Prolific and infamous developer Geoff Palmer rarely gives interviews. So it was an occasion when he appeared before an audience at the Lorenzo, his lavish student-housing complex, to recount the philosophy and practice of his controversial legacy.
Palmer is known, along with Tom Gilmore, for setting in motion the revitalization—or gentrification—of Downtown currently in full swing. In the Q&A with Planning Report publisher David Abel, he recounted how he got started developing downtown after the L.A. Riots, despite discouragement and disbelief from city planning, bankers, and brokers, let alone prospective tenants.
Ultimately, Abel notes, Palmer "changed the model" for building downtown. The $330-million Lorenzo also represents a new format for student housing, and Palmer explains the project's financial model, its relationship to USC, and the lessons learned from the development process, which was beset by opposition from neighborhood activists. Audience members, invited by the Urban Land Institute, nodded as he said, "I learned that I will not buy land that requires discretion… I’m not going to take something that I’ve got to rezone."
Palmer speaks frankly about his opposition to inclusionary housing, which he famously fought to strike down in Los Angeles in 2009, readily addressing himself to his critics. "I think it's immoral. 'Thou shalt not steal'—and certainly not by force of violence," he says.
"Why is it that these people think that real-estate developers should give 15 percent of their profits away? They don’t ask it of grocery stores, gas stations, or haberdasheries. They only ask real-estate developers. Why do these social engineers think that private individuals should be subsidizing these people? ... It’s totally un-American."
The conversation is wide-ranging and open, also covering Palmer’s trademark "Italianate" design and how his choice to build what many have called "fortresses" is a response to how he views the conditions and needs of Los Angeles.
It’s a clear glimpse into an insider perspective on the practicalities, politics, workarounds and alliances involved in becoming one of the most famous, and most contested, developers in Los Angeles.
Read the interview in The Planning Report.
FULL STORY: Palmer 'Re-Gentrified' Downtown LA, Despite Doubters and Design Criticism
Doubt Cast on Induced Demand for Housing
Applied to roads, the theory of induced demand says new construction only brings out more users. But can something similar be said of housing? According to this research, the likely answer is no.
Los Angeles Union Station Plan Creates Multimodal Access to Downtown L.A.
When it comes to trains, trams, and buses, L.A.'s Union Station is "the most transit-accessible location in Southern California." Soon, it will finally connect to its own neighborhood.
Philadelphia Developer Sues Affordable Housing Project Over Parking Spaces
As Philadelphia's Breeze Point gets more expensive, a market-rate developer is claiming that an affordable housing development's surface parking lot is taking up land that could be homes.
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.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service