Downtown’s Next Food Hall Could Land Right Alongside Skid Row

Apparently Los Angeles isn’t even close to done building food halls yet. Tenants through the southern tip of Little Tokyo, which is not far from Skid Row, are receiving a new notice for a hearing on September 5 to discuss a possible mixed-use food hall. It’s coming to 420 E. 3rd Street, with room for a handful of restaurant tenants plus beer and wine.

The notice refers to Department of City Planning case number ZA-2017-1793-CUB, which first circulated publicly earlier this spring. The paperwork asks for a conditional use permit to operate a space with “up to 6 restaurants”, including at five with the right to serve beer and wine, and one to serve a full line of alcohol. The notice also lists the size of the project at 122 interior seats across almost 6,200 square feet, with a 600 square foot patio and another 50-plus seats outdoors.

If the project moves forward in its current iteration, it could mark yet another change for dynamic Downtown. Many thousands of homeless are already feeling the squeeze along Skid Row and throughout much of central business district, which has led to a rise in crime in some areas. A plan to give Skid Row a voice with city hall by way of its own neighborhood council was narrowly defeated earlier this summer.

A new food hall for Downtown would also raise some eyebrows simply because of the saturation the area already has with casual hall-style dining options. There’s the century-old Grand Central Market, of course, as well as Corporation Food Hall over on Spring Street and long-held rumors of others popping up. Got more info on this proposed project coming to the edges of Skid Row? Hit the tipline or the comments below.

• Chinatown Bulks Up With Spiffy New Broadway Food Hall Called The Apiary [ELA]