Nonprofit’s plans for 19-story Skid Row tower still kicking around

As city officials move to increase bathroom access, drinking fountains, and other services for Skid Row residents, a nonprofit is forging ahead with plans for a 19-story affordable housing tower in the neighborhood.

In a presentation set to be given to the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council’s planning and land use committee, the nonprofit Weingart Center proposes more than doubling the office space in its mixed-use structure, which would replace a surface parking lot near Sixth and San Pedro streets.

The building at 600 San Pedro, also called the San Pedro Tower, was pitched as 298 affordable units and five manager apartments, with about 17,000 square feet of office space and around 3,000 square feet of retail.

The latest plans would call for much more office space—50,000 square feet—which would be occupied by the Inner City Law Center and Chrysalis, a nonprofit that provides job training and placement services. The building will hold 298 residential units, all studio apartments, plus four two-bedroom manager units. The building was originally planned with half its units set up to accommodate families.

The tower will still have 3,200 square feet of retail space along the street. Residents will also have access to amenities including a rooftop deck, a community garden, and a “urban courtyard”—a green space with a plaza that will open out onto the sidewalk. AHBE Landscape Architects did the project’s green areas; design for the tower is by Joseph Wong Design Associates. The San Pedro Tower is expected to open in 2023.

The Weingart Center has another big development project in the works at 555 South Crocker Street, just north of the San Pedro Tower, called Weingart Towers. This three-building project, developed with Chelsea Investment Corporation, would bring an 18-story and 12-story building to the site, plus 378 units of permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless people and affordable housing for families. It’s expected to be complete in 2025.