In mid-2013,

Downtown Los Angeles

was noted as "a neighborhood with an increasingly hip and well-heeled residential population."

Staples Center

, which opened in 1999, has contributed immensely to the revitalization plans, adding 250 events and nearly 4 million visitors per year to the neighborhood.[14] Since the opening of the Staples Center, the adjacent L.A. Live complex was completed, which includes the Microsoft Theatre and the Grammy Museum. Los Angeles County Metro Rail, a rail transit network centered on the downtown area, facilitates access to the city center, especially from the congested west side. Real estate developers and investors planned a $1.8 billion revitalization project along Grand Avenue, which included the development of Grand Park, a large city park,[15] and the construction of major city landmarks including the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall and contemporary art museum The Broad, which opened in 2015. Because of the

downtown LA

area's office market's migration west to Bunker Hill and the Financial District, many historic office buildings have been left intact, simply used for storage or remaining empty during recent decades. In 1999, the Los Angeles City Council passed an adaptive reuse ordinance, making it easier for developers to convert outmoded, vacant office and commercial buildings into renovated lofts and luxury apartment and condo complexes.

Los Angeles Highrises

As of early 2009, 14,561 residential units[10] have been created under the adaptive reuse ordinance, leading to an increase in the residential population. With 28,878 residents in 2006[11] and 39,537 in 2008,[12] a 36.9% increase, Downtown Los Angeles is seeing new life and investment.[13]

Los Angeles Highrise Hotels

On August 7, 2007, the Los Angeles City Council approved sweeping changes in zoning and development rules for the downtown area.[16] Strongly advocated by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the changes allow larger and denser developments downtown; developers who reserve 15% of their units for low-income residents are now exempt from some open-space requirements and can make their buildings 35% larger than current zoning codes allow.[16] In 2009 Bottega Louie opened on the first floor of the historic Brockman Building on Grand Avenue and 7th Street.

LA Highrise Condos

It contributed to the revitalization of Downtown LA by creating restaurant row, which has since brought numerous new restaurants and retail shops to the area.[17] In 2012, the upper 11 floors of the Brockman Building were bought with the intention of being sold as luxury lofts.[18] In October 2015, an outdoor lifestyle center, The Bloc Los Angeles, replaced the old enclosed Macy's Plaza.