Downtown Los Angeles - South Group; Elleven, Luma, Evo and Future Projects

[luckyeight]

The Building Buzz is “Brewing” in South Park
Starbucks Opening Confirms South’s Sweeping Popularity

LOS ANGELES – November 20, 2006 – What’s hot, continually fresh and brewing at a feverish pace? Los Angeles’ “South” development, one of downtown’s most popular new neighborhoods, and soon-to-be home to Starbucks.

Officially celebrating their opening on November 16, Starbucks will be the first tenant in the mixed-use development, and the first of South’s plethora of planned retail shops, services and entertainment options for residents. It will also be the first street-side Starbucks in downtown LA’s South Park neighborhood.

“We are delighted to continue our relationship with the downtown community with the opening of our new store location in the South Park neighborhood,” said Angie Weir, District Manager for Starbucks Coffee. “We look forward to providing the Starbucks Experience to the South development and building even stronger ties in the neighborhood through the creation of jobs, volunteer time and coffee donations.”

Starbucks will occupy 1,845 square feet, in the ground-floor retail space of Elleven – downtown’s first new ground-up residential building in over 20 years. Situated on the corner of 11th and Grand Avenue, Elleven is one of a trio of elegant new high-rise residential towers called “South” being developed by The South Group that include Luma (currently under construction and nearly sold out) and Evo (under construction and due for completion in early 2008).

Two doors down, work is underway on Salon Eleven, which will offer manicures, pedicures and hair styling in a chic “New York-style” setting. Owner and South Park resident Greg Stangl plans to open for business in December. “I totally believe in the success of this community,” he says. “Our design will capture the urban, hip style of South!”

Tom Cody, principal of The South Group, sees South Park quickly coming into its own. “From the beginning our goal was to build a community, not just buildings. With additional amenities like Starbucks, South’s high-density development, planned streetscape improvements and creation of open space, our ground-breaking vision of creating a genuine neighborhood is one step closer to realization.”

Of the transformation taking place, Los Angeles Councilwoman Jan Perry sees South, a neighborhood within South Park, as just the beginning of, “a great neighborhood in the making… Face it, coffee shops are the living rooms of our community, where people and their ideas intersect and that is what a city is all about.”

The South Group is creating an enticing 24-hour neighborhood where a distinctive combination of services and activities will encourage residents to stay close to home, interact with their neighbors and walk around to explore the area and its multitude of amenities. Cody says, “Our goal is for residents to have all they need to thrive within a short walk.”

A vibrant “streetscape” of sidewalk and pedestrian enhancements is also underway, to include wider sidewalks, traffic-calming curb extensions (creating a buffer between pedestrians and cars and decreasing the distance at crosswalks), lush shade trees, flowering plants and improved lighting. “Starbucks has a plan and an approach to retailing that embraces this with a very permeable storefront and sidewalk seating that will energize our neighborhood,” Cody added.

The first-of-their-kind street improvements will complement a number of other services and retail opportunities just steps away from South, including a new 50,000 square foot Ralphs Supermarket at 9th and Flower (opening in mid 2007), Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf coffee shop, Cold Stone Creamery, Quiznos Sub and The UPS Store. Anticipation is also growing for the nearby L.A. Live Sports and Entertainment district, adjacent to the Los Angeles Convention Center and STAPLES Center. (Even chef Wolfgang Puck sees things “cooking” downtown; a Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express recently opened in the heart of city on 6th Street.)

When complete, the South Park neighborhood will be a destination in itself, as well as one of the most desired residential addresses in the city.

[franman23]

Below is a link which shows what the future streetscape is going to look like at the South buildings. They are expected to start the streetscape work on the Grand Avenue side in January.

http://www.elleven-south.com/streetscape/

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Very Nice. Landscaping makes all the difference in the world. i wish the city and the South Park developers would come together and hash out a plan for the whole area, from LA Live down to the Herald Examinar Building area and to the west and east as well, with similar trashcans, landscaping and a theme that they can build on.

[Lumagirl]

anyone attending the Luma Party on the 15th of Feb?

[danparker276]

When's the pool gonna be ready?

[megatron]

I am under the impression it will be ready in June nicely coinciding with the Ralphs opening. Should be a nice summer.

[logandankr]

Has anyone been contacted about parking, yet?


I am under the impression it will be ready in June nicely coinciding with the Ralphs opening. Should be a nice summer.
The sales office said the 4th floor will move as soon as the pool deck is completed, and as of now they're looking at a move-in order of flr 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 4. With that being said, since it takes a couple weeks to move in each floor, I wouldn't imagine It'll be done until the end of summer. I'm guessing Sept1.


anyone attending the Luma Party on the 15th of Feb?
I'll be there :dancing:

[Lumagirl]

I'm so excited! i can't wait to move in..hehe:) .I can't wait to get more updates from Lumonian.Is there a storage in the parking space??

[logandankr]

I'm so excited! i can't wait to move in..hehe:) .I can't wait to get more updates from Lumonian.Is there a storage in the parking space??

No...you have to pay a bunch extra for a space with an attached storage closet (I think I remember it starting at 30k+).

Yeah can't wait to move it. The building's looking really nice, not as stout as Elleven.

Luma07 what happened to you? And katfam, how's living in Elleven? Does it seem like most of the units are occupied? Any rumors on downstairs retail? How's starbucks doing? Have they started on streetscape?

[megatron]

how's living in Elleven? Does it seem like most of the units are occupied? Any rumors on downstairs retail? How's starbucks doing? Have they started on streetscape?

I know Starbucks is doing great - there is a line every morning and they have extended their hours from what they originally opened with. This is in addition to all of the reports and press releases stating how well its doing.

I have not noticed any streetscaping in progress, it was to begin this week - though it might just not be in my daily view. This is what I am most excited to see.

I love the way Luma is looking, its been fantastic to watch it being built (we were here April of last year when it was just starting to pour the terrace). As for the retail: SPA11 is being built out still and many months ago the middle space (on 11TH between SPA11 and Starbucks) was rumored to be the new South Sales Center for the new towers - we shall see.

The building, though almost everyone (if not everyone) has closed escrow, I hear that about 30 units are still not occupied. In regards to the storage units, I have to say that I would purchase another (or a larger one) if I could. Due to the cost, we chose to purchase the storage unit over purchasing non-tandem spaces and that was the best decision ever. Ours is packed, I have no idea what we would do with all the stuff we just do not want to see on a daily basis. It adds so much to the functionality of a home as there is not much storage available in the units themselves.

[Luma07]

Hey Guys...
I'll tell you what happened to me...DTLA living happened to me! I"m out and about most nights and don't have much time left to do anything else. There is so much to do DT....it seems that there's something new popping up every week.

I'm planning on attending the LUMA party on the 15th...so I'll see you there Lumagirl and logandankr! I'm really excited about moving in! :D

I called the Sales office and asked about parking and storage and found out the following:

1) They are setting appointments with everyone for parking assignment. They are starting with the largest units first and will move on down the line. So expect to hear from Dominique sometime in the next few weeks to settle your parking assignment.

2) They anticipate to have a couple of extra parking spaces....those will be somewhere between $50K to $80K. (!)

3) They do have storage space available. There are 18 storage units, 80 sq. ft in size, are attached to a parking spot and are going for $24K. I'm assuming that if you buy a storage unit, then the attached parking spot becomes your spot---it is not an extra parking space. Call the sales office to put your name on the list if you are interested.

:) L07

[Luma07]

[QUOTE=logandankr;2591472]
The sales office said the 4th floor will move as soon as the pool deck is completed, and as of now they're looking at a move-in order of flr 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 4. With that being said, since it takes a couple weeks to move in each floor, I wouldn't imagine It'll be done until the end of summer. I'm guessing Sept1.


Wow...I thought I was going to be one of the first to move in since I'm on the 4th floor. You really think maybe a Sept 1 move-in? Looks like I'll have time to do some "spring cleaning" before I move.

L07

[katfam]

[QUOTE=logandankr;2591472]



Wow...I thought I was going to be one of the first to move in since I'm on the 4th floor. You really think maybe a Sept 1 move-in? Looks like I'll have time to do some "spring cleaning" before I move.

L07

They did the same thing with Elleven. The poor people on the 4th floor had to wait about 2 months to move in. The 4th floor units aren't even drywalled yet unlike floor's 5-9 which are. Sorry L07, we won't start the party without you though:cheers:

[logandankr]

3) They do have storage space available. There are 18 storage units, 80 sq. ft in size, are attached to a parking spot and are going for $24K. I'm assuming that if you buy a storage unit, then the attached parking spot becomes your spot---it is not an extra parking space. Call the sales office to put your name on the list if you are interested.

Hmm just called the sales office and they said all the storage spaces are already sold (thanks for the advice, megtron ;) )


Glad to see the South thread fired up again (was dormant for too long), and looking forward too seeing you all at JLouge on the 15th. I'll be walking around asking randoms "are you luma07?" "are you lumagirl?" :dunce:

[Luma07]

Hmm just called the sales office and they said all the storage spaces are already sold (thanks for the advice, megtron ;)
Hope you didn't do what I did the first time I called the sales office to ask about storage: talked to Pam and she said there was no storage. In fact, Pam told me they had gotten rid of storage to make way for extra parking.

I asked to talk to Dominique (in charge of parking assignment and storage) and she confirmed that there were 18 storage space and pricing info. She also mentioned that not many people were on the list for storage.

I guess it's up to you who you believe if they all have different stories at the sales office. Dominique sounded like she knew what she was talking about.

L07

[logandankr]

^ yeah i don't know who i was talking to, but she didn't really sound like she knew what she was talking about. I'll have to try and get ahold of Dominique. Thanks.

