Eugene Gilligan Office vacancy rates dropped in Los Angeles County and Orange County in 2005, due to job growth comparable to the U.S. overall, and businesses deciding to rent space in anticipation of more hiring, said Delores Conway, director of the Casden Forecast and associate professor at USC's Marshall School of Business. Conway pointed to Orange County as a prime beneficiary of business' anticipating growth. New large mixed use projects planned for the area, such as the Grand Avenue Project and LA Live, are signs of renewed confidence in downtown, Conway said.
