The Little Tokyo Galleria, a fortress-like structure on the outskirts of both Little Tokyo and the Arts District, could make way for a landscaping-shifting mixed-use complex.

Last week, the Korean-American investors that own the aging shopping center at 3rd and Alameda Streets filed plans with the City of Los Angeles to redevelop the property with a mixture of apartments, shops and restaurants.  According to a case filing with the Department of City Planning, the project would consist of 994 residential units - including 110 live/work units and 160 units of affordable housing - above nearly 100,000 square feet of retail space on the ground and second floors.

The Galleria, built in the 1980s and long criticized as an eyesore, underwent a multimillion dollar renovation in 2014, which included facade alterations and upgrades to the building's air conditioning and plumbing.  At the time, the Downtown News also reported that a potential residential development was also in the works for an adjoining surface parking lot at 4th and Alameda Streets.

The project emerges as a slew of similar development projects are sweeping through the adjacent Arts District, which encompasses much of the area between the Galleria and the L.A. River.  The wave of projects has now reached west of Alameda Streets into Little Tokyo, which has seen the rise of several podium-type buildings in recent year, but nothing of this scale.