[Lumagirl]

These are the available units at Luma; 11 ,1bed/1bath- 9, 2bed/2bath and 2 penthouse left.I heard E Brand from Clipper placed a deposit for one of the penthouse.We have Luc Robitaille from LA King in Luma's penthouseTower.We got great mix of neighbors!

[Lumagirl]

any ideas where i can purchase a flex wall besides the upgraded option from the sales office.

[Ed LA]

Slidingdoorla.com should be pretty reasonable. Will cost you less than half their quote.

[Lumagirl]

Thank you very much!

[Ed LA]

Oops. It's actually slidingdoorco.com.

[funhaus]

any ideas where i can purchase a flex wall besides the upgraded option from the sales office.

You can also work directly with Constructavision - they were the ones the South Group contracted the flex-walls to with Elleven (and I'm assuming Luma as well). Same quality but minus the South Group markup, plus they can make custom modifications if working directly with you.

http://www.constructavision.com/

[LongBeachUrbanist]

Slightly off-topic, but I was downtown today, and saw event parking across the street from Staples Ctr going for $50. Several other lots in the neighborhood were charging $30. Those are SF/NY parking prices. The way I see it, it won't be long before the area will be transit-only for the vast majority of people.

Only one reason I bring it up here. I can easily imagine the price of parking spaces continuing upward. So if people are buying a unit in the area and think they will every want a parking space, they should strongly consider buying it now. Otherwise, it may soon be too late.

[citywatch]

Slightly off-topic, but I was downtown today, and saw event parking across the street from Staples Ctr going for $50. Several other lots in the neighborhood were charging $30. Those are SF/NY parking prices.
If revenue from parking is becoming that lucrative, I hope it encourages the owners of alot of the scroungy warehse bldgs around there to consider tearing them down & replacing them with parking lots. I don't like parking lots either, but on a pecking order from bad to worse, I'd prefer cleared off land----at least for an intermediate period----to some of the blight that's still around Staples, the SBC bldg, the City lights apt bldg, & the South Gr condo towers.

[Luma07]

I am one of those unlucky LUMA people with 2 cars and one parking space. I've been looking into monthly parking around LUMA and can't find anything.
There is plenty of "monthly parking-during business hours" but nothing for overnight parking. Where are elleven people parking (besides street parking)? Is there some secret parking lot I don't know about?

Help!:(
L07

[RAlossi]

^ I have a similar question -- but on the opposite end of DTLA. Moving into Mozaic March 1, and I need to find overnight guest parking in the area. Dunno of any yet. I'd like to think most of my guests would get there via subway, but you know how that goes...

[luckyeight]

I am one of those unlucky LUMA people with 2 cars and one parking space. I've been looking into monthly parking around LUMA and can't find anything.
There is plenty of "monthly parking-during business hours" but nothing for overnight parking. Where are elleven people parking (besides street parking)? Is there some secret parking lot I don't know about?

Help!:(
L07

enlcosed parking lot on flower street across from the gas loft is about $100 a month with gate opener.


:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[Lumagirl]

Wow,this is going to be a problem for me.I'm going to have friends spending the night,but how??...oh boy! Hopefully i'll get to know my neighbors and they can let me use their spot when its available,vice versa.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

I think this is important to all who live or have an interest in downtown LA, since homelessness is still the most pressing issue in economic development. This offers hope and some kind assurance that this issue is being addressed by legislators and that we may finally be able to clean up Downtown LA some day soon.


---------


Law would bar dumping patients on the street
Officials say 55 alleged cases on skid row are being investigated. A police crackdown starts.
By Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein
Times Staff Writers

February 22, 2007

State and local officials will unveil proposed legislation today making it a crime to dump hospital patients on the streets, part of a new push by authorities who are investigating 55 cases of alleged dumping on L.A.'s skid row alone.

The move comes after a string of such incidents — including one involving a paraplegic man wearing a colostomy bag who was left in a skid row gutter — generated widespread outrage.

Authorities have struggled to build cases against those accused of doing the dumping, in part because there is no state law that expressly prohibits leaving patients on the streets.

The Los Angeles city attorney has filed criminal charges against just one hospital, Kaiser Permanente, saying the dumping of a homeless woman on skid row in 2006 amounted to false imprisonment. That legal strategy, however, has never been tested in court, and some legal experts question whether it will hold up.

The new legislation comes as authorities are stepping up their crackdown on dumping.

The Los Angeles Police Department put hospitals on notice Wednesday that officers would immediately arrest anyone they saw dumping patients on skid row, using the false imprisonment charge. The LAPD also plans to assign extra officers to look for evidence of dumping.

"Enough is enough," Capt. Andy Smith said. "We are going to book these guys."

At the same time, federal authorities said they are investigating two L.A. hospitals suspected of dumping the homeless.

Michelle Griffin, branch manager for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said investigators were trying to determine whether the hospitals — which she would not name — violated the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act and Medicare Conditions of Participation. Those statutes deal with the way hospitals treat and discharge patients.

If a hospital is found to be in violation of the act, it could be subject to discipline and civil penalties, possibly putting its accreditation and Medicare funding at risk, Griffin said.

"We take these allegations very seriously," she added.

The push to criminalize dumping comes amid a two-year campaign by city officials to halt the practice by hospitals, as well as by some outside law enforcement agencies that have reportedly driven criminals to skid row after they were released from custody.

Los Angeles is in the midst of an aggressive effort to clean up skid row, which has the largest concentration of homeless people in the Western United States. The campaign — which involved adding 50 police officers who over the last few months have made hundreds of arrests — comes as downtown is seeing a boom in luxury condo and apartment development.

The new legislation, by state Sen. Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), would make it a misdemeanor for any hospital facility or worker to transport patients anywhere other than their residences without their informed consent.

Individual offenders could be punished by up to two years in County Jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. Healthcare facilities that violate the law could be slapped with penalties of up to $10,000.

Jennifer Bayer, public affairs director for the Hospital Assn. of Southern California, said Wednesday that her group was concerned about any legislation that would criminalize or impose legislation on hospitals beyond their role of providing "acute medical care."

"The problem goes back to the lack of social services for homeless and indigent patients who end up in hospitals," she said. "We are already spending $2 billion in uncompensated care providing medical treatment for indigent patients. Imposing fines or arresting people is not productive."

Cedillo says his bill doesn't ask hospitals to address housing issues but is designed to stop them from contributing to the homelessness problem by failing to plan for discharging patients.

City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo said the proposed legislation would make prosecuting hospitals much easier for his office. He noted that the office built a case against Kaiser using the false imprisonment charge — and a second count of adult-care endangerment — but acknowledged it was a "creative" use of the law.

"We believe we are providing clarity in the law, and clarity in law is power to a prosecutor," he said. "Dumping a paraplegic man in the gutter of skid row without any ambulatory device in no more than a hospital gown demonstrates no shade of gray."

He was referring to the case of a 54-year-old man in a soiled hospital gown, his colostomy bag still attached, who was found two weeks ago crawling in the gutter after being dropped off in front of a park on skid row, far from services for the homeless.

Police say that as onlookers demanded help for the man, the driver of the van for Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center applied makeup and perfume, before speeding off. The hospital said it is investigating the circumstances of the case but acknowledged that it didn't follow its own release policies.

Laurie Levenson, a Loyola Law School professor, said Cedillo's proposed legislation provides "a better fit for prosecution" than existing false imprisonment laws, because it's more specific.

But she also warned that such a law would be open to legal challenges — and might be hard to enforce. "It is not a magic bullet, but it gives some appearance of action," she said.

Bayer of the hospital association said officials can't solve a vexing problem such as homeless patients with a law.

"There are no easy answers," she said. "It's such a complex issue that everyone must work to solve."

The Kaiser case involved a 63-year-old patient who was discharged early last year from Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower medical center. A short time later, video at a downtown mission captured her stepping out of a taxi in gown and socks and then wandering aimlessly down San Pedro Street.

Kaiser has denied any wrongdoing, saying the woman was discharged by mistake. The hospital has also said it has since revamped release policies.

Meanwhile, the LAPD was investigating a report of another possible dumping case, involving a 53-year-old man who was found about 6 a.m. Wednesday wandering in circles at 4th and San Pedro streets. He was dressed in bedroom slippers, a tattered sweater and a hospital gown.

Police concluded, however, that the man wasn't dumped but rather walked out of a hospital on his own and trekked nearly four miles to downtown.

*


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
richard.winton@latimes.com

andrew.blankstein@latimes.com

[danparker276]

Oh I thought Eleven had guest parking. My friend just moved in there. So no overnight parking suggestions?

[funhaus]

Oh I thought Eleven had guest parking. My friend just moved in there. So no overnight parking suggestions?

Sadly, parking is still a premium in the South Park area, and overnight parking moreso. Of all the developments in this part of downtown, I think only MetLofts has accounted for guest parking in their development. As a rental building looking to entice potential lessees to come downtown, guest parking may have factored in more heavily than in the condo market.

Street parking is an option, but only realistic on non-game nights. And feeding the meter at 8am in the morning is not always the most enjoyable way to start the day.

This is going to be an increasingly more difficult problem in the area. I'd love to see parking structures built that provide for monthly passes, but ultimately the event parking model is likely too profitable for lot owners to embrace that kind of option.

The city could also allocate a percentage of street parking to require resident tags past a certain hour similar to other neighborhoods in LA, but I don't think that would be feasible until sizeable event-oriented parking (such as LA Live's underground parking) comes online.

[LongBeachUrbanist]

And feeding the meter at 8am in the morning is not always the most enjoyable way to start the day.

