With height changes, huge Angels Landing development now slated to open in 2028

The plan to develop Angels Knoll, one of Downtown LA’s prime vacant spots, with a residential and hotel complex is forging ahead, but the finished project will likely be shorter and open much later.

A new blueprint for the Handel Architects-designed complex, called Angels Landing, now calls for a 64-story skyscraper and a 42-story high-rise. The two towers were originally planned to take the form of an 88-story skyscraper and a 24-story high-rise.

“The adjustment makes both towers significant and important,” says Fred MacFarlane, a representative for the developers. They can now “brand the two hotels individually and create two high-end luxury brands.”

The project—which will eventually rise across from Grand Central Market—is also being developed by MacFarlane Partners, Claridge Properties, and The Peebles Corporation. It was initially designed to hold 500 SLS and Mondrian hotel rooms, 250 condos, and 400 apartments (both market-rate and affordable). Shops and restaurants and a charter elementary school were also planned.

Via Department of City Planning

But some of those details have changed, including a reduction in residential units overall—to 180 condos and 261 apartments. The latter would remain a mix of market-rate and affordable apartments, though the exact breakdown is not noted. The number of hotel rooms would be the same.

The timeline for Angels Landing has also been extended. Originally anticipated to open in 2024, it now faces an additional environmental review that will extend the entitling and permitting process, now expected to take three years, MacFarlane says.

Via Department of City Planning

The city’s chief legislative analyst Sharon Tso told Curbed in October that the planning department determined that the added review was necessary “because of changes to the Downtown landscape since the previous environmental review [for the project] was done many years ago.”

The height increase on the second tower—from 24 stories to 42—adds more time to the build-out process too, says MacFarlane.

Construction on Angels Landing is now expected to be complete in 2028, according to planning documents.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Fred MacFarlane’s relationship to the project developers.

Courtesy of Councilmember Jose Huizar