UPDATE!  On April 24, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee will take public comment on the Downtown Los Angeles Community Plan Update (Item 2). Public comment must be *in person* at City Hall, Council Chamber Room 304.  Click here for the meeting agenda. 

The Conservancy supports the approval of DTLA2040 with the following provisions and amendments to further ensure the intent and goals associated with historic resources effectively avoid and mitigate against significant and harmful impacts. 

• Allow Adaptive Reuse in all parts of the Downtown Community Plan Area; replace the 1974 qualifying criteria with a rolling date of 25 years to allow for the conversation of buildings constructed after 1974.
• Create Pilot Transfer of Floor Area Ratio (TFAR) incentive program for the Arts District and Chinatown. Expand TFAR receivership opportunity to the entire Downtown Community Plan Area to allow greater utilization of the program rather than limiting it to either the Arts District or Chinatown. Include provision in TFAR program to ensure receivership density benefits historic resources and will not cause harm or adverse impact to historic resources. Create a technical advisory committee with representation from community stakeholders to refine and establish specifics of TFAR program in Chinatown.
• In Chinatown, maintain Base FAR at 2:1 for MNI, LM2, MB4, DM2, DM5 form districts and maintain 3 story base height and 5 story base max height limits in the LM2 and MNI form districts. Expand Village land use designation in Chinatown to include the area south of Alpine Street to Ord Street and the west side of Hill Street to Spring Street.
• Maintain consistent maximum height building limitations within the Historic Core as they offer a much-needed tool and mechanism to balance growth pressures. We recommend this should be expanded, by identifying transition or buffer zone areas with measures to ensure there is some inter-connectivity and gradation between various areas within the DTLA 2040 plan.  
• Expand CPIO Subarea D to include all of the eligible Seventh Street Commercial Historic District and amend CPIO to require demolition findings for designated contributing historic resources in the California Register Historic District and for designated Historic-Cultural Monuments within Subarea D.
• Define small legacy businesses for DTLA2040’s proposed Community Benefits Program as: (1) A privately-owned corporation, cooperative, non-profit, social enterprise or other entity that has been in operation for at least 20 years, (2) Contributes to the history, culture, and identity of Los Angeles, (3) No more than 25 FTE employees/shareholders, and (4) Community-serving business not franchised or affiliated with a national chain.

On September 22, 2022, the City released the Downtown Community Plan Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The Plan will next go to the City Council.

On Thursday, November 18, 2021, City Planning staff gave a presentation on the draft Downtown Community Plan to Cultural Heritage Commission with special attention given to historic preservation. 

On June 17, 2021 the City Planning Commission (agenda) met to review the Downtown Community Plan (DTLA 2040). More than 80 people commented and/or shared comments. On August 26 the City Planning Commission reconvened to continue this discussion and consider various comments and proposals regarding amendments to the plan. At that meeting, the Commission voted to recommend approval of the DTLA 2040 to the City Council.

The Conservancy shared the following public comments:

We support the Community Benefits equity program, legacy business support, the Arts District TDR, and the adaptive reuse streamlining. The form districts, height standards, and base/bonus systems that have been carefully calibrated for Chinatown and Little Tokyo are critical to maintaining in this plan, to allow for more affordable housing, flexibility, and acknowledging the value of cultural assets. The same needs to be afforded to the Historic Core historic districts. Until recently this plan had very generous story height limitations in place; these need to be reinstated. Otherwise, we are leaving these areas extremely vulnerable as increased hi-rise development pressures will most certainly lead to greater demolition and the erosion of a significant community asset. The preservation components will help but do not go far enough without some reasonable height limitations in place for the Historic Core.

Councilmember Cedillo's office spoke against the base/bonus system proposed for Chinatown. Councilmember de León's office is opposed to the proposed Community Benefits Program and proposes it be replaced with a undefined inclusionary zoning program. The Conservancy is concerned about both of these council office positions, as each potentially undermines years of planning efforts and ultimately will put historic resources at risk in the future.  

The Conservancy has shared the following recommendations directed toward preservation, equity, affordable housing, and implementation purposes:

1. SurveyLA findings should be included, expanded, and fully articulated in a revised DTLA 2040 Community Plan document, including a detailed analysis that discusses potential conflicts. We would like to see this prior to the plan’s introduction and review at the City Planning Commission.
2. Distinguish between historic and non-historic adaptive reuse types of projects and offer additional incentives that are needed to offset costs and unique challenges associated with historic buildings. Change the criteria to clearly state any building 25 years or older is eligible for the Adaptive Reuse Program. By specifying 25 years, Adaptive Reuse 2.0 will allow new building stock to become eligible for incentives year after year, rather than tying it to 1974.
3. Apply the full range of Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ) preservation protections, procedures and existing tools to the Downtown National Register historic districts as a policy component within the plan, to offer adequate design review and mechanisms to maintain eligibility and integrity of this unique historic district. 
4. Maintain consistent maximum height building limitations within the Historic Core as they offer a much-needed tool and mechanism to balance growth pressures. We recommend this should be reinstated within the plan and expanded, by identifying transition or buffer zone areas with measures to ensure there are some inter-connectivity and gradation between various areas within the DTLA 2040 plan. While we appreciate the inclusion of Chinatown and the Arts District in Appendix C (Historic-Cultural Neighborhoods Best Practices), we ask the City to add best practices for the Broadway and Spring Street Financial District historic districts. In addition, additional language should also be included that acknowledges and encourages the preservation and rehabilitation of existing historic/eligible resources in these neighborhoods.
5. Expand the Villages land use designation in Chinatown to ensure it encompasses and captures the key areas that reflect Chinatown’s rich history.
6. Acknowledge, define, and identify tools and incentives that can help support and avoid the displacement of longtime community-serving small businesses (legacy businesses).

While much of downtown's success in recent years can be attributed to the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the neighborhood's historic building stock, the demand for higher density and new infill construction has increased as well.

The continued revitalization of downtown Los Angeles over the last two decades has brought about a new wave development, spurring discussions over the compatibility of new buildings in historic districts and affordable housing.

Following nearly six years of outreach, the draft Downtown Community Plan was released in early August and is now awaiting comments and feedback from the public (due on January 13). Once adopted by the city council, this plan will outline what can and cannot be built in specific areas, helping guide growth and development in Downtown for the next twenty years.

The Plan offers a number of new provisions as part of the re:code LA zoning and more contextual-based guidance. It also includes important incentives for preservation such as, an updated adaptive reuse ordinance and a pilot Transfer of Floor Area Ratio (TFAR) incentive program for the Arts District.

DTLA 2040 also introduces a new “Village” designation for some low- to mid-scale areas within downtown, supporting their role as historic and cultural destinations. We believe this approach could be applied elsewhere within downtown to both help preserve existing affordable housing units and legacy businesses.

For more information on DTLA 2040 please visit https://planning.lacity.org/plans-policies/community-plan-update/downtown-los-angeles-community-plan-update

On October 8, 2020, the Conservancy convened a Zoom on the Downtown Community Plan (also known as DTLA 2040), where we welcomed staff from city planning to share the draft community plan, with a specific focus on preservation aspects and new tools. Please watch the recorded program.