Building And Construction In Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles, situated on the nation's West Coast, surrounded by the San Bernardino Mountain Range, is the most populous city in California. The city has undergone a major transformation since it was established in 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. Building and construction has proceeded at a somewhat uneven pace since then. LA's downtown, in particular, is currently undergoing something of a rebirth, with many older buildings being changed into expensive lofts.

The majority of major downtown department stores once operated out of independent buildings in the area. A good few of them were closed in the 1970's and 80's, as there was a movement away from the stand-alone style and into modern office centers and shopping malls. With the city's westward shift of the commercial center, downtown LA was lacking much nightlife until recently.

Despite the fact that the building and construction process proceeded relatively quickly, the LA City Council made things even faster by enacting a reuse ordinance, which made it easier for developers to turn vacant commercial office buildings to highbrow lofts and exclusive apartment complexes. A large number of professionals, tired of the city's notorious rush-hour gridlock problems, were quick to move in.

The number of residents in downtown LA has grown since the early 2000's, partly due to all the building and construction, with a greater than 15 percent increase to about 28,000 persons. This amount surpassed estimates and, with a higher number of housing units under construction, has pushed the total count to potentially be more than 40,000 by the end of 2008. Unfortunately, the number of available jobs in the area has decreased to 418,000, down from an estimated 605,000 a decade ago.

In 2007, the City Council approved major changes to the downtown's zoning laws. Staunchly advocated by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the changes will accelerate more building and construction by allowing for bigger and more closely-packed developments. Additionally, builders who withhold 15 percent of their units for poor residents are not governed by certain building requirements and edifices can be constructed that are more than 30 percent larger than existent zoning laws allow for.

Of historical note, a number of the core downtown buildings were built way back from the early 1900's. Between then and the late 1050's, an ordinance restrained building heights at under 150 feet, giving rise to a fairly homogenous skyline. Reportedly, it was done not for fear of earthquakes, but to maintain a uniform height in the area and to avoid New York City style congestion. None of these laws are in effect today, as a skyline full of tall office buildings bears evidence to.