At 8am I'm starting work. Life is tough. :cheers:

Street parking is never going to be viable for Downtown L.A. residents. The area is becoming too dense to justify that. Monthly parking in structures is the only solution, IMO.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Structures must include ground floor retail space like they do in Old Town Pasadena and Downtown Santa Monica AND Downtown Portland. Plus, I would even add that they should be built with some consideration for aesthetics like they do in Old Town Pasadena. But its safe to say that most likely a bunch of concrete boxes with holes in it will start popping up (like at the Grove), and that's just sad.

[dragonsky]

Downtown Would Be 'Center' of Olympics

L.A. Live, Grand Avenue Touted in 2016 Bid for Summer Games

by Kathryn Maese

If Los Angeles is selected to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, Downtown would play a central role in the games, with two official city gathering places held at the planned Grand Avenue project and L.A. Live.
From left: Barry Sanders, chairman of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games; Olympian John Naber, committee vice president; and Casey Wasserman, committee vice chair and owner of Arena Football League's L.A. Avengers. Photo by Gary Leonard.

According to officials from the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games, which last week made the bid to become the U.S. candidate, Downtown L.A.'s revitalization figured prominently in the pitch to sell the city as a destination.

During a Town Hall Los Angeles forum in Little Tokyo last Tuesday, bid committee chair Barry Sanders said that for the first time in the Olympics, there would be two festival locations: The $2.5 billion Grand Avenue project, whose first phase is set to open in 2011 and would host the daytime gathering near City Hall; and the L.A. Live sports and entertainment district around Staples Center, which will have completed all three phases by 2010 and would hold the nightly festivities.

"It will make Downtown the center of attention for the Olympics," Sanders said. "This city was reputed to have no Downtown. Well, that was never really true. But we'll make it clear to the world that it certainly is not true as Downtown flourishes and comes into its own, pretty well timed to the Olympic Games by about 2014. The Olympics will be a celebration, a kind of debut for the new Downtown."

Last Thursday and Friday, Sanders and other city officials showed members of the U.S. Olympic Committee several key venues as part of a citywide tour, including a stop at the Staples Center arena. In addition, the newly constructed Galen Center and the Memorial Coliseum would serve as major sites for the Games. The latter would undergo a $112 million revamp that would add sun shades and expand its seating capacity.

Los Angeles is facing competition from one other U.S. city, Chicago, which will make its bid this week. The USOC will then submit a candidate to the International Olympic Committee, which will pick a host city in 2009. Other major cities vying for the Olympics include Milan, Rome, Madrid and Tokyo.
*

Despite the fact that Los Angeles is making a bid for its third Olympics - the prior Games were in 1932 and 1984 - committee officials argued during the Town Hall Los Angeles forum that the city has all the infrastructure in place, with only one venue that needs to be built, and would generate a surplus from the event.

"This is a new L.A.," said Casey Wasserman, committee vice chair and owner of Arena Football League's L.A. Avengers. "Not the L.A. of 1984. We have a lot of building Downtown: L.A. Live, Grand Avenue, the residential community, a supermarket and all the other stuff that exists Downtown. And by the way all over the city we have public transportation and rail systems. This is a new and different L.A."

[dragonsky]

Dolls Gone Wild

The Grand Avenue Project's Got Nothing on Shopping Mall Roller Derby

by Howard Leff

They ought to put me in charge of the Downtown Department of Making Downtown Cool. I'm a forward thinker with fresh ideas. Breakfast cereals in a cup? That was me. Why is this important? History shows that communities will curl up and die without a steady influx of happening young people. Just look at Arcadia.

As you know, two mega Downtown attractions are on the way. But honestly, I'm concerned about their "hip" factor.

L.A. Live: This one will feature bars, concert theaters and other places Britney Spears should avoid. The whole thing's bigger than my current career crisis. Unfortunately, lots of entertainment monoliths have similar amenities, including Hollywood & Highland and look at what a carnival that place turned out to be.

I want this South Park behemoth to succeed as much as the next billionaire developer, but honestly, smarter bloggers than me have already deemed this a disappointment due to the fact that it'll never live up to its reputation as Times Square West.

Grand Avenue Project: Yawn. Let me guess, more high-end retail. By the time they finish this thing, we'll be downloading Borat 6: Revenge of Kazakhstan on our iPhone nanos. At least the Grand Avenue project will also include L.A.'s new Central Park. Or as I like to call it, Central Park West. Or the Champs Elysees Southeast. But the whole park scenario's still years away, and even longer if they encounter problems building the monkey bars.

Will this place ever get built? And if so, what will Mayor Beckham wear to the opening? Either way, I hope smaller, subtler and less corporate hotspots can still survive in the massive shadows of these two.
*

Fortunately, on a recent Saturday night, I stumbled upon the very essence of hip/quirky Downtown on the top floor of the rather low-key Little Tokyo Shopping Center. That's right. Past the store that sells soup tureens. Up the escalator from the herbs and wellness place.

Still can't find it? You know you're getting closer when you hear the punk band. By then, you should see more and more people wearing black. Tattoos. Some piercings. Security guards pointing out that if you take another step closer, you'll have to sign a waiver. A waiver indemnifying the owners of this otherwise unassuming shopping center from lawsuits in the event a groovy chick on roller skates comes crashing onto your lap and knocks your front teeth out. Or worse.

You weigh the odds, sign the waiver, move through the noisy crowd and catch your first glimpse of where the magic happens. A makeshift roller rink where women on wheels are suddenly and gracefully whizzing by you at speeds you don't normally encounter on the top floor of a shopping mall. Or any other floor. You're now inches from these girls and you can see in their eyes they take no nonsense.

Roller derby.

On a little square sheet of paper near the rink is a handwritten sign that gives you pause: "Every section is the nosebleed section." You're just sort of standing there, drinking a taller than average beer, when out of nowhere come the cheerleaders. These gals have black pompoms, knee-high boots and fishnet stockings. Just two minutes ago, you were downstairs at the flower shop. The store that sells spoons and salt shakers. Herbs and wellness. Now this.

"Ladies and gentlemen, introducing your Los Angeles Derby Dolls."

It's Grease meets Marilyn Manson. "Happy Days" with a dash of Rocky Horror. One of the women on this team is named Jihad. Another goes by Kammi Kazzi. There's Puncherello and Broadzilla. Tonight it's the Dolls versus the Lonestar Rollergirls out of Austin, Tex. Their captain?

Cherry Chainsaw.

The pre-bout skatearound's underway, the music's turned way up and you realize this is a lot more fun than watching batting practice. The house lights dim and suddenly there's a light show as the starting line-ups are announced.

Game time! A tad chaotic, yes, but all you need to know about the rules are blockers and jammers. The blockers start first. Three or four from each team. Those girls skate off in a pack. A moment later, one jammer from each team follows. The jammers need to plow their way through the blockers. You won't find this on Grand Avenue.

Scoring starts when the jammers lap the blockers and go through the pack for a second time. One point for each blocker passed. When other athletes do this, they wear helmets and shoulder pads, not cute tops and shiny silver shorts. It's not for the squeamish. The skaters routinely take hard, nasty falls while clawing their way around other women trying desperately to get in their way.

It's like the ladies room after a Courtney Love concert.

A few minutes into the match, I watched nervously as Jihad's head scraped the bottom of the rail before she literally disappeared over the far side of the track. They took her away on a stretcher. I'm told she reappeared during the after-party. A Lonestar Rollergirl also needed medical attention before the evening was over. Everyone feels the pain.

I nearly called my therapist.

Still, a perfect night. Just the kind of crazy, frenetic thing we need to keep this place energized. Mega malls and Derby Dolls. Downtown Los Angeles needs both.

[dragonsky]

Edit

[funhaus]

Snapped some pictures of the LA Marathon as seen on 11th, passing Luma and Elleven...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1249.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1261.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1259.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1054.jpg

..and the future site of the glass tower (Note the Reserve lofts and Eastern Columbia beyond).

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1049.jpg

[LongBeachUrbanist]

:apple: :banana: :banana: :apple:

Finally, my prediction is coming true: the profit-motive is going to be the driver for cleaning up the streets of South Park.

From Los Angeles Business Journal, 5 March 2007:

Developer to Spend Millions Upgrading City Sidewalks
REAL ESTATE: South Group pays for downtown work city won’t do.

By DANIEL MILLER
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

The city of Los Angeles has for years required developers to make essential sidewalk, street and other right-of-way improvements to receive approvals for their projects.

But now, a downtown developer is voluntarily going a step further and setting a new benchmark for privately funded upgrades on public right of ways – a move that could ultimately raise the bar for city-mandated improvements.

South Group, a Portland, Ore.-based partnership, is about to begin $2 million worth of streetscape improvements on Grand Avenue and 11th and Hope streets outside of three of its condominium towers, one occupied and two under construction.

The upgrades, designed by the Los Angeles firm Ah’bé Landscape Architects, include an extra-wide sidewalk featuring a double row of shady Tipuana tipu trees and matching street lamps, benches and trash cans.

“The private sector has made a decision. If they had to wait for City Hall to upgrade it would never happen in time to attract the type of clientele they want to attract,” said Larry Kosmont, president of Kosmont Cos., an Encino-based real estate and economic development firm.

Having developers fund public improvements – such as expanding roadways to handle expected congestion from new residential, office or commercial developments – has been common in cash-strapped California cities since 1979 when the passage of Proposition 13 cut property tax revenues.

However, developers often seek to limit what work they have to do in order to cut costs, and what they are required to fund is only the most essential work. Indeed, as part of the approval process for condominium projects downtown, the city is requiring developers to redo sidewalks and plant some trees.

But with developers investing hundreds of millions of dollars in condominium towers, a chasm is developing between the upscale developments and the bare bones streetscapes at their base – something that could devalue the projects.

