DTLA Renaissance (Los Angeles: real estate, city hall, crime)

[jamills21]

DTLA is on fire, from new housing developments to new restaurants and clothing stores opening up weekly it seems that DTLA is on pace to become a truly great Downtown. It's pretty exciting to think 10 years ago, DTLA was literally one of the worse places in LA to go to. Now, it is no longer scary. What would you guys like to see added? What do you guys think of the progress that has been made so far? Can DTLA be a mini-Manhattan?

[jm1982]

I agree the renaissance or turnaround of DTLA has been exciting . I think one could argue that it is already a mini Manhattan .

I don't know about the comment that dtla is no longer scary .

Parts of it still feel shady , I'm sure crime is down as business and citizens with more money have moved in , but you still see a ton of shady people and police activity.

Shady isn't just homeless people but people selling drugs etc .

Another big issue is skid row .

There is no doubt that skid row is keeping downtown la from becoming even better economically .

There are many buildings that are SROs , single room occupancies that can't be sold for redevelopment .

Considering the desirability of living in dtla now without restrictions the development of these buildings could significantly increase tax revenues and grow businesses .

People buying 500k or more properties usually spend more than those living in SROs .

Our city in my opinion is overly liberal and would be scared to do anything that could be deemed "anti homeless"

In my opinion though it's not good to have a high concentration of homeless in one area like skid row .

The issue is nobody wants to live near a homeless shelter or SRO..

While not " politically correct" the issue of skid row is a huge one that is holding DTLA back.

[CALGUY]

I had not been to dtla in years and years.
Bear in mind, I have lived here for over forty years.
I have no reason to be traveling downtown, however two weeks ago, I had occasion to drive there on friday night.
I was absolutely amazed at what dtla has become.
All the swanky new, hip places was mind boggling, and that includes the retail and office space.
One thing I noticed however is,just how far removed from skid row this "new" dtla actually is.
It is many, many blocks from skid row.
I didn't drive all over dtla, but my travels took me close to Staples center (the first time I have ever been up close to that structure), and that seems where all this "new dtla is taking place.
It is as though skid row is in another world, compared to dtla.
Just an observation from one who hardly ever sees dtla.
Bob.

[The Illusive Man]

DTLA has come a long way, but it still has some ways to go. The best thing for the area would be more green space and economic stimulants like the street car. Of course, building more mixed use development would be great too.

The great thing is that all of the above is planned but how long it may take is another issue. We have to be patient.

[GatsbyGatz]

Originally Posted by jm1982

I think one could argue that it is already a mini Manhattan .

LOL, no.

DTLA has made a HUGE recovery... from being one of the worst downtown dumps in the US. It's a great place and it's rapidly becoming nicer.

However, as others have stated, it still has a lot of catch up to do with the "top 10 downtowns" which isn't likely since the "top 10 downtowns" are also rapidly developing. It's not like DTLA is the only downtown with any developments. Nearly all downtowns are growing at the same pace. NYC, SF, Chicago, Boston, Philly, DC, and Seattle all have major developments and are all much larger (by this I mean consistent vibrancy and density over many more square miles) and are more vibrant than DTLA. All of these cities have cranes all over their urban cores building dozens of skyscrapers.

I see DTLA as making a solid placement within the top 10, but these other cities I have listed are all "on fire" as well and really can't be compared to where I project DTLA will land within the next 10 years.

DTLA is expanding the LA Live area, is restoring the Macys shopping center, and is aspiring to restore Broadway. These will help DTLA catch up since most other cities already have all of these amenities.

Key negatives to DTLA:

-Clean up Skid Row. Once you cross east of Los Angeles Street, it becomes very unappealing. Lots of filth and depressing living conditions for people who need serious help.
-Get rid of the light industry within DTLA. DTLA is really tiny when you realize that nearly everything south of Pico Blvd and east of Los Angeles St is nearly all industrial, auto shops, parking lots, or abandoned buildings. It just looks really unappealing. The "nice" parts of DTLA do look nice... but there's just not much there. It's a small area that I would consider appealing.

Don't mean to be the pessimist. I'm glad DTLA is improving. It's just not there yet.

[LBNative]

In the scale of it's size and what DTLA didn't have before, DTLA is on FIRE! There's an influx of shops and restaurants coming in. With real estate prices showing great improvement in the areas surround DTLA, it seems like a lot of people are catching on and moving to LA. If the street car/light rail ever breaks ground in DTLA, that would be a game changer. 5 years ago you would never see large groups of college age students in DTLA, now they are everywhere. Dare I say, DTLA is becoming hip. I can't wait to see what it becomes in the next few years.

[jm1982]

Regarding the streetcar other cities are actually building them while LA is talking about it.

If Cincinnati has money for a street car and is building it as we speak makes you wonder why la doesn't . Also why has LA stopped trimming trees ? Where is the money ?

DTLA is the overnight success that took a couple decades .

Nonetheless it's a small part of the city of LA and city government wants people to just focus on downtown and think "wow LA has improved " I won't let them off that easy.

Downtown was getting to embarrassing levels so something had to be done . City Hall is in downtown and it was in the interest of the politicians there to do something .

And we know politicians always do what is in their best interest .

Imagine you want to impress some Washington DC politicians or foreigners .. Having dtla the way it was , was not too flattering . There was amazing architecture but people just saw the grime and vacant buildings.

[SlowMotionApocalypse]

I love downtown. There are still a lot of shady areas and a bit of perception of danger however. I got out of a place at 3rd & Main late at night on Friday and just walked to Temple because I didn't want to wait 20 minutes in front of a mini-tent city for a bus. However 10 years ago or more, if I didn't have a ride home, I just didn't go.

Still drug dealing near Spring & 5th but then the homeless don't have enough money to support the drug trade.

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by SlowMotionApocalypse

I love downtown. There are still a lot of shady areas and a bit of perception of danger however. I got out of a place at 3rd & Main late at night on Friday and just walked to Temple because I didn't want to wait 20 minutes in front of a mini-tent city for a bus. However 10 years ago or more, if I didn't have a ride home, I just didn't go.

Still drug dealing near Spring & 5th but then the homeless don't have enough money to support the drug trade.

You don't think the homeless buy drugs?..

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/fact.../addiction.pdf