The Reef: a South LA development that’s split the community

Downtown Los Angeles has experienced a renaissance over the last several years. High rises, luxury lofts and fancy restaurants abound. And now that building boom is spreading south.A mile from L.A. Live, right on the other side of the 10 Freeway, Washington Boulevard still looks untouched. But developers have a billion-dollar plan to transform the area. The Reef would turn what’s now two parking lots into a 10-acre complex with a pair of high-rise buildings boasting 1400 apartments and condos, a hotel, a grocery store, restaurants and public gardens. For some, this sounds like exciting progress. For others, it represents everything that’s wrong with development in L.A: rich people elbowing out everyone else.