. 7th Street".
13. "City West- 1100 Wilshire".
14. (March 15, 2006). "City West Catches Up With the Vision". [[Los Angeles Times]].