LOS ANGELES | METRO Project Rundown 2.0 (non-downtown) [Archive] - Page 104

craigs

Mar 19, 2022, 4:12 AM

You guys beat me to it!

Grammy winner plans eye-catching music studio complex in Hollywood (https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-03-18/cmnty-culture-campus-hollywood-sunset-highland-music-studios-offices)

Roger Vincent
Los Angeles Times
March 18, 2022

Developers led by a Grammy Award-winning artist plan to transform a prominent corner of Sunset Boulevard by building a $500-million office and recording center that would be one of the largest Black-owned enterprises in the Hollywood area.

Plans for the 13-story indoor-outdoor complex are to be submitted to the city Friday by Philip Lawrence, the owner of storied Hollywood recording studio Record Plant, in partnership with entertainment business manager Thomas St. John.

Lawrence, who won eight Grammys as a songwriter and record producer, has contracted with established real estate figures to build the nearly two-acre project at Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue, across the street from Hollywood High School.

The complex was designed by HKS, the architecture firm that designed SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where the Super Bowl was played in February.

Lawrence’s goal is to meld a top-flight recording studio with offices to be rented to people in the entertainment business. There would be public spaces including an auditorium and an amphitheater where visitors could hear concerts in a landscaped setting high above the street.

“We want to create a destination where artists can experience, evolve and have access to all aspects of entertainment,” Lawrence said. “So we’re building state-of-the art recording facilities for music, film, composing and all of the musical needs around production.”

Lawrence, who has collaborated with such singers as Bruno Mars and Adele, hopes to build on the success of his nearby Record Plant, where chance conversations in the hallway or communal kitchen can sometimes lead to artistic collaborations.

“The next thing you know,” Lawrence said, “there is a big song out with Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Frank Ocean and people are like, ‘How did that happen?’”

That particular collaboration hasn’t occurred yet, but Lawrence plans to lay on luxury features that popular musicians may find appealing. Top-floor recording studios with views of the Hollywood Hills and downtown L.A. would have kitchens, entertainment space and sleeping quarters.

“You could essentially live here while you are cutting tracks,” architect Heath May of HKS said. “The mission is to increase creativity.”

The complex is intended to have some of the highest-profile recording studios in the industry with pre- and post-production facilities, along with so much other activity that the campus was likened to “an Ant Farm” by May’s colleague architect Greg Verabian.

The largest component would be 430,000 square feet of offices for rent, perhaps to several entertainment firms in search of a Hollywood address or to one large tenant that may want to brand the building with its company name. Office occupants would have access to outdoor landscaped terraces that could be used for work or during off-duty hours looking down on concerts at the amphitheater on the park-like fifth-floor rooftop.

In charge of getting the project built is developer David Malmuth, who oversaw development of the Hollywood & Highland entertainment and office complex (now known as Ovation Hollywood), where the annual Academy Awards are held.

The outdoor spaces are designed by the studio of Oakland landscape architect Walter Hood, former chair of landscape architecture at UC Berkeley, whose projects include Broad Museum Plaza in downtown Los Angeles.

At street level would be a restaurant, a coffeehouse and a 500-seat auditorium that could be used for concerts, tenant events, public meetings or educational gatherings.

“We see this place as being an immersive playground for students, artists, creators and innovators of all types while also creating more opportunities in the entertainment industry,” said St. John, who is chief executive of Cmnty Culture, the Black-owned music and media enterprise he launched with Lawrence in 2020 that would operate the new studios.

The planned Hollywood development is dubbed Cmnty Culture Campus, though that name could be changed later to reflect the identity of a large office tenant.

Lawrence and St. John intend to engage students at Hollywood High, which has magnet programs in performing arts and new media.

“We hope to build sister programs,” Lawrence said, that might include instruction, internships and master classes with entertainment professionals. “However we can bring kids to understand how the entertainment industry works,” he said. “Education is very important to the team and me.”

The campus would have underground parking for 1,000 vehicles. It would replace commercial buildings, parking lots and a plant nursery. Residential buildings on the block would remain intact, the developers said.

Rendering of the planned new entrance to what is now Warner Bros. Ranch on Hollywood Way in Burbank.

Among the commercial buildings on the site is Live House, a performance venue with dance studios that has been closed but is now in escrow to Cmnty Culture, Malmuth said. The developers plan to temporarily reopen Live House as they plan the new campus.

Demand for office space in the years ahead is uncertain as many businesses reevaluate their space needs after working from home became common during the COVID-19 pandemic, Malmuth acknowledged, but technology and entertainment producers have been among the companies still expanding their office footprints.

Occupants of the campus would not necessarily be in the music business. Streaming entertainment provider Netflix is the largest office tenant in Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard is home to multiple movie and recording studios.

Last year, another developer announced plans for a $500-million glass-skinned office high-rise on Sunset near Gower Street, also intended to serve the entertainment industry.

Sunset, which has seen a revival of entertainment uses in recent decades, “has become arguably the most important content creation corridor in the world,” Malmuth said.

Still, city approval of the project is not a foregone conclusion. The process commonly takes 18 months or longer.

“We don’t take for granted that we’re going to be able to get entitlements,” he said, but “we think we’ve got a project that is extremely attractive both physically and in terms of job creation.”

If approved, construction of the campus would take about three years. Lawrence hopes it will eventually become a Hollywood fixture.

“This is our love letter to Hollywood,” he said, “to hopefully bring the community together for generations to come.”

badrunner

Mar 19, 2022, 9:36 PM

I'm going to revise my estimate for the height to 250+ ft :), and yeah Sunset is going to be crazy in a few years, especially if The Star goes forward.

Illithid Dude

Mar 20, 2022, 3:26 AM

Fantastic proposal. I drive by that intersection all the time and constantly fantasize about what could be. And now my dreams are reality. Between this and the Hollywood Crossroads project, the area is going to look incredible. Shame it'll probably be a decade before dirt gets pushed.

craigs

Mar 22, 2022, 4:55 AM

Bigger renderings and another article on the proposal for Sunset and Highland:

Office and production space planned at Sunset & Highland (https://urbanize.city/la/post/office-and-production-space-planned-sunset-highland)

The HKS-designed project would rise up to 13 stories in height

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
March 21, 2022

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/cmnty%20culture%20campus%201.jpg?itok=xNCbAW_8

Entertainment and media company CMNTY Culture has big plans for the
intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood.

