LA TImes: Little Tokyo residents resent mental health facilty

(photo courtesy of LA Times)
By Cara Mia DiMassa, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 21, 2008

So when residents of Little Tokyo Lofts noticed a few months ago that a tenant would be moving into the long-vacant, ground-floor retail space of their building, they got excited and started wondering who it would be. A new restaurant or coffee shop? A dry cleaner?

Then they learned that the space was to be filled by a mental health service provider.

The new neighbor has met with protests from some loft dwellers, who argue that their neighborhood has more than enough social services centers aimed at the homeless population and that what they need is more stores and eateries.

"I know where we live," said resident Matthew Heller, who was the first person to buy a unit when the building went condo. "I know the homeless people, and some are friends with me. I understand the neighborhood. . . . I'm not saying not in my backyard. I am saying my backyard is already so full."

The battle over the 6,500-square-foot space in Little Tokyo Lofts underscores one of the biggest issues facing downtown's transformation into a fully functioning residential neighborhood.

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