New Parking for L.A. Fashion District
The Los Angeles Fashion District will soon get some relief from its ongoing parking problems. A public-private partnership between developer Mark Weinstein, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard helped secure a $1.1 million grant to help fund a 420-space parking structure at 636 Maple Ave., currently the site of an MTA bus staging area.
The seven-story structure is expected to provide off-site parking for Weinstein’s Santee Court residential village, Santee Alley and other shopping venues in the district.
Construction on the secured structure will begin early next year and will take about 12 months to complete, said Brad Gwinn, vice president of development for Weinstein’s company, MJW Investments. The grant will cover about 10 percent of the project’s overall costs, and the remainder will be covered by industrial bonds and the city of Los Angeles.
“The Fashion District has had a shortage of parking for a long time, and it’s especially felt during busy shopping periods, so this should help,” Gwinn said.
“I hope this is only the beginning,” added Roybal-Allard. “The allocation of the $1.1 million federal grant for a new parking structure, when combined with other sources of needed funding, will help to make the Fashion District not only a thriving business corridor but also a convenient and desirable urban, residential community.”
Gwinn said the first 165 units of Santee Court will open in March. MJW already is leasing and has a model unit open.
—Robert McAllister
