A proposal to replace a bus storage lot near Chinatown Station with an office complex has cleared the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.

This project from the Riboli family, which filed an application for the site at 130 W. College Street in 2023, calls for the construction of a five-story building featuring approximately 225,000 square feet of offices above approximately 8,200 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and a parking garage. Plans also call for landscaped outdoor areas for both employees and residents.

Grimshaw Architects is designing the building, which is depicted in renderings with a contemporary look. Plans call for a central courtyard located mid-block along Bruno Street, as well as a plaza at the intersection of Alameda and College streets.

The project is the latest in a string of investments from the Riboli family in Chinatown, including the  restored Capitol Milling Building across the street, as well as a proposal to build a large mixed-use, high-rise complex along a narrow strip of land overlooking Los Angeles State Historic Park 

The proposed development comes at a challenging time for the office market, which tepid demand for new space in Central Los Angeles. A recently-built structure nearby remains unoccupied years after completion.

The development site also sits just north of the home of Homeboy Industries, which is flanked by a growing cluster of new affordable housing communities, one of which broke ground earlier this year.

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