For the latest in a series on the laws that shaped Los Angeles, KCET's Jeremy Rosenberg examines 1999's Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, which made possible downtown's wave of condo conversion projects.
One of the key factors, along with Staples Center (opened 1999), Disney Hall (2003) and L.A. Live. (2007), leading to the resurgence of downtown Los Angeles, is the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance (ARO), passed by the City Council in 1999.
Developed as a tool that "provides for an expedited approval process and ensures that older and historic building are not subjected to the same zoning and code requirements that apply to new construction," the success of the ARO is evidenced in the residential population growth of downtown LA between 1999 and 2008 of at least 7,300 housing units, from long-term vacant buildings alone. The total number of housing units added downtown in the thirty years prior is just 4,300, notes Rosenberg.
Key to the success of the ordinance, Donald Shoup points out, is the elimination of minimum parking requirements for the newly residential buildings. In effect, this feature allowed many historic buildings that would have been demolished for their lack of parking, to be saved and converted.
FULL STORY: How Downtown L.A. Became a Place to Live (without Parking)
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Downtown Los Angeles Punching Above its Weight in Residential Development
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The Solution to Los Angeles' Crumbling Sidewalks
Parking guru Donald Shoup discusses how the city of Los Angeles can fix its roughly 4,300 miles of sidewalk that require some degree of repair, for free.
‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland
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Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny
The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.
Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?
New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?
700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah
A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.
More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus
Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.
Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says
Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.
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