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PLUM denies Little Tokyo appeals and approves 4th & Central project with amended conditions
Summary
The Planning and Land Use Management Committee denied appeals from the Little Tokyo Community Council and approved entitlements for the 4th & Central mixed‑use project — roughly 1,589 housing units and major development incentives — while community groups pressed for far more deeply affordable housing.
The Planning and Land Use Management Committee denied appeals from the Little Tokyo Community Council and approved entitlements for the 4th & Central mixed‑use project, a roughly 1,600‑unit, 10‑building development on an eight‑acre site adjacent to Little Tokyo and Skid Row.
The committee sustained City Planning’s determinations on the vesting tentative tract map, conditional use permits for alcohol uses and the site‑plan review, and approved related general‑plan and zone‑change ordinances with amended conditions proposed by Council District 14 and technical corrections from the planning department.
Why it matters: The project represents one of the largest private investments proposed in downtown Los Angeles in recent years, with the applicant describing roughly 1,589 residential units (the developer called it the largest affordable‑unit count in a market‑rate project in recent city history), two acres of public open space, and a developer‑led community investment fund to support legacy businesses.
Little Tokyo residents and neighborhood groups urged the committee to grant their appeals, arguing the project would accelerate gentrification, displace legacy businesses and seniors, and include too little deeply affordable housing. Kristen Fukushima, executive director of the Little Tokyo Community Council, called for more than the project’s proposed affordable set‑asides and asked the committee to apply DTLA 2040 guidance and require stronger protections for legacy businesses and seniors.
Applicant and supporters defended the project as a major source of housing, jobs and services. Edgar Kaladian, representing the applicant, said the project would deliver nearly 1,600 homes, create an estimated 10,000 construction jobs, be carbon‑neutral by design and represent about $2 billion in investment. Supporters including labor unions, the Downtown Women’s Center and several neighborhood councils appeared in the chamber and urged approval.
The committee’s action: Members denied the appeals and approved items 12, 13 and 14 — the tract map, CUP/site‑plan and the general‑plan/zone changes — subject to amended conditions and the department’s corrections. The decision included certification findings consistent with the EIR and adoption of the mitigation monitoring program and statement of overriding considerations where applicable.
Local voices on both sides: The record showed a broad coalition for and against the project. The Arts District‑Little Tokyo Neighborhood Council and multiple labor organizations publicly supported the development for housing, jobs and tax revenues that could fund public services; Little Tokyo stakeholders, historical societies and community nonprofits asked for more deeply affordable housing (requests ranged up to 30% in public comment) and stronger anti‑displacement protections.
What’s next: With PLUM approval, the project’s entitlements proceed toward final council action and subsequent implementation steps required by the conditions imposed by the committee. Planning staff and the council office will ensure the amended conditions and technical corrections are incorporated into the final council files.
