Los Angeles approves Fourth & Central project near Skid Row and the Arts District

Los Angeles City Council approved the Fourth & Central project on June 30, and the City Clerk transmitted the file to the mayor on July 1. The mayor has until July 13, 2026, to act on the downtown development.

The project site is at 400 S. Central Ave., in a corridor near Skid Row, Little Tokyo and the Arts District. It is now a collection of cold storage facilities, parking lots and warehouses that city records show would be replaced by a mixed-use complex.

What the city approved

Official city records describe a plan with 1,589 residential units, 411,113 square feet of office space, 145,748 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and about two acres of publicly accessible open space. The proposed buildings would rise as high as 364 feet.

The Planning Department report says the project would span about eight acres and include 10 distinct buildings. Local reporting from the Los Angeles Times and Urbanize LA says the development would transform the former cold-storage property into a major downtown mixed-use project.

Why the site drew attention

Fourth & Central has drawn close watch because of its location and scale. The project sits at the edge of neighborhoods where development pressure, traffic, transit access and gentrification concerns already shape daily life.

The city report says the project is designed to place housing and jobs near transit and existing utility infrastructure. Supporters see that as a plus. Critics have focused on the scale of the project and what it could mean for nearby streets and surrounding communities.

What happens next

The council vote was not the end of the process. The file is now with the mayor, and the deadline to act is July 13. After that, the project can move into the next permitting and construction steps if it remains approved.

For downtown Los Angeles, this is one of the biggest recent land-use decisions: more housing, more commercial space, and a much larger footprint at one of the city’s most visible redevelopment sites.

Sources

• Los Angeles City Clerk council file 26-0047-S2
• Los Angeles City Planning Fourth & Central project page
• Los Angeles Times report on the Fourth & Central approval
• Urbanize LA report on Fourth & Central