Experts: Downtown L.A. Renaissance Not Over

LOS ANGELES-”I have always felt that Downtown Los Angeles was cutting edge, leading edge and the place that could do whatever our imagination wanted it do. We play here, we work here and we have a community here.” So said Councilwoman Jan Perry, Ninth District, City of Los Angeles, during the 7th Annual Fall Downtown Los Angeles Program. The event, held at Downtown’s Club Nokia, was held by the Downtown Center Business Improvement District, and the purpose of the event is to “stay excited about downtown,” according to event moderator Hal Bastian, DCBID vice president and director of economic development.

Perry briefly spoke prior to the morning’s panel session, pointing to changes the area has undergone over the years, noting all the work that has taken place downtown and the impact it has had over the city. “All roads for economic development lead to Downtown,” she explained. “People realize that an investment in the core of our city is one of the best investments that you can make.”

There is a market waiting to be tapped, Perry continued. “Now is the time to plan for the next uptick in the economy. If you build it, they are definitely going to come.”