For the latest in a series on the laws that shaped Los Angeles, KCET's Jeremy Rosenberg examines 1999's Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, which made possible downtown's wave of condo conversion projects.
One of the key factors, along with Staples Center (opened 1999), Disney Hall (2003) and L.A. Live. (2007), leading to the resurgence of downtown Los Angeles, is the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance (ARO), passed by the City Council in 1999.
Developed as a tool that "provides for an expedited approval process and ensures that older and historic building are not subjected to the same zoning and code requirements that apply to new construction," the success of the ARO is evidenced in the residential population growth of downtown LA between 1999 and 2008 of at least 7,300 housing units, from long-term vacant buildings alone. The total number of housing units added downtown in the thirty years prior is just 4,300, notes Rosenberg.
Key to the success of the ordinance, Donald Shoup points out, is the elimination of minimum parking requirements for the newly residential buildings. In effect, this feature allowed many historic buildings that would have been demolished for their lack of parking, to be saved and converted.
FULL STORY: How Downtown L.A. Became a Place to Live (without Parking)
Putting a Stop to Disabled-Placard Fraud in L.A.
The fine for misuse of a placard will increase considerably, but not everyone agrees this is the right way to address a growing problem.
Downtown Los Angeles Punching Above its Weight in Residential Development
Shane Phillips shares the results of his own analysis about how completely Downtown Los Angeles has dominated the supply of new housing units in the city since 1999.
The Solution to Los Angeles' Crumbling Sidewalks
Parking guru Donald Shoup discusses how the city of Los Angeles can fix its roughly 4,300 miles of sidewalk that require some degree of repair, for free.
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The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
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