CMNTY Culture, led by Grammy winning producer Philip Lawrence and
business manager Thomas St. John, announced plans last week to redevelop
a two-acre site at the northeast corner of the intersection with a 500,000-square-foot mixed-use complex dubbed the CMNTY Culture Campus.

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/cmnty%20culture%20campus%203.jpg?itok=shOzp-NK

The project is being designed by HKS and landscape designer Hood Design
Studio. According to an official website, the CMNTY Culture Campus would
include:

50,000 square feet of music studio/production space
430,000 square feet of creative office space
4,400 square feet of retail space
10,000 square feet of artist hospitality space
10,000 square feet of education and performance space
500-seat outdoor performance venue
Additionally, plans call for an open-air terrace deck at the building's fifth floor.

“The entertainment industry is experiencing a time of unparalleled
excitement and change, bringing about an opportunity to reimagine the
landscape upon which content is created and consumed,” said Lawrence,
owner of the Record Plant, in a statement. “Now, we live in a new era where
creatives and their audiences seek opportunities to collaborate and interact,
not just in the digital sphere, but in-person. Content creators need a
physical epicenter, a place that celebrates their work and the power of
community. CMNTY Culture Campus will be a place where creative people will
want to hang out with like-minded individuals and experience something
special.”

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/cmnty%20culture%20campus%202.jpg?itok=0Xw8luQU

The campus is billed as a "first-of-its-kind development," and one of the
largest Black-owned enterprises in the Hollywood community.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the project is budgeted at $500 million,
and would feature buildings up to 13 stories in height, as well as parking for
more than 1,000 vehicles. A precise timeline for CMNTY Culture Campus has
not been announced.

The project joins a number of large office complexes envisioned for the
stretch of Sunset Boulevard between Highland and the US-101 Freeway,
including the neighboring Crossroads Hollywood development, which
reportedly secured $485-million in construction financing for a mix of offices and production space in late 2021.

headcheckjj

Mar 22, 2022, 6:01 PM

I love this so much. Koreatown could use so many more of these. 😍

https://urbanize.city/la/post/22-story-apartment-tower-planned-koreatown-parking-lot

colemonkee

Mar 22, 2022, 9:20 PM

That's quite nice, and Hanson LA does solid work (see Concerto, Perla). That area's cluster is starting to span north and south a bit, with the Holland Partners 38-story tower at 7th and New Hampshire (just two blocks away) already making a pretty significant impact. Driving back from downtown on the 10 this weekend, it appeared to already be the tallest in the immediate vicinity, and cladding was about halfway up.

LosAngelesSportsFan

Mar 22, 2022, 10:43 PM

Very very nice. They did great work on the Perla project so im hopeful this one ends up looking like the rendering.

craigs

Mar 23, 2022, 4:44 AM

I'll just go ahead and post the article with the photos of the new Koreatown Proposal!

22-story apartment tower planned for Koreatown parking lot (https://urbanize.city/la/post/22-story-apartment-tower-planned-koreatown-parking-lot)

HansonLA is designing the new high-rise just north of Wilshire

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
March 22, 2022

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/3273-3289%20wilshire%201.jpg?itok=AQgwvnGK

A small surface parking lot located just north of Wilshire Boulevard in Koreatown is slated for redevelopment with a mixed-use, high-rise complex, per an application submitted to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning.

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/3273-3289%20wilshire%203.jpg?itok=Ff-W7eu4

The proposed project, which would rise at 636-646 S. Berendo Street, would consist of a new 22-story edifice featuring 343 studio and one-bedroom apartments above a two-level, 45-car subterranean parking garage. According to the application, the studio units would average 380 square feet in size, while the one-bedroom units would range between 585 and 885 square feet in size.

Project applicant Berendo, Inc., managed by Wayne R. Johnson, is requesting the approval of Transit Oriented Communities development incentives for the project, permitting greater density and floor area than allowed by zoning rules, while also allowing for reduced open space, setbacks, and parking. In exchange, 38 of the new apartments would be reserved for rent as affordable housing at the extremely low-income level.

HansonLA is designing the tower, which architectural plans indicated would rise to a maximum height of 265 feet above street level.

"The rhythmic articulation of the facades is appropriately scaled to create a pattern over the facade that doesn’t become too transparent in respect to the surrounding context," reads an architectural narrative. The building fenestration is primarily designed with corner windows at the residential units to create depth across the north and south facades while maximizing the interior views out to the Los Angeles skyline and Hollywood Hills"

The tower, in addition to housing, will include a 7,210-square-foot rooftop deck, as well as a fitness center, a library, a business center, and a lounge in its interior. Plans also call for retaining more than 33,000 square feet of existing commercial space in a two-story building to the south of the tower, which is part of the project site, but not intended to undergo changes.

The proposed project adds to a recent string of new high-rise developments near the Wilshire/Vermont subway station in Koreatown, following a 38-story building now rising one block southeast at the intersection of 7th Street and New Hampshire Avenue, as well a 40-story tower slated for the intersection of 6th Street and Shatto Place.

craigs

Mar 23, 2022, 4:46 AM

LosAngelesSportsFan

Mar 23, 2022, 5:18 AM

Love this one. The design is excellent

LAisthePlace

Mar 24, 2022, 1:32 AM

Speaking of Koreatown, the now rising 38 story 7th and New Hampshire tower is making major impact on the growing Koreatown skyline.

A couple views from around town.

https://i.imgur.com/XSRAaTgg.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DfO4PmWg.jpg

evioive

Mar 24, 2022, 2:08 AM

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/3273-3289%20wilshire%202.jpg?itok=gV1hHyET

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/3273-3289%20wilshire%204.jpg?itok=4tp8SapA

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/3273-3289%20wilshire%20map.JPG?itok=ZJLO178l

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/3273-3289%20wilshire%20map%201.JPG?itok=89TIyc-3

Neat projects for LA, but I just had to register to ask a simple question about your signature, since it's so patently absurd.

You're being satirical right?