That has prompted South Group to make the additional improvements – hoping it becomes a requirement for other developers. Pending final engineering approvals, work will begin in a few weeks and take about three months to complete.

“Our hope was that this was a pilot project and I would hope the city takes this and says, ‘How do we create a master plan with these design elements?’” said Jim Atkins, a principal of the South Group, a joint venture of Williams & Dame Development Inc. and Gerding/Edlen Development Co., two Portland-based developers.

Design standards

Indeed, the work being done around South Group’s condominium towers is being observed by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency and the Planning Department, as they put together a set of guidelines that would guide developers in their city-mandated improvements of the public right of way.

The new guidelines have to be approved by the Planning Commission and City Council and are slated to be ready for implementation by the summer. “We are trying to come out with a set of design guidelines that go over and above basic standard requirements,” said Karen Yamamoto, CRA senior planner in the downtown region.

[bobcat]

This story from CArealestatejournal.com gives a little more background info:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rethinking Grand Avenue Streetscape
Developer ditching road-widening plan in favor of walkable area causes problems with condo designs

By JULIE NAKASHIMA
CREJ Staff Writer
As downtown Los Angeles' reputation for rolling up the sidewalks at night continues to fade, a streetscape plan that prioritizes the pedestrian is about to begin construction in the southwestern neighborhood of South Park.
The South Park Streetscape master plan and the related landscape design for Elleven, Evo and Luma, a development of three residential towers rising on the block bounded by S. Grand Avenue, S. Hope, 11th and 12th streets, was designed by Culver City-based ah'be' landscape architects. The project represents one of the first, if not the first time that a planned street widening in the city of Los Angeles has been forestalled, according to ah'be' principal Calvin Abe.
"That was a major win for the development team," Abe said. "They still had to dedicate that right-of-way, but they were able to stop the construction of the street widening."
The South Group, a partnership between Williams & Dame and Gerding/Edlen Development, is the developer. As one of the project's conditions, Abe noted, the developer was required to widen Grand Avenue by adding another lane.
"The development team went ahead and did the engineering drawings," Abe said.
And the first building, Elleven, was built based on this widened street. But toward the middle of construction on Elleven, he said, the developer questioned the wisdom of widening the street when the intent is to create a walkable neighborhood.
"First of all, Grand is so wide," Abe observed. "Why do we need another lane?"
The development team, which also includes the architecture firm Ankrom Moisan, approached Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry with the idea of not widening the streets surrounding the development site in order to create a vibrant sidewalk and a livelier street scene. Perry, who represents the Ninth District, pushed for a moratorium on widening along Grand Avenue and also got the sidewalk superintendents - the city's public works department - on board.
When she sees an opportunity to create a more pedestrian-oriented environment, Perry said, she takes it.
"If that means I need to oppose a street widening, then that's what I do," Perry said. "We have an opportunity to create some landscaped environments that we haven't had here before. There's not a one-size-fits-all approach, or one tool in our arsenal to create better walking environments."
Abe said an early master plan included a nonwidened Grand Avenue, resulting in a 22- to 24-foot-wide sidewalk. The extra width allowed a double planting of trees to further the "greening" of South Park, he noted, as well as benches, pedestrian lighting, trash receptacles and other elements that help create a pedestrian scale.
But it also created a technical problem involving drainage, because most city sidewalks slope 2 percent from the building face to the curb. The first building's ground floor was set on the assumption the street would be widened. Because that widening did not occur, the curb ended up being slightly higher and the 2 percent sloping could not be achieved.
The solution was to create a landscaped median right down the center, which serves as a biofiltration system for the sidewalk water runoff. Meanwhile, along Hope Street, a biological filtration system will divert street runoff as well as stormwater into landscaped parkways before it goes into the storm drain system. Any pollutants that come off the street will be filtered through this parkway located in the city right-of-way, which Abe said "isn't typical" for Los Angeles.
"Doing something that's never been done in L.A. is not easy, especially for public work," Abe said. "With a lot of help and political support from the council's office, we're able to do what I would call a pilot project along Hope Street."
Other pedestrian-friendly elements are corner "bump outs" - curb extensions that shorten the length of the crosswalks.
South Park is a historically industrial area of downtown that is undergoing a conversion to more residential uses. While the streetscape master plan and landscape design involve the same client, South Group, the former has to account for the design as a public right-of-way.
According to Abe, the streetscape master plan was anticipated to begin construction in mid-February, pending final approval. He said the developers hope to finish it before residents begin moving into the nearly completed Luma. Evo is being framed, while Elleven already has been occupied.
Abe said South Group funded a public urban design study that posed the question of how to create a neighborhood and spaces that can tie the various developers in the area together.
"The intent of the developer was, why don't we do something that is much more pedestrian- and neighborhood building-oriented, and let's see if we can encourage other developments in the area to follow their footsteps," Abe said.
Traffic engineers tend to think wider streets are just the ticket to accommodate an ever-increasing amount of vehicles, hence their penchant for freeway-sized boulevards. Yet Perry said she hadn't heard of any opposition to the street-widening moratorium, which has since expired.
For years, many planners and elected officials in Los Angeles, including Perry, have argued and articulated a desire to make the streets more pedestrian-friendly while keeping in mind the need to keep traffic moving. Perry believes most people enjoy being in an urban environment, and appreciate the possibilities for sidewalk dining, socializing, etc., that expansive sidewalks bring.
"That's not going to happen if we have a street that's wide enough to fit an Airbus," she said.

[danparker276]

I heard the pool is supposed to be ready by July 4th.

[funhaus]

^ That's great news, thanks for relaying the information!

Even if it slips day or two, as long as we can get a decent window of poolside BBQ'ing this summer I'm happy.

[funhaus]

For current Elleven and future Luma residents who may not have seen this, citywatch posted this LA Times article (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=2675529&postcount=1364) featuring a couple's penthouse space in Elleven.

[Spydey]

Not sure if this is the right thread so feel free to move the post if it isn't but...

What are people's thoughts on the Roosevelt Lofts? Anyone know if they have any more units available? I was looking at them last fall and remember hearing that they should be ready for move-in around this time.

And just a question in general...how plausible is it to find a 2 bedroom apartment in downtown LA for the 600s ??

Thank you in advance!

[Lumagirl]

Any recommedation on interior decorating or websites on furnishing the loft??

[ocman]

Snapped some pictures of the LA Marathon as seen on 11th, passing Luma and Elleven...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1249.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1261.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1259.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1054.jpg

..and the future site of the glass tower (Note the Reserve lofts and Eastern Columbia beyond).

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1049.jpg



Next time, snap some cute guys!

[KarLarRec1]

^ did you skip over the guy in the second photo?

[dragonsky]

City plans to float deal on downtown air rights
Officials hope to sell 9 million square feet over Convention Center, allowing denser development and raising funds for parks, affordable housing.
By Cara Mia DiMassa and Sharon Bernstein, Times Staff Writers
March 14, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-03/28401043.jpg

Los Angeles city officials said Tuesday that they plan to sell 9 million square feet of unused "air rights" above the Convention Center to developers — who could add the vertical space to build housing projects elsewhere in downtown L.A. that exceed current city growth limits.

The move opens up downtown to larger and denser development at a time of growing debate across the region about overdevelopment and traffic congestion.

The developable space above the Convention Center is large enough to build the equivalent of seven 73-story U.S. Bank buildings, and city leaders expect the program to spark a new boom in residential development.

City officials said developers who buy the rights could significantly expand projects beyond what Los Angeles' zoning allows.

The city intends to sell the air rights for about $20 a square foot — which could be a bargain for developers who would have to spend many times more to buy the equivalent amount of land.

The new program was unveiled Tuesday by Los Angeles leaders and downtown developers who hailed it as a major step in giving downtown the dense urban atmosphere of cities such as New York, Chicago and Vancouver.

But the air rights sale was met with concern from some community activists who worried it could further clog the region's roads and strain other services.

"We haven't really created any more space. That's a fiction," said Robert Scott, past president of the Los Angeles Planning Commission and chairman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. "And we don't have the infrastructure to accommodate it just because somebody came up with a mathematical formula to create floor space."

At the heart of the plan, quietly approved by the City Council last week, is the space above the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Although the center is only a few stories tall, the land is zoned for high-rise development.

The city plans to sell the space above it to developers, who could take the square footage and add it to their own downtown developments.

Money collected from the air rights sale — estimated to be about $200 million — would go into a special trust that would be disbursed by a special community commission for certain new projects downtown, such as affordable housing and park construction.

In most of downtown, zoning rules allow high-rise developers six square feet of building for every square foot of the total lot. If developers buy air rights, they are allowed up to 13 square feet of building for every square foot of total lot.

Carol Schatz, president of the Central City Assn., said she considers the air rights ordinance the biggest step by the city to encourage downtown residential development since the late 1990s, when the passage of Los Angeles' "adaptive reuse" ordinance allowed developers to convert office buildings into housing.

"We want to see that skyline change," she said.

After decades of decline, downtown Los Angeles has seen a major rebirth in recent years fueled by an increase in high-rise condos and luxury lofts. Several towers are rising around Staples Center, while work is to begin on two Frank Gehry-designed condo towers next to his Walt Disney Concert Hall later this year.

Backers say that the added density from the air rights sale won't affect traffic because the new downtown dwellers can use the area's transit system, including subways and buses. But a recent survey showed that the vast majority of downtown's estimated 30,000 residents "rarely or never" use public transportation.

Critics also questioned whether the city was getting enough out of the deal, charging that it was underestimating the sale price for the Convention Center air rights.

The transfer of air rights is a tool that long has been used by cities to allow the preservation of old buildings while simultaneously encouraging new high-density development.

