Progress in Downtown Los Angeles is Slow

I’ve learned quite a bit during my first month here in Los Angeles … Coyotes will come down from the hills and take your kids away … People wear winter clothes in 70 degree weather … Drivers are not very aggressive on the highway and that is one of biggest reasons for all the traffic … You’re either trendy or you’re not … and things are slow to happen.

Today I would like to focus on the slow pace of progress when it comes to businesses opening up in downtown Los Angeles.

Back in January when H and I made our first trip to L.A. to find a place to live we visited the Market Lofts. At that time the ground floor currently was busy with construction as Quiznos, Robeks and some small Italian fast food place. We also visited the Met Lofts where signs were up advertising the impending opening of a wine store type place. Over in the bottom of Luma South they were talking about a bakery heading into the space. Pretty exciting eh?

We returned again in early March to narrow down our search and for H to do some business and guess what? All those businesses were still under construction.

Fast forward to the second week of May and they are still working on all of these places and none looks close to opening.

I can speak intelligently about the businesses under the Market Lofts since we live there. Every day they are working on the Italian place and Quiznos but I am not sure what they do. Same with Robeks whenever Carter and I wander over to that corner of the block. I am not a contractor but I don’t think it is unreasonable to think that you can’t get a Quiznos up and running in five months. A place where you make juice requires half a year of construction? I know there are plenty of things that have to happen - electrical, plumbing, decorating, installation of equipment, but five months?

How can they build a house in a weekend on tv but these places can’t get up in running yet? Mike Holmes wouldn’t be impressed.

I hope one day the downtown core is full of thriving businesses, green space for dogs to pee, and overall a great place to live.

I also hope this happens some time while I am alive.