If not, then I'm sure there will be no issue with my signature, since hyperbole is acceptable by precedent :)

craigs

Mar 24, 2022, 4:31 AM

From LA Reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/tl8kpc/aerial_photo_of_beverly_hills_down_santa_monica/), a great pic of downtown Beverly Hills and Century City:

https://i.redd.it/6ts6amlcl6p81.jpg

craigs

Mar 25, 2022, 5:04 AM

L.A. City Council green lights Cedars-Sinai expansion (https://urbanize.city/la/post/la-city-council-green-lights-cedars-sinai-expansion)

The hospital is building a new patient tower at its main campus

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
March 24, 2022

A proposal to expand Cedars-Sinai's flagship hospital campus in Beverly Grove has scored another key sign off.

Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Council voted unanimously to approve a zone change and adopt the findings an environmental study conducted for the project, which would rise at the southwest corner of Beverly and San Vicente Boulevards. After razing a parking lot and small medical clinic, Cedars plans to build a new 405,000-square-foot tower with 203 patient beds.

Designed by Los Angeles-based CO Architects, the new tower would stand nine stories and rise roughly 176 feet in height. Architectural plans show the building as a contemporary mid-rise structure clad in stone, masonry, aluminum, steel, and glass.

AHBE|MIG is the project's landscape architect, designing a series of landscape decks and terraces within the new building.

The project is the result of Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act, a 1983 state law which requires that all of California's acute care hospitals should be able to withstand a major earthquake by the year 2030. Hospitals across Los Angeles must be either retrofitted or rebuilt to comply with the law, or cease to provide acute care service.

In the case of the Cedars-Sinai campus, the new patient tower will allow the hospital to retrofit its North and South Patient Towers and Professional Tower, all of which are nearly 50 years in age. Cedars has determined that replacing all three buildings would be prohibitively expensive, while a retrofit would reduce the hospital's capacity during the course of construction. By adding a new tower prior to commencing the retrofit, Cedars could continue operating at current levels during construction, cutting the timeline of a project that would otherwise take up to 20 years to complete.

The expansion of the main campus is the third large seismic retrofit project for Cedars. In the San Fernando Valley, Cedars has partnered with Providence Health Systems on an expansion and revamp of the Providence-Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center, which is currently under construction. On the Westside, Cedars has broken ground on a replacement facility for the aging Marina Del Rey Hospital.

craigs

Mar 25, 2022, 5:06 AM

Renderings:

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/cedars%20sinai%20co%20architects%20beverly%20grove%20urbanize%20la%202.jpg?itok=kC2PEGxb

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/cedars%20sinai%20co%20architects%20beverly%20grove%20urbanize%20la%203.jpg?itok=50JZchLW

colemonkee

Mar 25, 2022, 2:56 PM

Wow, I remember when they built the Saperstein Tower (the building this one connects to directly to the west) back in the early 00's. I think with the Spielberg tower planned on Gracie Allen Drive, that's about it for the Cedars-Sinai campus, unless they start knocking down buildings. Now let's see if we can't get the Our Lady of Mt. Lebanon condo tower going just south of this!

Radio5

Mar 25, 2022, 5:29 PM

Wish Cedars would develop that long parking lot across the street. or make it a park?

LAsam

Mar 25, 2022, 7:21 PM

^ I wish the Beverly Center would get razed and redeveloped... but no luck there.

LosAngelesSportsFan

Mar 25, 2022, 9:29 PM

^ I wish the Beverly Center would get razed and redeveloped... but no luck there.

Me Too. I hate the insular place. Its fucking ugly as dog shit and does nothing for the street.

homebucket

Mar 25, 2022, 10:05 PM

^ I wish the Beverly Center would get razed and redeveloped... but no luck there.

Me Too. I hate the insular place. Its fucking ugly as dog shit and does nothing for the street.

Oof, yeah I just did a drive by on Streetview and it's literally a fortress on all 4 sides. There's like one or two tiny hidden entrances for pedestrians. Otherwise it's all blank walls and the only way inside is to drive in.

MAC123

Mar 26, 2022, 12:04 AM

I'm gonna need a pic, that sounds horrendous

caligrad

Mar 26, 2022, 1:40 AM

I always thought it was built like this because it had to be built over an active oil well/drilling site?.... To not exaggerate though, I feel the Beverly Center is easily one of the ugliest buildings in all of LA, in regard to high traffic/popular areas. Its horrendous inside and out. An over hype 90s mall that tourists flock to just to see bored celebrities who want attention.

homebucket

Mar 26, 2022, 5:58 AM

I'm gonna need a pic, that sounds horrendous

https://goo.gl/maps/RDCDZ8YaUJRhiSEKA
https://goo.gl/maps/mxe8vhxEmgLv8kz38
https://goo.gl/maps/qBenBrmds43hwhiz8

craigs

Mar 27, 2022, 1:28 AM

Angel Stadium land sale one step closer to being finalized after judge’s ruling (https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2022-03-21/angel-stadium-land-sale-judge-ruling-arte-moreno?fbclid=IwAR3F1-yT72wIt-1bKbjxOeTRQhR0iGntj-xgOteffshkixnE4n56PEK564g)

Bill Shaikin
Los Angeles Times
March 21, 2022

The Angel Stadium land sale moved one giant step closer to completion Monday, when a judge ruled the city of Anaheim had not violated the state’s public transparency law in negotiating the deal.

“There is no basis to nullify the decision to sell the stadium site,” Orange County Superior Court Judge David Hoffer wrote in his tentative ruling Monday.

Hoffer dismissed what was presented as key evidence — declarations by city Councilman Jose Moreno and former City Manager Chris Zapata — as “not credible” and said he had considered six claims made by a citizens’ group that sued the city to stop the deal.

“None of these claims have merit,” Hoffer wrote.

Hoffer gave each side 10 days to object before his ruling becomes final. If that happens, the city would face one remaining obstacle in completing the sale.

In December, the California Department of Housing and Community Development ruled that the sale violated state affordable housing law. The state and city have discussed a negotiated resolution, most likely with the city paying a $96-million fine that would then be used to expand affordable housing elsewhere in Anaheim. The city also could sue the state.

