A Downtown surface parking lot once slated for a hotel development could instead become a public park, according to a motion introduced on September 20 by 14th District Councilmember Kevin de Leon.

"The community of South Park in Downtown Los Angeles is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city," reads the motion, which has been referred to the Government Operations and Neighborhood & Community Enrichment Committees for review. "Despite being named 'South Park," there are no public parks in the neighborhood."

1051-1099 S. Grand AvenueGoogle Maps

The solution to that problem could be a roughly .31-acre parking lot at 1051 S. Grand Avenue. De Leon's motion indicates that the current owner of the site is willing to sell with it, and argues for directing city staff to negotiate a purchase agreement.

Convention Center and L.A. Live overlord AEG, the unnamed owner of said property, has offices in an abutting building to the west facing Hope Street. Four years ago, AEG had sought to redevelop the property with a mid-rise hotel building, featuring 160 guest rooms above ground-floor restaurant space. While that project was approved in 2020, permitting for its construction never commenced.

Rendering of the proposed hotel at 11th and GrandKAP

Although the motion does not specify the source of funds to help acquire the site, the office of Council District 14 recently elected to dedicate its nearly $6 million allocation of Transfer of Floor Area Rights payments to the acquisition of a park site in the South Park area.

While short on public park space, South Park is not entirely devoid of open space. Developer Mack Real Estate built a small open area accessible to the public in 2019 adjacent to its Aven apartment tower one block south along Grand Avenue, and the Gilbert Lindsay Plaza next to the Convention Center is poised for a park-like revamp as part of the facility's overhaul. AEG is a private-sector partner in the latter project, which could be accompanied by an expansion of the J.W. Marriott hotel complex if economic conditions permit.

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