L.A. City Planning Commission upholds approval of 17-story tower at 216 S Spring Street

At its meeting yesterday, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted to uphold the approval of a proposed apartment tower near the future Historic Broadway Metro stop in Downtown, rejecting two appeals which sought to block the project's construction.

In September, applicant and architect David Lawrence Gray secured a determination letter signing off on the proposed project at 216 S. Spring Street, which calls for the construction of a 17-story building featuring 120 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments with approximately 3,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and basement parking for 69 vehicles.

In exchange for density bonus incentives permitting greater floor area than allowed by zoning rules, 14 apartments would be set aside as deed-restricted affordable housing at the very low-income level.

Gray's design for 216 Spring Street calls for a tower standing roughly 223 feet in height, with a glass exterior accented by vertically-oriented yellow bands. Renderings show a pool deck at the rooftop of the building.

An environmental report conducted for the proposed development projects a roughly 24-month construction period, although a groundbreaking date was not indicated. At the time the project was filed with the Planning Department for entitlements in 2020, Gray declined to provide a timeline for the project, citing uncertain conditions resulting from the pandemic.

The site is currently listed for sale, with signs posted on its exterior.

The project appellants include SAFER, an affiliate of Laborers International Union of North America Local 270 (LIUNA), and CREED LA, an alliance of multiple building trade unions. Both appeals targeted a decision to grant 216 Spring an exemption from further review under the California Environmental Quality Act, arguing that a study should have been conducted to determine potential impacts to noise and air pollution. Those arguments were disputed in a staff report, which recommended that the Commission should uphold the earlier decision by the Director of Planning.

The proposed development - located just east of Metro's under-construction Historic Broadway Station - is the latest apartment tower planned near the Downtown Civic Center, following larger projects from Onni Group and Tribune Real Estate Holdings that would rise on the opposite side of Spring Street.

• 17-Story Apartment Tower Proposed Near 2nd & Spring (Urbanize LA)