If that hurdle is cleared, the city could proceed with a deal approved in 2019, under which a company controlled by Angels owner Arte Moreno would turn the 150-acre stadium site into a mini-city by building homes, shops, restaurants, hotels and offices on what is now a sea of parking lots surrounding Angel Stadium.

The team would remain in Anaheim through at least 2050, and Moreno could decide whether to renovate the current ballpark or build a new one. The city would get $150 million in cash, plus the inclusion of parkland and at least 466 units of affordable housing, and projected tax revenue of $652 million to city coffers over 30 years, according to an economic impact study commissioned by Moreno. The city’s consultants reviewed and backed that study; Anaheim did not commission its own study.

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/74d41f0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4084x2264+0+0/resize/840x466!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7e%2Fdf%2F5cecdd2b440ea61e4df4b76a40b1%2Fstadiumdevelopmentplanparkview.jpg

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6305704/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4000x2026+0+0/resize/840x425!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0f%2F30%2Fd4cce7104ffb94476988dd753f27%2Fstadiumdevelopmentplangamedayfromstatecollegejpg.jpg

In a statement, Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu said the tentative ruling was the correct one.

“This validates that the stadium sale was an extensive public process with community input and debate,” Sidhu said. “We look forward to a final decision and moving ahead with a plan for the future of baseball in Anaheim that will generate revenue for our residents and neighborhoods for years to come.”

In their declarations, Jose Moreno and Zapata testified that the council agreed to sell the property — rather than lease it — and did so behind closed doors, thus misusing an exception to state law that allows closed-door discussion of “price and terms.” The city and the Angels, according to city records, did not engage in negotiations until two months later.

“It simply does not stand to reason that the City would agree to sell the stadium site without knowing exactly what they would receive for it,” Hoffer wrote.

Hoffer also wrote that even if he accepted what Moreno and Zapata had to say, there would have been nothing wrong with the city holding a closed-door discussion of whether to sell while limiting public disclosure of the discussion to “price and terms” of a potential deal.

“For a legislative body to discuss price without any discussion of whether the price is for a sale or a lease would lead to an absurdity,” Hoffer wrote.

Hoffer also ruled that two public hearings had provided sufficient opportunity for public input before the City Council approved the deal and, later, the development plan.

“The discussions and decision surrounding the sale of the stadium site were anything but secret,” Hoffer wrote.

Kelly Aviles, attorney for the People’s Homeless Task Force — the citizens’ group that sued — said in a statement that she disagreed with the ruling. The public hearings Hoffer cited took place immediately before the council voted to ratify agreements reached between city staff and Arte Moreno’s company, not during the process of negotiations.

“Allowing public participation only after the deal was finalized is not what the Brown Act intended and does not serve the public’s ability to affect the process, as is the intent of the Brown Act,” Aviles said.

During a court hearing earlier this month, Hoffer said he anticipated that the losing side would appeal. Aviles said no decision has yet been made on whether to appeal but said she anticipated such a decision “soon.”

Although a court could put the sale on hold pending appeal, that is considered unlikely. In the hearing, the parties discussed potential penalties that did not involve nullifying the deal, meaning a court could let the sale go forward and consider other options for punishing Anaheim should the city later be found in violation of the law.

In a footnote, Hoffer cast Jose Moreno and Zapata in an unfavorable light for disclosing closed-session discussions, even though they believed they were disclosing wrongdoing.

“This court disapproves of the public disclosure of confidential information obtained in closed-sessions without the authorization of the council and without even attempting to obtain court approval,” Hoffer wrote. The italics were his.

craigs

Mar 27, 2022, 1:29 AM

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/angel%20stadium%205.jpg?itok=7qxOMHlM

LA21st

Mar 27, 2022, 1:42 AM

Awesome!

Whatever happened to the tower in santa ana? anything?

craigs

Mar 27, 2022, 1:46 AM

Awesome!
It really is--a great amenity for Orange County, a fresh new addition to the regional cityscape.

And the fact that a bunch of NIMBYs got shanked by the judge is a cherry on top: "None of these claims have merit." Mic drop!

plinko

Mar 27, 2022, 3:44 AM

^While I’m happy this has a chance (hopefully to the scale seen at Atlantas new suburban baseball stadium), I would have loved to see a new waterfront stadium in Long Beach.

ChelseaFC

Mar 27, 2022, 5:03 AM

They really need to build a new stadium from scratch with wider concourses and better sightlines. Not renovate a 1960s structure for the millionth time. That would enable them to integrate the new stadium fully into a master development with parks, retail, office, residential, and transportation.

Blesha13

Mar 28, 2022, 7:19 AM

This is exactly what Dodger Stadium needs too!

202_Cyclist

Mar 28, 2022, 12:25 PM

This is exactly what Dodger Stadium needs too!

Without ruining the iconic views of the San Gabriel mountains, of course.

colemonkee

Mar 28, 2022, 3:14 PM

Some big news from Urbanize, another two towers going up in Koreatown along Wilshire. These two are right in the thick of that skyline. They won't break the skyline, but they will densify it.

Two-tower development breaks ground in Koreatown
Across the street from Wilshire/Normandie Station
March 28, 2022, 6:30AM
Steven Sharp

Link to full story and more renders: https://urbanize.city/la/post/two-tower-development-breaks-ground-koreatown

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/211202%20aerial%20-%20lowres.jpg?itok=0EDTmUWm
Image Source: Urbanize.city/LA (https://urbanize.city/la/post/two-tower-development-breaks-ground-koreatown)

Quixote

Mar 29, 2022, 1:08 AM

^ I look forward to that mid-block parking podium being replaced by a tower some 25+ years from now.

craigs

Mar 29, 2022, 1:35 AM

Here's the whole article:

Two-tower development breaks ground in Koreatown (https://urbanize.city/la/post/two-tower-development-breaks-ground-koreatown)

Across the street from Wilshire/Normandie Station

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
March 28, 2022

Another high-rise complex is pushing dirt in Koreatown.

Developer Jamison Services, Inc. sends word that as of this month, construction if underway for a pair of apartment towers at 3545 Wilshire Boulevard. The project, which will a half-block on the west side of Ardmore Avenue, calls for the construction of a 22-story building facing Wilshire Boulevard and a 14-story edifice at 6th Street.

