A sea of surface parking on the east side of the Row DTLA campus is one big step closer to becoming housing. The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has signed off on a roughly 1,000-unit apartment project at 787 S. Alameda Street, clearing a key entitlement hurdle for developer Atlas Capital Group and nudging a long-dormant site toward residential reuse.
The project would replace existing parking with three eight-story buildings that stack housing over ground-floor retail and a sizable new parking structure. The commission approved the plan on a consent-calendar vote, with no drama but major implications for a high-profile corner of Downtown.
What the commission approved
The proposal calls for three eight-story buildings totaling nearly 900,000 square feet, with about 1,000 apartments in a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units. Plans also include parking for 1,092 vehicles and 6,547 square feet of ground-floor retail.
To get to that scale, the commission authorized a package of density-bonus incentives, according to a Los Angeles City Planning staff report. In return, Atlas would reserve 114 apartments for very-low-income renters, locking in affordability on roughly 11 percent of the units.
Design and site history
KFA Architecture is listed as the project architect. A project listing on DowntownLA shows renderings with stepped upper floors, cascading terraces and multiple shared courtyards, suggesting a series of carved-out outdoor spaces instead of a flat block of buildings.
The residential project would slot into the broader Row DTLA campus, formerly known as Alameda Square and once the headquarters of American Apparel. The complex at 7th and Alameda covers roughly 30 acres and already holds about 1.7 million square feet of commercial space. Atlas Capital acquired the property more than a decade ago, a deal chronicled by the Los Angeles Times.
How this fits in DTLA's growth
The move is part of a broader downtown play by Atlas. The company has already secured approvals for a 725-unit complex next to Metro's Chinatown station and a production studio across Alameda at the former Los Angeles Times printing plant, as reported by Urbanize LA.
Supporters see projects like Row DTLA's housing plan as textbook infill: converting underused parking lots and industrial sites into homes close to jobs and transit. Critics counter that the influx of residents can mean more traffic and added strain on infrastructure, while questioning whether the 114 very-low-income units are enough affordability in a 1,000-unit build.
That roughly 11 percent share of income-restricted apartments is likely to be a flashpoint as the project moves through community discussions and City Council review.
Next steps
With the Planning Commission's consent vote, the city has granted the density-bonus approvals Atlas sought, but the project is not shovel-ready yet. The developer still needs building permits and a stack of final sign-offs before any construction equipment rolls onto the site.
The Los Angeles City Planning staff report spells out the approvals granted and the conditions Atlas must meet on the way to permitting. Neither the city nor the developer has released a construction timeline.
