A major mixed-use development is slated to transform several blocks bordering Little Tokyo.
The project, known as the Fourth & Central Project, would bring a mix of residential, office, restaurant/retail, and hotel uses to sites adjacent to the Little Tokyo Galleria Mall and Centenary United Methodist Church.
The proposed development would include 1,521 residential units, 411,113 square feet of office space, 101,088 square feet of restaurant/retail space, and 68 hotel rooms. The project would demolish the existing surface parking and cold storage facilities that make up the current business, although the developer will first seek to adaptively reuse a portion of the historic six-story cold storage warehouse building on the corner of 4th Street and Central Avenue.
The massive development — over 7.5 acres in total — would be done in phases and include 10 buildings ranging in height from two to 44 stories. The project is being met with concern from long-time businesses and residents who are concerned about the potential impacts on traffic, noise, and the character of the neighborhood.
“These high-rise buildings being proposed will stick out and overshadow Little Tokyo,” says Francis Cullado, chair of the Little Tokyo Community Council. “LTCC strives to create connections and break down walls. The project is disrespectful to the character of our historic community and makes little effort to create connections to its surrounding neighborhoods.”
Across the street, Rev. Noriaki Ito, Rinban of Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, shared concerns about the project’s potential impact. “We have Sunday services, and many funeral and memorial services on a regular basis, we also have our annual Obon Festival, and we have children in our Lumbini Child Development Center, which is in session every day, which needs a safe, quiet space to learn and play. The developer has said that there will be significant and unavoidable impacts to noise and air quality during the project’s construction and this is very troubling to us.”
The Fourth & Central Project hopes to take advantage of its proximity to the new Metro Little Tokyo/Arts District Regional Connector station. It also seeks to help the city by adding 1,521 units of housing, and has said a minimum of 16% will be designated to extremely low and very low-income tenants. The majority, however, will be market-rate rentals.
“We are absolutely worried about gentrification pushing out residents and businesses,” says Kristin Fukushima, managing director at LTCC. “When you look at the project literature, they include amenities like tree-lined paseos, umbrellas and cabanas in open-space areas, rooftop terraces and pools, open-air artisan market and boutique shops. It seems like this is another luxury development that is out of touch with the community and the needs of the city.”
The project’s Draft Environmental Impact Report is currently under review by the City of Los Angeles. The public comment period for the report is due Monday, Dec. 11, at 4 p.m. To submit a comment, or for more details about how you can help, contact Fukushima at [email protected].
The report is available at:
https://planning.lacity.org/development-services/eir/fourth-central-project-0