The new development, when completed in approximately 22 months, will include a total of 428 apartments, 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, and an 850-car parking garage.

Gruen Associates is designing the towers, which will include a pair of rooftop decks, a dog park and pet lounge, fitness centers, a club room, co-working spaces, a game room, a private screening room, and an indoor golf range.

Over the past seven years, Jamison has pursued several alternatives for the 3545 Wilshire site, which sits directly across the street from the Wilshire/Normandie subway station. After considering a podium-type apartment complex for the property, Jamison discarded that proposal in favor of a an earlier iteration of the under-construction project, which had called for a larger 32-story tower facing Wilshire. However, after a feasibility study conducted for Jamison Services found that a lower-scaled tower would reduce the overall project budget by approximately 20 percent and shorten its construction timeline, the current project was born.

The towers at 3545 Wilshire are the latest entry in a long list of multifamily residential developments from Jamison Services on its home turf, following an adaptive reuse project across the street and more than a dozen proposed and under construction ground-up buildings.

craigs

Mar 29, 2022, 1:37 AM

And the full set of renderings and map:

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/211202%20aerial%20-%20lowres.jpg?itok=0EDTmUWm

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/211202%20south%20-%20lowres.jpg?itok=PGPiIzx9

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-03/6th%20-%20lowres.jpg?itok=ao3pIgEK

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/3545wilshire1.JPG?itok=kEJqz0WX

Illithid Dude

Mar 29, 2022, 1:48 AM

I know I have been accused of complaining a little too much, but I am immensely disappointed with how they lowered the amount of proposed retail in this development by 2/3rds. Originally retail was going to line the parking podium, activating a previously dead street. That is all gone. Moreover, the pedestrian experience of the surviving retail spaces has been decreased as well, with a lovely pedestrian scaled awning being removed, and a strange, blank walled cut out added to the Wilshire facing portion of the project. At least the density will be nice.

dax_gray

Mar 29, 2022, 4:11 PM

I know I have been accused of complaining a little too much, but I am immensely disappointed with how they lowered the amount of proposed retail in this development by 2/3rds.

I'm in the same boat. Hate complaining but this project is terrible for the pedestrian experience. I don't even mind the height reduction, its the parking garage in the middle. That should have really been a landscaped plaza/park and retail should be flanking 3/4 sides of the towers.

colemonkee

Mar 30, 2022, 5:42 PM

So I've headed into my office in Burbank the last two days for the first time since last July, and my route in takes me within a distant eyeshot of the new Gehry buildings near the Warner Bros. lot. I'm quite a few blocks away at my closest vantage point, so have not seen them up close, but what I can see I am very impressed. The glass cladding on the freeway side and the metal panel cladding on the north sides both look top notch, and the buildings appear to be either fully clad or nearly fully clad.

craigs

Mar 31, 2022, 4:28 AM

Take a look inside Long Beach's tallest tower (https://urbanize.city/la/post/take-look-inside-long-beachs-tallest-tower)

The 35-story Shoreline Gateway development is complete

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
March 30, 2022

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_image_1140x538/public/background/2022-03/Image%203-24-22%20at%207.40%20PM.jpg?itok=BmrtzFtz

More than three years after breaking ground at the eastern edge of Downtown Long Beach, it's official: Shoreline Gateway is complete.

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/1140w/public/2022-03/Image%203-24-22%20at%207.40%20PM%20%283%29.jpg?itok=uN3pel1F

The 35-story tower - built by Ledcor Properties Inc. and Anderson Pacific, LLC, with partners Qualico and Lantower Residential - sits on a corner lot at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Alamitos Avenue, and now ranks as the tallest building in Long Beach.

“Shoreline Gateway represents the growth of our city, both past and present,” said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia in a news release. “For nearly 100 years, living in Downtown Long Beach has provided amazing views of our shoreline for so many residents and visitors. This project will be a new home for thousands more, marking a significant transformation to our one-of-a-kind skyline.”

The glass-and-steel building features 315 luxury apartments on its upper floors, with 6,500 square feet of commercial space and a five-level, 470-car subterranean parking garage below. The units come in a mix of studio, one-, and two-bedroom layouts, ranging from 616 to 1,700 square feet in size, with two-level penthouses on the top floors.

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/950w/public/2022-03/Image%203-24-22%20at%207.40%20PM%20%282%29.jpg?itok=DGnj1r4g

Rents at Shoreline Gateway range from $2,960 to $15,795 per month.

Designed firms Studio One Eleven, Carrier Johnson + Culture, and Relm have worked on the project, which rises approximately 417 feet above street level. The building, in addition to housing, features amenities such as a third-floor barbeque pit and bocci ball court, a fitness center, a yoga room, and a rooftop pool deck overlooking San Pedro Bay.

Shoreline Gateway is the culmination of a project which dates to 2004, when the project was first proposed under the now defunct Long Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. The tower is the second component of a two-part development which kicked off with the construction of The Current, 17-story apartment tower located on an adjacent site to the west. The two buildings share a 10,000-square-foot landscaped plaza, located on a vacated segment of Lime Avenue running between the two structures.

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/950w/public/2022-03/Image%203-24-22%20at%207.40%20PM%20%286%29.jpg?itok=KSkNHdDA

ahealy

Mar 31, 2022, 12:58 PM

Go LBC! That turned out nicely...cannot wait for something a bit taller eventually.
:cheers:

colemonkee

Mar 31, 2022, 2:44 PM

Would love to see Long Beach break the 500-foot threshold.

caligrad

Mar 31, 2022, 6:47 PM

^^^ Same

SLO

Apr 2, 2022, 2:25 PM

Go LBC! That turned out nicely...cannot wait for something a bit taller eventually.
:cheers:

Not likely. Shortsighted

This is their highest zone:
Height requirements are enacted all throughout downtown with a maximum of 240 feet (incentives allow for structures reaching 500 feet

https://downtownlongbeach.org/wp-content/uploads/Downtown-Heght-Requirements.pdf

HeySparky

Apr 4, 2022, 5:06 PM

KTGY Architects has a rendering for a mixed-use hotel at 956 La Brea that I have never seen before. Has anyone heard anything about this project? The address would put this project just North of Olympic Blvd.

https://ktgy.com/work/la-brea-mixed-use/

LA21st

Apr 4, 2022, 6:48 PM

craigs

Apr 4, 2022, 11:26 PM

28-story apartment tower planned for empty lot on La Cienega (https://urbanize.city/la/post/28-story-apartment-tower-planned-empty-lot-la-cienega)

The property was previously entitled for a seven-story apartment building

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
April 4, 2022

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-04/1050%20La%20Cienega%281%29.jpg?itok=E4hCe0Ddp/img]

The new owner of a vacant lot on La Cienega Boulevard that was previously entitled for the construction of a low-rise apartment complex has grander ambitions for the property.

