Posted on 08/05/2025
The City Council approved a report from the Economic Development and Jobs Committee regarding the Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project, a phased initiative aiming to begin construction in September 2025, complete certain components in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and finalize the remainder thereafter.
The report directed the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), with support from the City Attorney and Department of Cultural Affairs, to analyze the feasibility of using one percent of the Arts Development Fee to fund a standalone renovation of Gilbert Lindsay Plaza (GLP). This came as GLP was removed from the main project’s scope during value engineering to reduce costs, but still recognized as a vital community amenity.
Additionally, the report instructed the Bureau of Engineering, along with the CAO, City Tourism Department, and other relevant departments, to assess whether a city-led, standalone GLP renovation could run concurrently with the larger Convention Center expansion. This evaluation must cover projected costs, potential revenue or debt financing, and whether a phased development approach would work given GLP’s post‑2028 timing in the broader construction schedule.