LOS ANGELES—Transportation has been a major driver of development in Downtown Los Angeles, according to Clare DeBriere, COO and EVP at the Ratkovich Co. Parking and traffic congestion were significant obstacles for developers, but the transportation infrastructure that has come and is still coming to downtown has helped to solve some of the approval hurdles.
“The city, the county, the state and the federal government have made a monumental investment in the transportation infrastructure in this city,” DeBriere tells GlobeSt.com. “That transportation infrastructure is starting to get legs, and it is a huge reason why Downtown is now growing as much as it is, because you are giving people an alternative to the one thing that would have ultimately strangled this city, which is traffic. You cannot have density without the transportation system.”
The Ratkovich Co. is well acquainted with the new system. Its retail, office and hotel mixed-use, adaptive-reuse development The Bloc has a metro stop onsite. The inclusion of a metro stop was important to the project. It creates a community-gathering place that is easily accessible, which is attractive not only to consumers, who will be visiting the center, but also to the retail and office tenants occupying the property.
The transportation system doesn't only connect downtown together, but soon, with the completion of the EXPO line, will connect downtown to the rest of the city. This will ultimately fuel even more development and growth, according to DeBriere. “When the EXPO line comes from Santa Monica in October, and you'll be able to get from Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles every single day, all-night long, in 38 minutes, that will be a game changer for this city,” she adds. “Allowing people to have access to this city without being in a car is going to change everything, and that is part of the reason that the City of L.A. has made it so much easier to build. We have solutions for the problems that come with density.”
The Bloc is in the process of leasing its remaining spaces. While some portions of the property are already open, the Bloc will open officially later this year.
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