City of Los Angeles, CA
04/28/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/28/2026 19:48
Mayor Bass Visits Adaptive Reuse Project That Will Create More Than 500 Units of Affordable Housing in Downtown L.A.
After 26 Years of Inaction, Mayor Bass Expanded the City's Adaptive Reuse Ordinance To Spur Projects Like This Citywide - an Estimated 43,000 Housing Units Could Be Created
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Bass today toured the site at the World Trade Center building in Downtown L.A. that is being converted into 512 units of 100% affordable housing as a result of the City's Downtown Adaptive Reuse program. Originally adopted in 1999, the ordinance only applied to buildings constructed within or near Downtown L.A. However, after 26 years, Mayor Bass took action and finally expanded the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance to unlock projects like these citywide, which could spur the creation of more than 43,000 units of housing.
"These projects represent the kind of innovation we are applying to break away from the status quo that has stunted L.A.'s housing production and driven up rents for decades," said Mayor Bass. "Work from home and other shifts mean there is a large supply of office space that we can use for housing, but for too long, outdated city regulations stood in the way. We're now unlocking tens of thousands of housing units to conversion, which can be much faster and cost-effective than new construction."
Mayor Bass was joined by Garrett Lee, President of Jamison Properties, Nella McOsker, President and CEO of the Central City Association, Tom Gilmore, Managing Partner of Gilmore Associates, and other housing and business development leaders.
The new ordinance establishes a faster by-right approval process for the conversion of existing buildings that are at least 15 years old to housing and expands the adaptive reuse incentive area citywide.
Expanding the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance is part of Mayor Bass' comprehensive approach to moving City Hall away from decades of failed policies to boost Los Angeles' housing supply, reduce housing costs, and continue decreasing homelessness. Under Mayor Bass' Executive Directive 1, more than 42,000 units of affordable housing are being accelerated through the pipeline. She launched L.A.'s first comprehensive encampment resolution strategy that has reduced homelessness by almost 18% and resulted in L.A.'s first-ever consecutive year decline.
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