Late last year, the Walter J. Company and Metro began the entitlement process for a large mixed-use tower complex above the Westlake/MacArthur Park subway station. New information released by the developer and the transportation agency offer a look at what's to come.

View looking southeast from MacArthur ParkSOM

Planned for a site bounded by Wilshire Boulevard, Westlake Avenue, 7th Street, and Alvarado Street, Centro Westlake would include a total of:

  • 668 studio, one-, and two-bedroom dwellings;
  • more than 56,000 square feet of retail uses (with 20 percent of space reserved for Westlake residents);
  • approximately 115,000 square feet of office space;
  • a 300-room hotel; and
  • parking for up to 968 vehicles in six subterranean and four above-grade levels.

According to Metro and the Walter J. Company, the on-site housing would include 234 deed-restricted affordable units, broken down by income category as follows:

  • 36 units for seniors – Section 8 Vouchers;
  • 66 units at 30-50% of the area median income level (AMI);
  • 66 units at 50-80% AMI; and
  • 66 units at 120-150% AMI.

SOM and Studio-MLA are designing Centro Westlake, which is billed as a way to expand the open space of MacArthur Park onto the project site. Plans call for roughly 75,000 square feet of open space, activated by commercial space, a mobility hub, and space dedicated to local vendors and events.

The proposed development has been the subject of a project advisory task force, which has shaped design relating to the plaza space, the location of garage ingress and egress, and improved access to surrounding bus stops.

View looking northeast from across AlvaradoSOM

The Walter J. Company's news release also cites support from 1st District Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, as well as Unite Here Local 11, the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, and New Economics for Women.

“Los Angeles is in dire need of more affordable and dignified housing to confront our housing and homelessness crisis and MacArthur Park is no exception," said Hernandez in a statement. "This project will bring a significant investment in affordable housing and mobility infrastructure while uplifting the existing economy of vendors, entrepreneurs, and local small businesses who are at the heart of this neighborhood."

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