But the city of Los Angeles has never before attempted to use its own air rights to help spark more residential development — let alone on such a massive scale.

n New York City, the sale of air rights above historic buildings, including its old theaters and Grand Central Station, was largely responsible for those buildings' preservation. The air rights over Grand Central Station were at the heart of a seminal 1978 U.S. Supreme Court decision. The court ruled that because the city granted the owner of the historic train station the ability to sell air rights, it could designate the building a landmark and limit future building on or above the site without denying its owner certain economic rights.

In Los Angeles in the late 1980s, the city granted developer Rob Maguire the right to build the Library Tower (now the U.S. Bank building) to a then-unheard of height of 73 stories by selling air rights to the old, fire-damaged Central Library. Maguire paid $51 million for air rights from the library to build two new towers nearby. That money was used to renovate the library.

The money collected by developers would have to be spent within 1.5 miles of the original project, said Councilwoman Jan Perry, who represents most of downtown. She called the ordinance's adoption "a major win-win for downtown and the neighborhoods that surround it."

In the case of the Convention Center, the developers did not use up their entire ratio, and it is the excess square footage that is being sold off.

If the new ordinance is used by developers to the extent that city officials predicted Tuesday, it would represent another signal that there is a growing confidence in the downtown real estate market.

Still, some real estate analysts questioned whether the city was charging enough for the Convention Center air rights.

"Nine million square feet sold for $200 million is not a real high price," said Richard Little, director of the Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at USC.

Most likely, he said, the development would increase congestion downtown. But, he said, that might be a trade-off the city is willing to make in exchange for more housing downtown. "If the city is serious about making the transition from spread-out L.A. to a more core-oriented city, then you do need pockets of density," Little said.

Urban areas, Little said, can absorb certain increases in congestion, particularly when the higher density is phased in over time, as this probably will be. The key, he said, is improving public transportation before the area is built out.

"When this is all built, if everybody is going everywhere by car, it's going to be a mess," he said.

H. Carl Muhlstein, an executive vice president in developer Cushman & Wakefield's downtown Los Angeles office, said it is difficult to assess whether the city is charging the right amount for its air space because the value would vary depending on a developer's other costs.

For example, he said, if the city were requiring a developer to pay for expensive additional amenities, such as schools or extra parking, then the value of the extra density might not be very much. Depending on the specifics of the deal, air rights can be worth as much as $100 per square foot or even be worth less than zero, in which case the city would have to pay the developer to build the extra space.

Scott of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. said he worried about adding thousands of housing units without a clear plan to ease congestion or provide police and fire services.

"I think we'd all like to see downtown enhanced and improved," he said. "But just adding more people downtown doesn't necessarily make it a world-class downtown."

[LosAngelesBeauty]

VERY IMPORTANT NEWS to DOWNTOWN STAKEHOLDERS:


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-heroin15mar15,0,3141083.story?track=ntothtml

Downtown drug gang is toppled
LAPD arrests 31 alleged leaders and seizes 45,000 heroin balloons.
By Richard Winton
Times Staff Writer

March 15, 2007

For decades, the 5th and Hill gang allegedly was the biggest drug dealer in downtown Los Angeles.

The leaders lived in the suburbs and other parts of L.A., where they produced thousands of heroin balloons at their homes and then had middlemen deliver them downtown, police said. There, day laborers, homeless people and even some children as young as 12 allegedly helped peddle the heroin.

The LAPD had struggled to destroy the gang, frequently arresting low-level dealers only to see them replaced immediately.

But on Wednesday, police said that after a months-long crackdown, the gang — and with it a main source of heroin in Los Angeles — had been dismantled.

Police said they recovered 45,000 balloons of heroin during the 10-month investigation. They also found 85 pounds of tar heroin, they said, enough when diluted to fill half a million balloons.

Officers arrested 31 people who they alleged were leaders of the gang, as well as scores of alleged street sellers who worked for them.

They reached the kingpins, detectives said, because of video surveillance tapes that tracked the movement of drugs in and out of downtown.

The LAPD's much-touted crackdown on skid row crime has led to 5,400 arrests and a 30% drop in crime since it began in September. But the alleged demise of the 5th and Hill gang offers a glimpse into how drug dealing was able to flourish downtown for decades.

The gang thrived because its leaders stayed far away from the actual drug sales, LAPD Capt. Andrew Smith said.

Authorities believe that the gang got the heroin in bulk from Mexico. The drugs would come to the homes of the gang's leaders in Santa Fe Springs, Fontana and South Gate. There, authorities allege, women meticulously processed and diluted the heroin, packaging it in single-dose "balloons."

Downtown turned out to be an ideal spot to find dealers because of the low-income immigrants and people down on their luck there. Smith said the gang could offer some of them better money than what they could earn doing manual labor.

The gang typically charged $5 to $10 per hit of heroin, with the dealers storing balloons in their mouths to avoid detection. When they made a sale, the dealers would spit out the balloon and give it to the customer, Smith said.

Young teenagers — some related to the dealers, other found on the downtown streets — were used not to sell the drug but to move it among sellers, Smith said. The teenagers were given the risky job of conveying significant quantities of drugs to various street corners.

But 5th and Hill used the couriers' ages to its benefit, police said.

"They took advantage of the fact that they were children and knew we could not bring serious charges against them," Smith said.

The gang got its start in the 1970s as a loose band of thugs who committed street robberies downtown. By the 1980s, the gang had evolved into a huge source of heroin in drug bazaars spread across skid row. By the mid-1990s, the gang controlled many of the key intersections along 5th Street and Broadway, where people from across Southern California came to buy heroin.

Detectives said 5th and Hill's customers were not all from downtown. Many were tracked back to the San Gabriel Valley, Hollywood, South Los Angeles and beyond. An LAPD detective who impersonated a 5th and Hill drug dealer nabbed actor Brad Renfro last year when he tried to buy eight balloons of heroin.

The gang, Smith and others said, was not known for feuding with other gangs, but it did use violence to protect its business.

LAPD Senior Lead Officer Kathy McAnany said 5th and Hill employed "enforcers" who would threaten and beat up rivals as well as their own dealers who got out of line.

"About two years ago I and another officer rolled up on a beating of a homeless guy by one of the gang's enforcers," she said. "He was putting a … whooping on him."

The arrests come as the LAPD enters the seventh month of a major crackdown on drugs, crime and blight in downtown.

It is part of a larger effort by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton to revive the skid row area, which has the largest concentrations of homeless people and drug dealing in the city. More than 20% of all Los Angeles drug arrests occur on skid row. While the crackdown has resulted in a surge of arrests, it has also met with ire from the American Civil Liberties Union, which claims that police are harassing homeless people and unfairly arresting some of them.

The LAPD assigned 50 extra officers to downtown in September, and this deployment helped bolster the attack on 5th and Hill, Smith said.

Police started arresting hundreds more suspects a week. And slowly, Smith said, they got low-level dealers to identify middlemen, who then ultimately connected them to top leaders.

Detectives got lucky thanks to the growing number of downtown surveillance video cameras. Once they got a line on the middlemen who were bringing the drugs downtown, police used two dozen video cameras connected to the Central Division station to find their car license plates and track their movements. This eventually led them to the kingpins, Smith said.

Among those arrested, the LAPD identified Pedro Sanchez-Limon, also known as Hector Rodriguez, as the gang's leader and major supplier. They said Alberto Blanco, also known as "El Moro," was his right-hand man, and Jamie Chacon Diaz, also known as "Archie," was the gang's money collector. Abel Flores, also known as "Barbs," was identified as the gang's chief street enforcer. They face multiple charges of selling drugs and conspiracy.

Sanchez-Limon and Diaz had been deported previously but reentered the U.S. illegally, authorities said, and Blanco had been deported twice. Detectives said the gang leaders have long criminal histories.

Detectives admit that the downtown drug trade continues.

"While we haven't wiped out narcotics sales in the Central [station] area, we have put a major dent in them," said Capt. Jerry Szymanski, head of LAPD Narcotics.

"A lot has been said about us going after those users," he said. "Well, what we haven't been able to say is we have been going after a major supplier."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
richard.winton@latimes.com

[LAMetroGuy]

Great news!!! I'm curious how much of "dent" this is in total and what immediate effects on downtown? for example, are there less people on the street due to less supply?

[LongBeachUrbanist]

I would guess there will be an immediate reduction of drugs in the area. The street population will probably fall quickly, as well.

I would also assume that some other gang is ready in the wings to resume business.

IOW, the pool has been significantly drained, so now the challenge is to keep it close to empty.

[dragonsky]

River project is child's play -- and more
A gallery invites visitors of all ages to tinker with models of L.A.'s much-maligned waterway to illustrate their visions.
By Bob Pool, Times Staff Writer
March 18, 2007

Inspiration was flowing like the Verdugo Wash after a five-day rainstorm for Alex Dann.

"Where's the zoo?" he asked, sizing up the table-size tableau in front of him. "Over there? Cool."

The 7-year-old Tarzana boy was at a downtown Los Angeles art gallery Saturday, poring over an exhibit called "Five Models Afloat." A moment later, he was participating in it.

He carefully studied the 4-foot foam-board square, which was divided into thirds by a bright blue plastic slash that depicted the Los Angeles River where it is joined by the Verdugo Wash at the Glendale-Los Angeles border.

One part of the square was covered by a miniature "mountain" molded out of window screen material to represent the Hollywood Hills. The other two, depicting flatland areas, were grids marked with a series of green swatches.

Dotting the areas around the swatches were tiny movable structures formed from small blocks of wood, Lego pieces, parts of toys and objects such as toothpaste caps.

Alex moved a wood-block figurine resembling a high-rise apartment house away from the edge of the river. He was asked if he had ever seen the real Los Angeles River and what it was like.

