Where's the green?

That's what downtown developers are asking. They've been shelling out millions of dollars in fees to help fund local parks, but there's not much to show for all that money. "We have seen no benefit whatsoever in terms of new green space that can serve the residents of Downtown," Carol Schatz, president of the Central City Association, told the Downtown News. "We have no idea where this money has gone." Developers of adaptive reuse, live-work projects are especially ticked because there’s a move afoot to eliminate the deep discount they had been receiving for several years. "Basically, we feel there's no difference in the impact on parks from a pure residential project and an adaptive reuse or a live-work project," said the Planning Department’s chief zoning administrator, Michael LoGrande. Here's more from next week's story – maybe you can figure out the various spins:

The assessments, known as Quimby fees, are paid by developers of residential projects citywide to help offset the density impacts of development. Charged on a per-unit basis and collected and administered by the Recreation and Parks Department, the funds must be used for park projects within two miles of where they are gathered. While the Quimby program is nothing new, the move to raise the fees for adaptive reuse, live-work projects in Downtown Los Angeles has ignited fresh criticism. Downtown, some say, despite being a hub for new construction, has seen little green in return for its contributions.

Also in next week's paper: updates on 157 downtown projects.