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Revitalization Falters in Downtown L.A.

Posted by: Tim Halbur

16 March 2009 - 9:00am

The revitalization of downtown Los Angeles took another hit this week, as real estate firm Meruleo Maddox Properties Inc., the largest private landowner in the area, revealed that it may have to file for bankruptcy protection.

Real-estate firm Meruelo Maddux Properties Inc. said Thursday that it was working to reach agreements with four lenders after the developer stopped making interest payments on 26 loans valued at $266 million. Three of those loans are due, and the company hasn't been able to extend them.

"The debt capital markets have totally shut down," Andrew Murray, the company's chief financial officer, said in an interview.

It is the latest shoe to drop for Los Angeles's downtown district, which has been the focus of a decade-long renewal project designed to convert old warehouses and office buildings into lofts, high-rise residential towers and an entertainment and retail district."

Full Story: Revival of Downtown Los Angeles Stalls
Source: The Wall St. Journal, March 13, 2009
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I argue that the vocabulary of planning and the concepts necessary to participate in local government and planning issues need to be taught to students in K-12.
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