LOS ANGELES (December 16, 2025) – CCA PRESIDENT AND CEO NELLA MCOSKER ISSUED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE CITYWIDE EXPANSION OF ADAPTIVE REUSE:

As the year comes towards a close, we want to thank you for your support of CCA’s successful advocacy to establish an updated Citywide Adaptive Reuse Ordinance.

The original ordinance — championed by CCA and adopted in 1999 — is what spurred the transformation of Downtown into a neighborhood. DTLA is now home to more than 90,000 residents. Our region’s housing and affordability crises demand that the City deploy every tool available to create more homes, across every neighborhood and income level. That’s why last week's City Council approval was critical — it unlocks adaptive reuse as a citywide tool to deliver housing at scale.

We applaud the City Council’s action as an important step, but not the final one. To fully unlock the potential of adaptive reuse across Los Angeles, the City must follow through with legislative fixes that streamline the building code and develop financial incentives to help projects pencil — just like we see in major cities across the country: New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. all have incentive programs to enable office to residential conversions. Without these interventions, an economic hub like DTLA could see a $69.5 billion cumulative assessed property value loss for the office market, along with $353 million in lost property tax revenue for the City and the County over the next decade — as identified in our Downtown Works study released earlier this year. 

Looking ahead, we will make sure our leaders understand that these policy reforms don’t just enable housing development, they bolster municipal budgets. We will stay at the table to ensure this expansion delivers real results and moves Los Angeles toward a future where housing is more attainable for all.

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Contact

Marie Lloyd, 805-729-3118, mariesuzannelloyd@gmail.com

About CCA

Central City Association (CCA) is the premier advocacy organization in the Los Angeles region and leading visionary on the future of Downtown. Through advocacy, influence and engagement, CCA enhances Downtown’s vibrancy and increases opportunity in the region. For 100 years, CCA has produced meaningful results for its members, Downtown and the greater Los Angeles area. It represents a coalition of businesses, nonprofit organizations and institutions in Los Angeles County. For more information, please visit www.ccala.org.