Downtown arts district expands

L.A.'s downtown arts district is pushing to the south and east by popular demand. With new developments on tap, the City Council this week expanded the district, according to Blog Downtown:

The Arts District -- officially the "Artists-in-Residence District" -- is defined as a part of the Central City North Community Plan. The plan adopted in 2000 set the district's boundaries as 1st street to the north, the river to the east, 6th street to the south, and Alameda to the west. Inside the boundaries, applications for joint live-work spaces for artists are more likely to be approved. Since then, though, development of residential uses has pushed south of 6th. The extension of the district, first proposed by Councilman Jose Huizar's office in 2007, attempts to capture the residential that was built out by pushing the southern boundary south to Violet. In the process it encompasses the Toy Lofts, Biscuit Company Lofts, 2121 Lofts and the proposed AMP Lofts, which was initially denied by the Planning Commission and then approved by Council.

-- Shelby Grad

Photo credit: Los Angeles Times