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A shopping center in the Downtown Industrial District could soon make way for a new mixed use project with 236 units, including 11 that will be set aside for low income residents. Plans for the project were filed with the city yesterday, and also call for 12,000 square feet of commercial space, including a 6,000-square-foot restaurant, and 305 parking spaces.
Currently, the project site is home to Triangle Plaza, which most prominently includes Yxta Cocina Mexicana, a restaurant that has drawn foodies to the eastern border of Skid Row. It’s not clear whether the restaurant will be included in the new development.
Bounded by the Fashion District, Historic Core, Little Tokyo, and red hot Arts District, the Industrial District—which includes much of Skid Row—has been largely untouched by the development frenzy that has reshaped Downtown in recent decades. Slowly, though, that seems to be changing.
Last year, plans were revealed for a project that would transform four century-old vacant hotels into microunits aimed at young professionals—though 28 would be set aside for veterans. Meanwhile, the local Business Improvement District recently commissioned a planning study by engineering giant AECOM, which presented strategies for ushering in new development in the area.
If approved, this project could contribute to a transformation of the area that some see as inevitable, given Downtown’s resurgence as a residential neighborhood.