A small commercial building near the intersection of 2nd and Spring Streets could make way for a new high-rise development, according to an application recently submitted to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning.

The proposed project, slated for a property at 216 S. Spring Street, would consist of a 17-story tower featuring 120 studio apartments above approximately 2,500 square feet of street-fronting retail and restaurant space. 

Plans call for a mix of studio, one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments.  A total of 14 apartments would be set aside as deed-restricted affordable housing, making the project eligible for density bonus incentives.

The tower is being developed and designed by David Lawrence Gray Architects, which is based out of a building one block southwest at the intersection of 4th Street and Broadway.  Renderings depict a roughly 213-foot-tall glass tower accented with vertical yellow bands and capped by a rooftop pool deck.

“The goal [of 216 Spring] is to show the city how to comply with the Downtown design guidelines and the objective of the DTLA 2040 plan, but doing it on an infill lot without a corner on it,” said Gray.  “We think we’ve done that.  There’s no podium – all the parking is underground.”

The three-level below grade garage would be accessible through an alley at the rear of the property.  Due to the width of the project site, a vehicular turnaround is infeasible, according to Gray.  Instead, plans call for an elevator which would provide vertical circulation for vehicles.

Gray, citing uncertainties due to the market conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, did not provide a timeline for the project.

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.