Vacant downtown LA office building will be transformed into 512 affordable homes

The World Trade Center will create hundreds of new apartments with rents starting as low as $937.

1 minute read

July 7, 2026, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Striking view of Los Angeles financial skyline featuring the World Trade Center and nearby buildings, showcasing urban design against a bright sky.

The World Trade Center and other skyscrapers in downtown Los Angeles, California. | Chizhevskaya Ekaterina / Shutterstock

Developers announced plans to turn the long-underused World Trade Center office complex in downtown Los Angeles into over 500 affordable apartments, writes Jorge Lajo in Secret Los Angeles.

Developers Kennedy Wilson and Jamison say the renovated building, dubbed "Sky Castle," will include a mix of one- to three-bedroom apartments and shared spaces such as a co-working area, a resident lounge and laundry facilities.

"According to Kennedy Wilson’s press release, Phase I starts in August 2026. It focuses on the building’s concourse levels and will deliver 241 affordable units. Those units go to residents earning between 30% and 80% of the area’s median income (AMI)." Phase II will finish the remaining units by 2028. Rents will range from $937 to $1,300 per month for qualifying tenants. 

The developers say they want to deliver around 4,000 affordable housing units in Los Angeles through adaptive reuse conversions and new transit-oriented construction.

Monday, July 6, 2026 in Secret Los Angeles

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