"Yeah, I've seen it. It's a sewer," he replied as his mother, Holly Dann, blanched.

"Well, it is," Alex said, standing his ground.

The pair, along with father David Dann and 11-year-old sister Abby, had stopped at the gallery while shopping downtown.

The three-dimensional scene Alex was working on is a representation of one of five points along a 32-mile stretch of river for which officials have launched long-range plans to beautify the waterway and make it appear more natural.

Los Angeles officials, consultants and the Army Corps of Engineers spent two years conducting formal public workshops seeking ideas for the rehabilitation of what is now a mostly concrete-lined flood channel. Last month, they issued a draft report suggesting that a $2-billion makeover over the next 50 years could replace industrial land along the banks with park space. The steep concrete walls could be landscaped and rebuilt with step-like channelization.

There are professionally drawn maps and computergenerated renderings of what the future river could resemble. But it took transportation planner James Rojas to give it a threedimensional look.

Rojas, 47, works for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He is also co-owner of Gallery 727 in a storefront at 727 S. Spring St., where "Five Models Afloat" will end its monthlong run today with a final showing from noon to 4 p.m.

"As a planner, I go to a lot of meetings, and they're always very boring because they're flat and one-dimensional," Rojas said. "A lot of people can't read maps. By showing them three-dimensional models, it becomes a lot more engaging. You can figure out how the topography works. You can lean down and look at it and see how things relate to each other."

The tiny blocks, figurines and other objects that gallery visitors use to create bridges, park plazas, town houses and shops are things that Rojas has collected since childhood.

Rojas said he planned the installation with children in mind, because the actual river renovation "will come in their lifetime, not ours."

About 700 people have visited the exhibit, including design consultants working on the river plan and city officials. One of them was Councilman Ed Reyes, who heads the river master-planning committee.

"When I first heard about it, I thought it was unconventional, kind of strange. But when I got there, I saw people doing some creative things," he said. "What struck me was how elaborate the little block and figurine structures were. People were really thinking about what they were doing."

After watching awhile, Reyes tried some hands-on planning of his own.

"I felt kind of silly at first. But then I got to thinking: Where does the bridge go? Then I thought about decorating it with an angel, since the bridge was going to be near where the birthplace of the city was.

"Toward the end of my stay," he said, "I saw a 6-year-old take over the whole board. And he did his own thing, and it didn't look much different from what others were doing. He was laying down his vision as a young person."

Reyes said professional planners welcome such creativity. Rojas agrees. So he has photographed various versions of the five river model boards as a permanent record of what visitors have suggested.

Some of the ideas are novel. One person used an acrylic toy lighthouse to mark the start of the river, where the Arroyo Calabasas and Bell Creek come together behind Canoga Park High School. Small plastic half-spheres illustrate "floating sticky balls" that another visitor placed at the juncture of the river and the Verdugo Wash "so people who fall in can stick to the balls and be saved."

That's the same area where Alex Dann installed his floating filter — made up of several rubber gaskets and what appeared to be a silver-colored tube connector he found in one of Rojas' supply boxes.

"This is a machine that sucks up the trash and stuff from the water," the boy explained, dropping bits of paper onto the faux river to illustrate how it would work.

Gallery 727 co-owner Adrian Rivas nodded knowingly.

"You're an urban planner now," he told Alex.

[dragonsky]

Mayor, council have final say on air rights funds
Law allowing L.A. to sell theoretical space over the Convention Center is expecting to raise $200million for projects.
By Steve Hymon, Times Staff Writer
March 19, 2007

The law recently approved by Los Angeles officials to sell so-called air rights to downtown developers gives the mayor and City Council final say over how the projected $200 million would be spent.

The deal allows the city to sell 9 million square feet of theoretical space over the sprawling Los Angeles Convention Center. Although city zoning laws allowed builders to go much higher, the center is just three stories high.

Now the city can sell that unused space to developers whose projects may be restrained by density limits.

How much of that space sells, if any, remains to be seen. Buildings downtown still must conform with the city's zoning laws and, generally speaking, it is difficult for builders to go very tall without assembling a large swath of land.

Deep in the ordinance that authorizes the deal is the key phrase: Ultimately the use of the money will be determined by the City Council and the mayor.

That means it could be spent to buy land for a new park or to build a downtown streetcar system. Or it could be spent on improvements or mitigations that a developer would ordinarily have to pay for out of their own pockets.

"I agree that we have to be very alert about the fund, because using it for something else would undermine the integrity of the program," said Councilwoman Jan Perry, whose district will probably benefit the most from the deal because the "air rights" revenue would have to be spent within a radius of two miles.

"I'm always worried about misuse of city funds," Perry said, "but I do think what helps here is that the funds must be used near the Convention Center."

Perry will probably have a big say in how most of the money is spent. The new law calls for a committee of community members and bureaucrats to first vet spending proposals, then give the council and mayor ultimate approval.

The committee must include the council member who represents the source and the destination of the air rights. That guarantees Perry a say because the Convention Center is in her district. The two-mile limit makes it likely that the air rights will be bought for projects in her district.

Perry said she intends to set up a working group to study the best way to determine how to spend the money, assuming developers begin buying air rights. She expects the air rights to sell over many years.

Councilman Jose Huizar, whose district includes parts of eastern downtown, sees a benefit with the money but also is cautious. "In my year on the council, I've seen a lot of money dedicated for certain things go somewhere else," Huizar said.

The ordinance also allows for 15% of the fund to be used for administrative purposes. Otherwise, the law provides a list of items that the money should be spent on, including affordable housing, open space, historic preservation, public facilities, job training programs, affordable child care, street-scape improvements, public arts programs, programs for the homeless or public transportation.

One reason the deal is so attractive to city officials is that the city has relatively little money for capital improvement projects.

That is the reason, for example, the city can afford to fix only a tiny fraction of its sidewalks and roads each year.

When a big project becomes necessary, the city usually has to borrow heavily to pay for it — an example is the new $40-million elephant exhibit at the zoo — or somehow persuade the state and federal governments to fund it. Neither route is easy.

Many downtown residents say they are excited that the city may have new money to spend, and already a debate has begun over how to use the funds.

"I think there will be a lot of eyes on this money and I feel very comfortable that the people here — particularly Jan Perry — understands what downtown needs," said Eric Richardson, a member of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council who also runs the website http://www.blogdowntown.com .

Richardson would like to see some of the money used for affordable housing and possibly to buy an open lot for a future park, particularly in the South Park area, which is being rapidly developed.

Russell Brown, the downtown council's president, said his concern is that the city may use the money for maintenance instead of true public upgrades.

"I think this could be an amazing opportunity," Brown said. "But it needs to be thought out. If it gives downtown options they don't presently have, that could be great — if the money is well managed."

Brown and Carol Schatz, president of the Central City Assn., said money would be well spent on public transportation that would tie together emerging downtown neighborhoods.

Schatz, in particular, said she favors using some money on a downtown streetcar system that has been under study by the Community Redevelopment Agency.

[funhaus]

The South Group website has been updated. I can't recall if the old site's rendering had Jardin included, but it's there now (with a stated completion date of 2009). No new real information to speak of, just a redress of the older site.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/south.jpg (http://www.exploresouthgroup.com/)

In other news, the developer is applying for liquor licenses for their restaurant spaces at the ground level of Luma -- 408 11th Street (2,180sf) and 1100 S. Hope Street (5,195sf). In both applications they are allowing for outdoor seating (up to 16 on 11th, up to 60 on Hope). The public hearings are scheduled for 4/10.

If they successfully land tenants that embrace the outdoor seating option, it -- along with Bottle Rock at Met Lofts -- really will transform the vibe of the neighborhood significantly.

[LAsam]

What's the set of buildings to the North of Jardin? Are they part of the Jardin project?

[JRinSoCal]

^^^I believe thats where LA Central (formerly known as Fig Central) is supposed to be built.

Does anyone know if there are any plans to demolish the Holiday Inn on Fig and replace it with a higher profile project?

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Not yet JR, but im sure in time (probably around 2009 or so) that will happen, or we will start to hear about that.

[colemonkee]

My bet is that the Holiday Inn will stay in it's current state, and that the surface lots directly north and south of it will be targets of significant proposals, probably benefitting from the sale of convention center air rights. I'd think that if LA Live really is successful, that Holiday Inn will be successful too, and they won't want to tear it down. Instead, they'll simply sell their surface lot on Fig and Olympic to a developer for a hefty sum, and use the proceeds for an upgrade to the existing hotel.

But that's just, like, my opinion, man.

[citywatch]

While the Holiday Inn certainly isn't a great piece of design, it's OK for now & into the immediate future. OTOH, it's bldgs (not to mention parking lots) like these north of LA Live's planned Regal theaters (http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=pp6zst54b1vr&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=3609885) that really need the heave ho & wrecking ball ASAP.

[dragonsky]

Mayor vetoes sale of downtown air rights
By Duke Helfand, Times Staff Writer
March 20, 2007

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday vetoed a plan to sell 9 million square feet of unused "air rights" over the Los Angeles Convention Center downtown — a gambit to boost the area's nascent residential boom.

In a veto message to the City Council, Villaraigosa said he wholeheartedly supports the air rights initiative. But, he said, the proposed law behind it violates the City Charter by failing to give him an opportunity to review or reject projects spawned by the plan.

Developers could buy vertical space over the Convention Center and use it to expand residential projects elsewhere downtown beyond what zoning codes allow — an idea that critics say will exacerbate traffic and strain other services.

The veto, Villaraigosa's second in his 21 months in office, was seen by some as a bid to flex his political muscle with the council and to distance himself from what has proved to be a controversial policy. But a mayoral spokesman said Villaraigosa wanted to ensure that the projects are sound.