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/950w/public/2022-04/1050%20La%20Cienega%202%281%29.jpg?itok=5FbcHC31

Earlier this year, a permit application was filed with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety seeking approvals to develop the empty site located at 1050 S. La Cienega Boulevard with a 28-story, 290-unit apartment tower with approximately 54,000 square feet of open space 7,500 square feet of ground-floor retail. Parking for 426 vehicles would be located in above- and below-grade levels.

According to the permit application, the proposed project will employ Tier 3 Transit Oriented Communities incentives (TOC) permitting a larger structure than otherwise allowed by zoning rules. In exchange, 29 of the new homes - or 10 percent of the project total - would be set aside as deed-restricted affordable housing at the extremely low-income level.

Los Angeles County Assessor's records list the owner of the site as CP VIII La Cienega, LLC an entity affiliated with San Francisco-based developer Carmel Partners. A title search indicates the site last sold for $48 million in late 2021.

"We are thrilled to be moving forward with plans to transform this long-vacant and underutilized property along La Cienega into a vibrant, mixed-use Transit-Oriented Communities project," said Will Cipes of Carmel Partners in a statement. "Our plans will have many benefits for the community, from helping combat LA’s ongoing housing crisis to revitalizing the neighborhood and creating publicly accessible open space. We look forward to working with our neighbors to create something special."

Solomon Cordwell Buenz is designing the high-rise at 1050 S. La Cienega, according to a representative of the developer.

The seller, local developer Amoroso Companies, had previously entitled the property for a seven-story, 114-unit apartment building, also using TOC incentives.

The proposed project, located just south of Beverly Hills and La Cienega Park, is representative of a tried and true strategy for Carmel Partners, which has made its mark on the Los Angeles skyline by proposing tall buildings in mostly low-slung areas. That includes the West Adams area, where the company has completed work on a 30-story tower as part of the colossal Cumulus District, and 520 Mateo Street in the Arts District, where Carmel is poised to build a 35-story live/work tower that would be the neighborhood's tallest structure.

https://urbanize.city/la/sites/urbanize.city.la/files/styles/950w/public/2022-04/1050%20s%20la%20cienega%20boulevard%20map.JPG?itok=GdLPmt3A

Construction of the Arts District project stalled following the news that a company executive had become enveloped in the City Hall corruption scandal centered on ex-Councilmember Jose Huizar, although work has since resumed.

In addition to towers, Carmel is also pursuing another envelope-pushing development in Sawtelle. Last year, the company took advantage of new zoning rules to file plans for a project which would replace 16 single-family homes with 455 apartments.

LAsam

Apr 4, 2022, 11:59 PM

^Carmel Partners knows how to get projects done in LA (see Linea and Cumulus), so I give this a really good chance of being constructed.

colemonkee

Apr 5, 2022, 1:35 AM

I, for one, love this, but do expect it to get some serious opposition locally. Unlike Cumulus, it directly abutts some neighborhoods that can be rather noisy when it comes to development. So will take some support from people like us to move it forward.

SLO

Apr 5, 2022, 2:31 AM

LA could easily absorb hundreds of these type projects..

ahealy

Apr 5, 2022, 2:50 AM

I do love that long ass podium. Makes me wanna frolic

craigs

Apr 5, 2022, 5:53 AM

I do love that long ass podium. Makes me wanna frolic
I would prefer the seven story building. Less podium!

/s

ahealy

Apr 7, 2022, 12:49 PM

I would prefer the seven story building. Less podium!

/s

You had me at "less podium".

I better be careful using the P word....one can get in trouble in the Austin threads starting that debate up :haha:

headcheckjj

Apr 8, 2022, 8:40 PM

LA could easily absorb hundreds of these type projects..

Not only could we absorb them, but they're quickly becoming essential for the city's survival (the housing/homelessness crisis, traffic, pollution, etc)

colemonkee

Apr 8, 2022, 11:07 PM

^ And we're actually seeing the City buy up - or attempt to buy - some of the market rate mid-rise appartment buildings being built around various parts of the City for permanent supportive housing, using Measure HHH and other funds. One recently completed one at La Brea and Sycamore (which I dub the 'prison stripe building' for it's vertical white and black paint job - it looks much better than I describe it) and one under construction at La Brea and 9th in mid-City are on that list. It's an interesting strategy that can help chip away in the short-term on some affordable options.

ChelseaFC

Apr 10, 2022, 2:13 AM

First Topgolf location in LA County to open in El Segundo alongside renovated Lakes 10-hole course

https://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/news/2022/04/08/new-topgolf-to-open-in-el-segundo-on-monday.html

https://www.dailybreeze.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/TDB-L-TOPGOLF-0412-01.jpg?w=620

headcheckjj

Apr 16, 2022, 11:50 PM

Site being cleared at 7th and Vermont. Hopefully that means construction will start soon on this: https://la.urbanize.city/post/seven-story-80-unit-could-replace-koreatown-strip-mall

https://i.imgur.com/vvnAkiX_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

https://i.imgur.com/pdtgJd2_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

https://i.imgur.com/b73ZZwS_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium

colemonkee

Apr 18, 2022, 3:14 PM

Oh, nice. Design is meh, but not offensive, and more housing near transit is always welcome. Especially when it replaces a strip mall that was mostly parking.

