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The new Ralphs Fresh Fare at 9th and Flower in Downtown LA’s South Park neighborhood will be opening July 20 of this year, according to CIM Group, developer of the Market Lofts above the Ralphs. We are all anxiously awaiting this July 20 opening, though others have had differing information regarding the opening date, sometimes word-of-mouth and others direct from Ralphs. Despite all of this, I think we can all agree that barring any labor problems, some day later this month will be the big day.

Though full of self-congratulatory BS, as quoted below (it’s a loft sales press release, after all), this is the event that thousands of Downtowners have been waiting for, as a pseudo-validation of the neighborhood and as a validation for the dozens of condescending “You live Downtown?? Downtown LA?” comments we all seem to get. I don’t know when that label was applied to this project, but it’s been tossed around by local media.

“We’re just days away from realizing all that this building brings to downtown LA,” says Donna Coulter, sales manager. “Market Lofts owners will begin moving into their lofts the first week in July, and will be able to immediately enjoy the luxury and convenience of a market just steps away plus restaurants and other activities within walking distance. As South Park’s first mixed-use building, Market Lofts is rapidly gaining recognition as the pillar of downtown’s new urbanization.”

Market Lofts isn’t the first mixed-use building in South Park, as Met Lofts and Elleven are already completed, but that’s a minor detail, I suppose. Whatever helps them sell more units, eh?

It’s a little far for me to travel all the time for groceries, but it will definitely be more convenient than the Wilshire/Western Ralphs or the Silver Lake Ralphs at Glendale/Fletcher.

-Talks stalled in grocery workers’ union talks