"The mayor supports the policy objectives strongly but … he wants to make sure these decisions have appropriate checks and balances that are consistent with the spirit of the City Charter," Matt Szabo said.

Villaraigosa's veto was a surprise to a key council member and the city attorney's office, which stood by its position that the law complies with the City Charter.

Councilwoman Jan Perry, who represents much of downtown, said she learned about the mayor's veto when his chief of staff, Robin Kramer, delivered the news Monday.

Perry said she had not decided whether to attempt to override the veto, a step requiring the vote of 10 of the 15 council members, or to tweak the proposed law to give the mayor what he wants.

She defended the vetoed measure, saying that it provided Villaraigosa with a say because the proposals must go before the Community Redevelopment Agency or the Planning Commission — whose boards are appointed by the mayor.

"Those are the people who are there at his behest and representing his viewpoint," Perry said. "This is no different than any other process."

Perry said Villaraigosa has had ample time to voice his concerns about the air-rights plan. She noted that an informal working group, which includes the Community Redevelopment Agency's downtown administrator, has been discussing it for several months.

A spokesman for City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo also argued that the mayor's objections did not have merit.

"The city attorney's office has approved the form and legality of this ordinance, and we stand by this legal opinion," Nick Velasquez said. "The ordinance complies with the City Charter."

Last fall, the mayor vetoed a $2.7-million settlement for a firefighter who alleged that colleagues fed him a spaghetti dinner laced with dog food as a racist prank.

That veto and Monday's decision have allowed Villaraigosa to gain political advantage, some at City Hall believe, giving him the benefit of rejecting unpopular decisions while leaving it to the council to draft solutions.

But Villaraigosa's aides insisted that Monday's veto was driven by a desire to ensure a role for the mayor in important decisions that will affect downtown for generations. One aide said the mayor also wanted to avoid the precedent of the council making unilateral decisions.

[dlbritnot]

That doesnt necessarily mean that great projects around LA Live wont happen, but that the projects will now require approval from the mayor right? His concern is that development would be too unregulated and projects might not fit into the character of the neighborhood. Not that I'm all too sure about his abilities to see what projects work and what dont.

[DJM19]

he wants to have control over which projects seeking this money deserve it. Normally I would be against a mayor wanting such power, but I actually dont have much issue with Antonio wanting this because I trust that he wants urban design rather than for this money to be squandered somehow.

[solongfullerton]

Seems kind of shady to me. Anyways, the council voted for this unanimously, so they could easily over ride the veto. This will probably happen. I still think that Mayor V is doing a great job, but I think this veto shows that he is pretty power hungry, in the same vein as the school district takeover.

[WesTheAngelino]

^ It is shady.

Antonio is in the pocket of developers, namely Mr. Broad and Mr. Riorden (notice that Riorden was also behind the LAUSD takeover which would give Antonio complete control over where new schools are built and which ones are sold off...hmmm)

[dragonsky]

City to Seize Land for Police Building
Clothing Business, Art Gallery to Be Displaced

http://www.downtownnews.com/content/articles/2007/03/26/news/news04.jpg

by Evan George

The City Council voted on Tuesday, March 20, to use eminent domain to seize three Downtown properties for construction of a massive police parking and motor-transport service facility near Second and Main streets. The move marks the last land acquisitions needed for the LAPD's replacement for the aging Parker Center.

The properties at 250 and 256 S. Main St., as well as a building at 249 S. Los Angeles St., will be condemned and purchased from their owners. Those being displaced are a 20-year- old clothing distribution business, an adjacent parking lot, the building that holds the M.J. Higgins art gallery and a nearby lot that owners had said they hoped to develop into housing.

The condemnation proceedings come after months of stalled negotiations, said city officials. The building owners have charged that the city has offered paltry sums for the parcels that are south of St. Vibiana's cathedral.

In January Victoria Chou, who owns the parking lot and the clothing business, told Los Angeles Downtown News she had been offered $10 million, a figure she said would not allow her to relocate in Downtown Los Angeles.

A representative of Chou testified before the Council vote on Tuesday. No one representing the M.J. Higgins gallery attended Tuesday's vote, partly because of apparent confusion over the addresses listed in the council motion.

Martha Higgins, who runs the gallery at 244 S. Main St., said she was unaware her building was included in the most recent move. She said she has not been notified about the proceedings by the city or the building's owner, the Rossen family, in months. She said there has been no effort to encourage the gallery to relocate.

According to both Sam Tanaka, a city engineer overseeing the project, and the city attorney's office, the building that houses the M.J. Higgins gallery is included in the condemnation.

Tanaka and Ninth District Councilwoman Jan Perry told Downtown News that the building's owner had been notified but were unsure whether the owner had informed Higgins.Tanaka also told the council that building around the gallery would increase construction costs by 10% and cause an eight-month delay.

"Design is complete and we are in the process of going up for bids for this project," Tanaka said.

The main replacement for Parker Center is already under construction on the block directly south of City Hall. Designs for the 800-car service facility include 3,500 square feet of retail space that Perry said she'd like to see the gallery occupy - an idea that Higgins said is not out of the question.

[colemonkee]

^ Dragonsky, this is nowhere near the South Group projects (the purpose for this thread). This post should go in the Downtown rundown thread.

[dragonsky]

Where is that?

[citywatch]

Where is that?
I'm glad to see your postings of various articles, esp for future reference. But, as colemonkee mentions, the story about the proj to be built for the LAPD does seem lost in this thread.

I thought there was more of a general DT subj heading in the CA forum, but if there is, I couldn't find it. I guess the only alternative is for ppl to use the DTLA Proj Rundown (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=113359) thread in the city compilations forum.

[dragonsky]

Thanks. I think I just start a new topic here.

[funhaus]

There is a Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Planning & Land Use Committe meeting this evening at 6:30pm.

There are at least three South Park items of interest:
1) a presentation by Craig Lawson & Co. on the LA Central Project adjacent to the Staples Center
2) multiple CUB applications for retail/restaurants at Elleven, Luma and MetLofts (may or may not be revealing as to what intended tenants may be)
3) discussion regarding the 1133 Hope Street residential tower

If anyone on the forum attends, please post any interesting tidbits.

Date: Wednesday March 28, 2007
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Bunker Hill Towers - Tower Room, 800 West 1st Street, LA CA 90012

[stuckintraffic]

Anyone heard anything lately about the Olympic and Grand development?

I think it was called the City House or something like that?

I've seen two designs... a Beaux Arts twin-tower-looking thing and a Beaux arts non-identical-tower-looking thing.

I didn't see it on Downtown L.A.'s interactive development map.

[funhaus]

Looks like the builders are doing test installs of the cladding on Evo's south side. Appears to have a decidedly different finish than the South Group's pre-cast towers.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1124.jpg

Also noticed that the AT&T Center's ground level scaffolding has been taken down along Olive, revealing the renovated street level facade.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1130.jpg

Along 12th, looking back towards Evo...

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/11jp/dtla/IMG_1132.jpg

[luckyeight]

there are about 66 units left.....with 5% increased in price as of today.
Units available are being hold with 5% deposit.

20 two bedrooms priced at 851k through 1.9m

46 one bedrooms priced at 581k through 1.1m

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[solongfullerton]

holy shit thats a lot of money!!!! Downtown will not survive without a decent amount of working class housing. I'm not to familiar with real estate downtown, but I keep hearing about affordable housing. Of course thats needed too, but affordable housing is for people hovering around the poverty line. We need more housing thats affordable for people/couples/families that make under $150,000/ year.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Looks like the landscaping is moving full speed ahead. Lots of work being done around the South projects. Do you guys know if that landscaping will extend to the new project across from Staples, or will it be only around the current projects?

[LosAngelesBeauty]

There is a Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Planning & Land Use Committe meeting this evening at 6:30pm.

There are at least three South Park items of interest:
1) a presentation by Craig Lawson & Co. on the LA Central Project adjacent to the Staples Center
2) multiple CUB applications for retail/restaurants at Elleven, Luma and MetLofts (may or may not be revealing as to what intended tenants may be)
3) discussion regarding the 1133 Hope Street residential tower

If anyone on the forum attends, please post any interesting tidbits.

Date: Wednesday March 28, 2007
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Bunker Hill Towers - Tower Room, 800 West 1st Street, LA CA 90012


Again, anyone attend this meeting? Love to learn of more info regarding LA Central and 1133 Tower. :D

[stuckintraffic]

Anyone know if there are any downtown newsletters that serve the whole downtown loft circuit?

I'm wondering how the sense of community is downtown. I always get the feeling that it would be mighty isolated living there.

[BrandonJXN]

DowntownNews is the only one I can think of off the top of my head. It's free, bi-weekly, and covers all of the happenings throughout downtown.

[LA/OCman]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/newdowntown/messages

[dlbritnot]

Downtown News is a great resource for living downtown. As far as info on the loft and apartment buildings, it offers a few ads but not much else. I found that downtown had much more of a community feel than expected.

[RAlossi]

I've found that living Downtown is lonely in a sense, but only because my expectations were that I'd have friends over, friends whom I'd met in other parts of the city. I thought that moving just across town -- 20 minutes by train, 20 minutes by car -- wouldn't have an impact on friends coming to visit, etc.

I was really wrong! Two people have stopped by after repeated invites... You'd think I moved to New York. But that's not an issue with Downtown as much as it is with my friends. (Honestly, I wasn't expecting that)

As far as a community feeling, there definitely is a strong sense of community. The people are awesome, and once I start meeting more locals, I'll be much more settled.

Edit: Same thing for my BF!