Illithid Dude

Apr 18, 2022, 8:15 PM

Personally I think this is one of my favorite designs proposed for the area. To each their own!

caligrad

Apr 19, 2022, 11:54 PM

The design isn't horrible. But it's easy. Its giving me hospital/community college add on extension vibes

HeySparky

Apr 20, 2022, 9:37 PM

A few updates on projects in West Hollywood I noticed on Easter while going to dinner at Bottega Louis.

Melrose Triangle - https://la.urbanize.city/post/west-hollywood-melrose-triangle-excavation-9060-santa-monica-boulevard

Looks like digging is done or close to being done. The entire lot is currently a massive hole in the ground, so hoping they start building the underground parking soon.

La Peer Mixed Use - https://la.urbanize.city/post/mixed-use-development-planned-next-west-hollywoods-la-peer-hotel

Building is in heavy construction mode, and I didn't even know it had broken ground. Great to see this kind of infill in the area.

Robertson Lane - https://la.urbanize.city/post/west-hollywood-robertson-lane

Noticed heavy construction equipment on site finally, so they may be gearing up to break ground soon.

Not sure how to post pictures on these old-fashioned forum sites, so you'll just have to take my word for everything. G

pwright1

Apr 21, 2022, 9:38 AM

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52018105447_c6f1aa291f_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52019182843_1422813810_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52018168557_4c5c425da5_b.jpg

colemonkee

Apr 21, 2022, 2:19 PM

Thank you for capturing that one, Paul! It really stands out now from quite a few points in the city. Here's hoping the SOM-designed one across Wilshire and a couple blocks east gets going in the next year or so. That will be quite the cluster.

Quixote

Apr 21, 2022, 3:41 PM

Personally I think this is one of my favorite designs proposed for the area. To each their own!

I kind of like the design too; it’s a bit 60s-esque. My only concern is that they’ll end up VEing the black portions of the facade, the renderings suggesting brick veneer or some other non-stucco material with texture.

As of now, my biggest gripe with this development (and new developments in general) is the relatively sparse amount of ground-floor retail space lining Vermont. And the ones with ground-floor retail, the spaces are often large and not redolent of the storefront density of single-story pre-war strips.

craigs

Apr 21, 2022, 9:59 PM

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52018105447_c6f1aa291f_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52019182843_1422813810_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52018168557_4c5c425da5_b.jpg
Awesome pics!

According to Urbanize Los Angeles (https://la.urbanize.city/post/koreatown-696-new-hampshire-apartment-construction), that's Holland Partner Group's 696 South New Hampshire Avenue, which will be a 38-story building with 375 residential units just a block from the Wilshire/Vermont subway station.

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/7th%20new%20hampshire%20mve%20partners%20holland%20partner%20group%202.jpg?itok=sOa2Fx1H

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/7th%20new%20hampshire%20mve%20partners%20holland%20partner%20group%201.jpg?itok=nAz54G61

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w_watermark/public/2021-08/7th%20%26%20New%20Hampshire%20by%20Hunter%20Kerhart%2003.jpg?itok=wn250ynS

Mojeda101

Apr 22, 2022, 6:12 AM

That bank of hope tower has one of the best views in the city. I would always check out their roof. This tower is going to have an incredible view of the skyline.

ChelseaFC

Apr 24, 2022, 2:44 PM

West Edge - Olympic/Bundy

https://scontent-lax3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/278843448_2824548047841158_1888789203522979959_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=O3GFiL77yEMAX8YvS8Y&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-2.xx&oh=00_AT8dYCZ_zHWCLhjbAiFY726vFENu_2-Qto1ngM3Ykvh0MQ&oe=6269CC37
https://www.facebook.com/westedgela/

ChelseaFC

Apr 25, 2022, 2:18 PM

The Landmark Los Angeles - Wilshire/Granville

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/248713147_245053614313923_7034276696739866405_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=a-6NJWELlDsAX8GrqK5&_nc_ht=scontent-lax3-1.xx&oh=00_AT-wTAXgXdOLMJKF6QrvQRX_MrWyBXKHDV42sRxkcbn_mw&oe=626C45F5
https://www.facebook.com/thelandmarklosangeles/

craigs

Apr 26, 2022, 12:55 AM

black_crow

Apr 26, 2022, 9:28 PM

Personally I think this is one of my favorite designs proposed for the area. To each their own!
I agree, I really like it.

For sure an upgrade for that area.

ernart92

May 2, 2022, 4:18 AM

The 7th & New Hampshire tower is a welcomed additional to already dense Koreatown. I just hope that the reports we read on the northwest corner of Wilshire and Vermont are not true, that a pharmacy will not occupy that prime real estate location. Let's see what happens there... back to this one, it's just amazing how this development is nearly finished and will do so much for this area of the city, and yet there was relatively low hype around it. Great tower!

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52043870926_2483fc7d77_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52044119819_58c70a5bb6_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52044123879_d06b0e44e5_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52044379625_5dd4e0d821_b.jpg

ahealy

May 2, 2022, 2:36 PM

Great pics, ernart! I am wowed by this one. My husband used to live in Koreatown and this will for sure add to density and (hopefully) walkability. :cheers:

It def should be getting more hype.

112597jorge

May 5, 2022, 6:31 PM

https://la.urbanize.city/post/renderings-revealed-new-housing-old-farmers-insurance-hq

WHAT??? What is this bullsh*t?!? On Wilshire....

LAsam

May 5, 2022, 6:51 PM

^ Yeah, there's no way the city should sign off on that. If you want to develop housing on Wilshire, it needs to have density suited for the LA of today... not the LA of 1940.

HeySparky

May 5, 2022, 9:38 PM

3200 La Cienega

Another highly-visible project for West Adams was approved This is across from the massive and transformative Cumulus Project on La Cienega.

https://whatnowlosangeles.com/254-apartments-approved-for-west-adams/

Renderings Here:
https://www.dearchitects.net/la-cienega

homebucket

May 5, 2022, 10:07 PM

https://la.urbanize.city/post/renderings-revealed-new-housing-old-farmers-insurance-hq

WHAT??? What is this bullsh*t?!? On Wilshire....

^ Yeah, there's no way the city should sign off on that. If you want to develop housing on Wilshire, it needs to have density suited for the LA of today... not the LA of 1940.

