Broadway Trade Center

After four hours of debate, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday failed to override Mayor Tom Bradley's veto of a plan to convert the old May Co. building into a huge garment plant--but agreed to let developers reapply for a permit to do so. The council's action drew mixed reactions from developers who are seeking a conditional-use permit for plans to place 7,000 garment workers and 600 businesses in the 1-million-square-foot building at Broadway and 8th Street.

A coalition of community activists on Thursday urged the City Council to override the mayor's veto of a proposal to convert the historic May Co. building into a colossal garment-making plant. The plea came at a news conference orchestrated by owners of the property--now called the Broadway Trade Center--and their lobbyist, former City Councilman Art Snyder, as a political pressure tactic in what has become a fractious issue at City Hall. The developers, who paid about $25.

Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates has moderated concerns voiced earlier by a police subordinate over developers' plans to convert the old May Co. building downtown into a garment-making center. On Tuesday, Gates rescinded several conditions that had been placed on the project last September by Central Division Capt. Jerry Conner.

A major development battle over the historic but decaying former May Co. building will determine whether a new garment center springs up in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. An investor group represented by former councilman and lobbyist Arthur K. Snyder is trying to persuade City Council members to allow 600 businesses and up to 7,000 garment workers in the 70-year-old building at the corner of Broadway and 8th Street.

Opening the door for the creation of a new garment district in downtown Los Angeles, the City Council on Tuesday approved a proposal to convert the historic May Co. building into an industrial complex for 600 businesses and 7,000 workers. In an acrimonious two-hour debate, the council also imposed conditions on the plan to revamp the 1-million-square-foot building at the corner of Broadway and 8th Street in an area zoned for condominiums, restaurants and retail stores.

Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates has moderated concerns voiced earlier by a police subordinate over developers' plans to convert the old May Co. building downtown into a garment-making center. On Tuesday, Gates rescinded several conditions that had been placed on the project last September by Central Division Capt. Jerry Conner.

Police Chief Daryl F. Gates has ordered an investigation into a letter, prepared by a subordinate officer, that Mayor Tom Bradley used to support his controversial veto of a plan to turn the historic, former May Co. building into a huge garment-making complex. The letter, sent a week ago by Central Area Capt.

After four hours of debate, the Los Angeles City Council on Friday failed to override Mayor Tom Bradley's veto of a plan to convert the old May Co. building into a huge garment plant--but agreed to let developers reapply for a permit to do so. The council's action drew mixed reactions from developers who are seeking a conditional-use permit for plans to place 7,000 garment workers and 600 businesses in the 1-million-square-foot building at Broadway and 8th Street.

Mayor Tom Bradley on Monday vetoed a proposal to turn the historic May Co. building into a huge garment-making center, warning that the development would "serve as a major, irreversible step toward changing the character" of downtown Los Angeles. The City Council, on a 10-5 vote last week, had granted an investor group's request for a conditional use permit to house 600 businesses and 7,000 workers in the building at Broadway and 8th Street, an area zoned for commercial and residential uses.

A downtown clothing factory that burst into flames Tuesday night quickly entered the fractious debate over the future of the city's aging garment district, with backers of a proposed manufacturing complex arguing that the fire demonstrates the need for their project.

A coalition of community activists on Thursday urged the City Council to override the mayor's veto of a proposal to convert the historic May Co. building into a colossal garment-making plant. The plea came at a news conference orchestrated by owners of the property--now called the Broadway Trade Center--and their lobbyist, former City Councilman Art Snyder, as a political pressure tactic in what has become a fractious issue at City Hall. The developers, who paid about $25.

To figure out why Los Angeles is such a sprawling mess, it's important to understand how someone like Arthur K. Snyder earns his living. I'm not saying that Snyder, a lawyer-lobbyist and former L.A. city councilman, is single-handedly responsible for the city's undisciplined hodgepodge--high-rises, manufacturing plants, freeways, apartments, giant shopping malls, mini-malls and condos interspersed with vast neighborhoods of single-family homes.

Police Chief Daryl F. Gates has ordered an investigation into a letter, prepared by a subordinate officer, that Mayor Tom Bradley used to support his controversial veto of a plan to turn the historic, former May Co. building into a huge garment-making complex. The letter, sent a week ago by Central Area Capt.

Mayor Tom Bradley on Monday vetoed a proposal to turn the historic May Co. building into a huge garment-making center, warning that the development would "serve as a major, irreversible step toward changing the character" of downtown Los Angeles. The City Council, on a 10-5 vote last week, had granted an investor group's request for a conditional use permit to house 600 businesses and 7,000 workers in the building at Broadway and 8th Street, an area zoned for commercial and residential uses.

Opening the door for the creation of a new garment district in downtown Los Angeles, the City Council on Tuesday approved a proposal to convert the historic May Co. building into an industrial complex for 600 businesses and 7,000 workers. In an acrimonious two-hour debate, the council also imposed conditions on the plan to revamp the 1-million-square-foot building at the corner of Broadway and 8th Street in an area zoned for condominiums, restaurants and retail stores.

A downtown clothing factory that burst into flames Tuesday night quickly entered the fractious debate over the future of the city's aging garment district, with backers of a proposed manufacturing complex arguing that the fire demonstrates the need for their project.

To figure out why Los Angeles is such a sprawling mess, it's important to understand how someone like Arthur K. Snyder earns his living. I'm not saying that Snyder, a lawyer-lobbyist and former L.A. city councilman, is single-handedly responsible for the city's undisciplined hodgepodge--high-rises, manufacturing plants, freeways, apartments, giant shopping malls, mini-malls and condos interspersed with vast neighborhoods of single-family homes.

A major development battle over the historic but decaying former May Co. building will determine whether a new garment center springs up in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. An investor group represented by former councilman and lobbyist Arthur K. Snyder is trying to persuade City Council members to allow 600 businesses and up to 7,000 garment workers in the 70-year-old building at the corner of Broadway and 8th Street.