Major Mixed-Use Tower Project Approved Near Downtown L.A.
The Walter J. Company and Metro’s development at MacArthur Park calls for nearly 700 residential units, a 300-key hotel and over 100,000 SF of office space
By Nick Trombola March 17, 2026 5:12 pm
reprints
The Los Angeles City Council has approved a major mixed-use project near Downtown L.A., aligning with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s aggressive push for transit-oriented housing development across the Golden State.
A partnership between the Walter J. Company and Metro won approvals earlier this month for Centro Westlake, massive development planned for a roughly 150,000-square-foot parcel between Wilshire Boulevard, Alvarado Street, Westlake Avenue, and Seventh Street in L.A.’s Westlake neighborhood, according to Urbanize, which first reported the news.
The JV’s plans call for a two-tower complex, rising 55 stories and 39 stories, which would include 668 residential units, including 234 affordable units; a 300-key hotel; 105,000 square feet of office space; 10,000 square feet of medical office space; and about 56,700 square feet of retail space.
Twenty percent of the retail space would also be reserved for local Westlake businesses, according to a previous announcement by Walter J. Company. The development firm is the brainchild of Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, a local physician who has owned and operated the nearby Wilshire Medical Building since 1992.
Jayasinghe’s firm entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with Metro in 2020, as the project site is above the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro station, about two miles west of Downtown L.A. The project is in line with Gov. Newsom’s and State Sen. Scott Wiener’s Senate Bill 79, also known as the Abundant & Affordable Homes Near Transit Act. The law essentially forces cities across the state to allow high-density housing projects near major transit hubs in order to address the state’s housing shortage and affordability crisis. It was not immediately clear if Centro Westlake was approved directly because of the law.
Representatives for Walter J. Company and Metro did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The project’s development timeline was also not immediately clear.
Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.
