LA Council Watch

← All files

400 South Central Avenue (364-448 and 425-433 South Central Avenue; 715 and 730 East 4th Street) etc. / Main Conditional Use Permit (MCUP) / Site Plan Review (SPR) / Appeal

Council File 26-0047-S2

Introduced
2026-01-21
Last changed
2026-05-13
Status
open
Expires
2028-04-14
Committee
Planning and Land Use Management Committee
Initiated by
Los Angeles City Planning Commission
References
Assessors Parcel Numbers (APNs): 5147-001-007; 5147-013-016; 5147-012-015; 5147-011-015; 5147-011-016; 5147-011-017Case: CPC-2021-4069-GPAJ-VZCJ-HD-MCUP-SPR-HCA-1AEnvironmental: ENV-2021-4071-EIRRelated Cases: VTT-82974-CN-HCA-2A; CPC-2021-4069-GPAJ-VZCJ-HD-MCUP-SPR-HCA

Brief

This file concerns an appeal of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission's approval of a Main Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan Review for a multi-parcel development at 400 South Central Avenue and nearby addresses in downtown Los Angeles. The Planning and Land Use Management Committee heard the appeal on May 12, 2026, and voted to deny it, thereby upholding the Planning Commission's original determination. The matter involved environmental review under CEQA. The committee's decision on the appeal is now final pending any further Council action.

Full summary

File 26-0047-S2 concerns an appeal of the City Planning Commission's approval of a Main Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan Review for the Fourth and Central Project, a large mixed-use development proposed by Standard Southern Corporation on an approximately eight-acre site in downtown Los Angeles, adjacent to the Little Tokyo and Arts District neighborhoods. The project would replace existing cold storage facilities, warehouse uses, and surface parking with ten buildings ranging from two to thirty stories in height, with a maximum height of 364 feet. The program includes 1,589 residential units with affordable housing at multiple income levels, 411,113 square feet of office space, and 145,748 square feet of restaurant and retail uses, along with roughly two acres of publicly accessible open space including plazas and pedestrian paseos. The Planning Commission approved the project 6-0 at its October 9, 2025 hearing. The conditional use permit authorizes the sale of alcoholic beverages at up to ten establishments within the project, subject to conditions including a camera surveillance system, employee alcohol training requirements, noise compliance, and a requirement that each tenant seek a separate Main Plan Approval before operating. The site plan review approval imposed detailed conditions governing parking design, landscaping, lighting, open space access, transportation demand management, and construction labor standards. On labor, the project must meet a 30 percent local hire requirement, pay prevailing wages, and ensure at least 60 percent of construction workers are trained through state-approved apprenticeship programs. The project also commits to LEED Gold certification or equivalent and contributions to the City's Bicycle Plan Trust and Mobility Trust funds. The project required a General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation on the South Site from Hybrid Industrial to Community Center, matching the existing Community Center designation on the North and West Sites, and a Vesting Zone and Height District Change to (T)(Q)C2-3D. The Planning Commission found the project consistent with the Downtown Community Plan, the General Plan Framework Element, the Housing Element, and the Mobility Plan 2035. The EIR was certified in December 2025, and the Commission found no subsequent environmental review was required. The appeal was filed by Kristin Fukushima of Little Tokyo Service Center on January 5, 2026, the last day of the appeal period, challenging the MCUP and SPR approvals. The matter was referred to the Planning and Land Use Management Committee in January 2026, which continued the hearing from April 14 to May 12, 2026, while the committee chair approved multiple extensions of the legal decision deadline. On May 12, 2026, the committee denied the appeal, sustaining the Planning Commission's approvals. A final procedural extension of the time limit to May 29, 2026 was approved the following day. The file remains open pending full Council action to formally adopt the associated General Plan Amendment resolution and Vesting Zone Change ordinance, which are part of the related legislative actions filed concurrently under this matter.

Activity (8)

  • 2026-05-13 Planning and Land Use Management Committee Chair approved extension of time limit from May 22, 2026 to May 29, 2026.
  • 2026-05-12 Planning and Land Use Management Committee denied appeal(s) , and thereby sustained the determination of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission.
  • 2026-04-14 Planning and Land Use Management Committee continued item to May 12, 2026 .
  • 2026-04-02 Planning and Land Use Management Committee Chair approved extension of time limit from April 30, 2026 to May 22, 2026.
  • 2026-03-20 Planning and Land Use Management Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on April 14, 2026.
  • 2026-02-10 Planning and Land Use Management Committee Chair approved extension of time limit from March 21, 2026 to April 30, 2026.
  • 2026-01-21 Los Angeles City Planning Commission document(s) referred to Planning and Land Use Management Committee.
  • 2026-01-21 Document submitted by Los Angeles City Planning Commission, dated January 20, 2026.

Documents (34)

View on CFMS →