[logandankr]

Anyone know what's going in the storefront of Elleven between Starbucks and the salon? (on 11th)

No construction inside or anything, but they do have a notice up for a hearing for a liquor license. :drooling:

[funhaus]

^ Perhaps the developer is applying for a conditional use permit in order to attract potential tenants? With BottleRock opening down the street, a small watering hole would be ideal in that location, so here's hoping someone takes advantage of that!

[funhaus]

There is a Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Planning & Land Use Committe meeting this evening at 6:30pm.

Date: Wednesday March 28, 2007
Time: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Bunker Hill Towers - Tower Room, 800 West 1st Street, LA CA 90012

The minutes are up (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DLANC_Planning/files/MIN%20-%20DPLUC-2007-03-28-Minutes.doc) from the March 28th DLANC meeting. Here is the summary of the LA Central project. Not sure what has not been announced previously, but they are confirming seeking a 55,00sf supermarket and suggest a May groundbreaking...

4. Presentation by Craig Lawson & Co. on LA Central Project, 1101 S. Flower Street

Presented by Chris Pfohl of the Moinian Group and Mark Nay of RTKL Architects. The project consists of an 860 unit residential tower on top of a 4 story 250,000 sf podium with neighborhood serving retail to include nationally branded restaurants, a 55,000 sf Supermarket, a Health club and a Sports bar & grill. The project will also include a trendy Boutique style 12 floor hotel and a Park on the top of the podium. Applicant is seeking amendments to the specific plan, alcohol conditional use permits and 4 liquor licenses. Project is expected to break ground in May, with a mid 2011 completion. Jennifer Chapman made the following motion:

The Committee recommends that the DLANC Board write a letter indicating its support for the LA Central project at 1101 S. Flower Street, and encouraging the City to grant the approvals requested by the applicant, as reflected in the draft letter attached to the Agenda of this meeting.

Motion seconded by Co-Chair David Poffenberger. Motion passed unanimously.

There is also some mention of when the MetLofts retail/restaurants will open, and at least the latin themed restaurant is not a Pollo Loco!

7. Presentation by the McCarty Company on CUB application at MetLofts project, 1050 S. Flower Street

Presented by Tom McCarty of the McCarty Company. This project consists of a 7 story building with ground floor neighborhood serving retail space, including the Bottle Rock, a wine tasting and sales boutique and Rivera, a Latin cuisine restaurant. Applicant is seeking conditional use permits for the sale and dispensing of alcoholic beverages. The retail spaces are expected to open in late summer or early fall. Co-Chair Poffenberger made the following motion:

The Committee recommends that the DLANC Board write a letter indicating its support for the two MetLofts restaurant projects at 1050 S. Flower Street, and encouraging the City to grant the approvals requested by the applicant, as reflected in the draft letter attached to the Agenda of this meeting.

Motion seconded by Co-Chair Tangri. Motion passed unanimously.

1133 Hope was an agenda item, but consisted only of the developer and Flower Street Loft HOA concerns. No action taken.

Lastly of note, there were conditional use permits applied for on behalf of the South Group for both Elleven and Luma's ground floor retail. Nothing more specific than that.

[4Bviper]

Anyone know what's going in the storefront of Elleven between Starbucks and the salon? (on 11th)

No construction inside or anything, but they do have a notice up for a hearing for a liquor license. :drooling:

The group that owns that spot also owns the large spot in Luma and are applying for the necessary permits with the city. I heard that one of the proposals submitted for the Elleven spot was a martini bar which would be nice.

What I heard most recently, however is that probably nothing would happen until the end of the year, the South Group would occupy the spot as a sales office, and that the restaraunt in Luma would most likely open before the spot at Elleven.

[logandankr]

Luma move-in update- as of now, first move-ins (5th flr) to be 5/22-5/31.


Question for you guys living in Elleven-
Are you guys using Bel Air for direct tv, internet...? Is there any reason to use these guys over just dealing directly with Direct TV or twc?

Also, anything to be looking for during walk-throughs. I know the usual stuff, floors... Anything out of the ordinary I should be on the look-out for?

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Bel Air has a fantastic reputation. The founder is very dedicated to providing great service because he knows he's up against the "big guys" and needs to go the extra mile to win customers over.

[funhaus]

Luma move-in update- as of now, first move-ins (5th flr) to be 5/22-5/31.

Question for you guys living in Elleven-
Are you guys using Bel Air for direct tv, internet...? Is there any reason to use these guys over just dealing directly with Direct TV or twc?

I've heard Elleven residents who opted for Direct TV have been frustrated - not so much because of Bel Air perhaps, but related more to the type of dish that was specified for the building. For example, one can receive HD signals, but cannot use the DVR functionality?

Been using TWC, which is fine but a little expensive for what you get. I believe I've schedule everything (installation, DVR upgrade, etc) through TWC directly so I have no opinion on Bel Air.

Also, anything to be looking for during walk-throughs. I know the usual stuff, floors... Anything out of the ordinary I should be on the look-out for?

I would run all hot water and verify the temperature is satisfactory. Now, this may not be possible to gauge accurately as the system won't function properly most likely until enough residents move in, but it would be good to get it on your list as requiring investigation.

It took _months_ to get my hot water up to satisfaction in the shower, and it turned out to be a simple set screw within the fixture that wasn't set properly on stallation in my unit.


Correction: edkao has reminded me (below) that it was Dish and not DirectTV that was problematic at Elleven.

[edkao]

Luma move-in update- as of now, first move-ins (5th flr) to be 5/22-5/31.


Question for you guys living in Elleven-
Are you guys using Bel Air for direct tv, internet...? Is there any reason to use these guys over just dealing directly with Direct TV or twc?

Also, anything to be looking for during walk-throughs. I know the usual stuff, floors... Anything out of the ordinary I should be on the look-out for?

Elleven is prewired for Dish Network and Comcast during construction. DirecTV was never an option. Comcast was reasonable until Time Warner took over. Then the cost went up for the same programming.

Dish Network is just a mess. Elleven is treated as a commercial building by Dish Network. And you get to deal with the commercial division of Dish.

So during construction of Elleven, an older Dish was installed on the roof. The older satellite dish will allow resident to view and record standard definition television. It will also allow residents to view HD programming, you just can not get the HD DVR from Dish. The HD DVR require the installation of a new dish. Depends on who you talk to at Dish, they will tell you anything to gain a sale. Until the installer shows up and tells you that there is no way to get the HD DVR in Elleven.

Not sure how Luma is setup. Most likely the same setup as Elleven, Dish and Time Warner. So good luck on getting DirecTV.

[funhaus]

Elleven is prewired for Dish Network and Comcast during construction. DirecTV was never an option. Comcast was reasonable until Time Warner took over. Then the cost went up for the same programming.

Ooops. My bad - I was confusing DirectTV with Dish (which was the one that people grumbled about).

[logandankr]

oh yeah, i was also confusing directTV and Dish. Hopefully Dish learned from their mistake and installed newer equipment for Luma, but I'm not holding my breath. I have also noticed that since my Comcast switched to twc it got more expensive. I called twc and said they had promised they wouldn't increase prices and they promptly dropped my monthly price by $20. 3 months later it went back up again.

And thanks for the walk-thru advice.

Anyone have a view of the pooldeck from their unit? How far along is it? Does it get any sun? I was told they won't move the 4th floor in until it's done, and currently 4th floor move-in are scheduled for the 2nd-3rd week in June.

[6th&12thDweller]

don't worry, the pool deck gets a lot of sun...a lot is going on right now as far as its construction is concerned...from the looks of it, its gonna be real good...

hopefully it turns out better than Eastern Columbia's pool deck or as good as 1100 Wilshire's

[edkao]

don't worry, the pool deck gets a lot of sun...a lot is going on right now as far as its construction is concerned...from the looks of it, its gonna be real good...

hopefully it turns out better than Eastern Columbia's pool deck or as good as 1100 Wilshire's


I was at the 1100 Wilshire's pool deck today. There was a builders open house and someone's pool party. Lots of activity. The view of the deck is pretty cool.

There is a plan of the pool deck at the sales office. It looks very cool. BBQ, Pool, Hot Tub, Fire Pit. I have a black & white copy somewhere, I will scan and post if I find it.

[edkao]

Here is the Pool Deck area for Elleven and Luma.

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/4018/ellevenlumapooldeckzs5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[funhaus]

^ Awesome, edkao. Thanks for the image, looks like a nice layout!

[danparker276]

Pic of 1100 pool party.

http://loftla.com/loftla/Handler.ashx?PhotoID=649&Size=L

[logandankr]

Ooops. My bad - I was confusing DirectTV with Dish (which was the one that people grumbled about).

Hmm...per Bel Air Internet, Luma will have DirecTV, not Dish Network.

[LA/OCman]

QUOTE=6th&12thDweller;2802571]don't worry, the pool deck gets a lot of sun...a lot is going on right now as far as its construction is concerned...from the looks of it, its gonna be real good...

hopefully it turns out better than Eastern Columbia's pool deck or as good as 1100 Wilshire's[/QUOTE]


Are you kidding me? Eastern Columbia's pool is incredible. It doesn't get much better with the views, atmosphere and lounges/fireplace. Even the guy at www.loftway.com/bloft agrees the EC is the best pool deck downtown!

[6th&12thDweller]

I've been to both pool decks and I personally prefer 1100 Wilshire's pool deck vs. Eastern Columbia....EC's deck and pool itself is tiny..1100 is so spacious and 1100's view is way better in my opinion..

[colemonkee]

I've also been to both pool decks, and think that both pool decks are pretty kick ass. I think a pissing match between the two is simply useless. There are millions of people in this city that would kill for access to either of them.

[danparker276]

I haven't been to EC's pool deck, but it seems similar. Arguments can be made for either one.