The adaptive reuse of the Farmers Insurance Building is a great idea. Not a fan of keeping that surface lot next to it though. They should turn that into a park or a grocery store. As for the 16 single family homes, yeah, they should go for something with higher density instead. Nothing in this particular stretch of Wilshire is particularly tall, so perhaps a mixed use 5-over-1 would be appropriate without going too far out of character. Increasing the density of the area as well as bringing some retail, which seems to be nonexistent in this area until you get to Highland to the West and Wilton to the East. A 1.4 mile long strip of mid-Wilshire with no retail is not really conducive to walkable, urban living.

DownTown Giant

May 5, 2022, 11:02 PM

The Farmers HQ residential project project will be a much needed "family-friendly" project in old school L.A. fashion. imo

LA21st

May 8, 2022, 2:36 AM

Spent the day in Long Beach. First time in two years and wow, so much has changed. So many parking lots in downtown have bit the dust and are now 7-8 story midrises.

The last 2 Long Beach towers look great as well. I know people hate the pike outlets and 2nd and Pacific in Belmont shores, but those places are pretty vibrant and are doing well.

And Belmont Shores looks better than I remember. Tons of people everywhere.

112597jorge

May 11, 2022, 4:56 PM

https://adcollaborative.com/portfolio-posts/retail-commercial-new-development/

new highrise project out in orange?

LAsam

May 11, 2022, 5:43 PM

Big things happening all across LA County, even in sleepy El Segundo. My understanding is that this has already been preleased to Beyond Meat for the expansion of their existing space.

Standard Works expansion approved in El Segundo

https://la.urbanize.city/post/standard-works-expansion-approved-el-segundo

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2021-12/standard%20works%20north%20site%202.JPG?itok=oW6CWu3U

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2021-12/standard%20works%20south%20site%202.JPG?itok=kNfhqK5A

LosAngelesSportsFan

May 11, 2022, 10:07 PM

absolutely beautiful. I wish we had a ton more buildings like this all over LA.

colemonkee

May 12, 2022, 2:22 PM

That area of El Segundo is chock full of old brick warehouses used for industrial space, so this will fit right in. Over the last 10 years or so there have been a few really nice commercial buildings built in that area and this will definitely add to the area. I like the little cafe on the sidewalk. Hopefully Beyond Meat uses it as a test kitchen of sorts.

craigs

May 13, 2022, 12:05 AM

Primestor plans high-rise complex at Panorama Mall (https://la.urbanize.city/post/primestor-plans-high-rise-complex-panorama-mall)

4.5 million square feet of housing, hotel, and commercial uses

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
May 12, 2022

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_image_1140x538/public/background/2022-05/panorama%20mall%201.jpg?itok=1KXeoYyn

The Panorama Mall, a longtime landmark in the northern San Fernando Valley, is in for some big changes.

Primestor Development, which owns the roughly 20-acre shopping center at 8401 N. Van Nuys Boulevard, filed plans last month with the City of Los Angeles to redevelop the property with nearly 4.5 million square feet of residential, hotel, and other commercial uses. Existing improvements, which include roughly 143,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, as well as surface parking for 1,305 vehicles, would give way to a phased development consisting of:

3,544 residential units;
125,000 square feet of retail space;
70,000 square feet of food and beverage space;
90,000 square feet of entertainment uses;
125,000 square feet of office space;
230,000 square feet of medical uses; and
a 100,000-square-foot, 120-room hotel.

Excluded from the project are a retail building now occupied by a Walmart, as well as a restaurant at the intersection of Van Nuys and Roscoe Boulevards.

Per findings included with the project application, the multifamily housing would include a mix of market-rate, senior, low-income, workforce, and dormitory units. Roughly 20 percent of the total housing, or just over 700 residential units, would be restricted low-income affordable housing.

Proposed commercial uses would include a fitness center, restaurant space, a movie theater with up to 2,300 seats, a recording or movie studio, medical offices, and room for either a banquet hall or a museum.

The sprawling project site, which spans a block bounded by Van Nuys, Roscoe, Tobias Avenue, and Chase Street, would feature more than 146,000 square feet of common open space, including an event plaza and an outdoor concourse.

An unspecified number of parking stalls would be provided in above- and below-grade garage space.

The proposed specific plan would accommodate some of the tallest buildings in the San Fernando Valley, with 15-story buildings oriented toward the northern side of the site adjacent to Chase Street, and 20- and 30-story buildings along Roscoe Boulevard to the south.

Pending approvals, Primestor would redevelop the mall in four phases over the course of 20 years, starting with the area currently used as surface parking along the west side of the mall, before moving on to the retail buildings at the northeast corner of the project site. The final component of the project would replace surface parking at the southeast corner of the property.

Plans to redevelop the mall, which Primestor first considered more than five years ago, come at a time when both public and private investment is flowing into the Panorama City community.

Perhaps the most visible change will be in the median of Van Nuys Boulevard, where Metro is in the planning stages for a new light rail line which will connect the north San Fernando Valley with Van Nuys. A stop is proposed at Roscoe Boulevard, adjacent to the Panorama Mall.

A block south of the mall, an office tower vacant since the 1994 Northridge earthquake was revived in 2020 as a 194-unit rental apartment complex by developer Izek Shomof, who is also planning 200 apartments to replace a parking lot next door.

Likewise, construction recently kicked off for a 180-unit affordable and permanent supportive housing complex on a Los Angeles County-owned site along Lanark Street.

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/950w/public/2022-05/panorama%20mall%205.JPG?itok=pOR7Xor3

craigs

May 14, 2022, 12:35 AM

City Planning Commission gives 3401 La Cienega the go-ahead (https://la.urbanize.city/post/city-planning-commission-gives-3401-la-cienega-go-ahead)

Housing, offices, and retail would replace storage facility

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
May 13, 2022

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_image_1140x538/public/background/2022-05/3401%20la%20cienega%20new%201.jpg?itok=I_WZGYmd

In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission has approved a proposal to redevelop a storage facility next to the La Cienega/Jefferson Metro stop with new housing, offices, and commercial uses.

The project, which is being developed by the American arm of Australian real estate and construction giant Lendlease, would rise from a roughly 3.5-acre site located at 3401 S. La Cienega Boulevard. Plans call for the construction of two mid-rise buildings featuring 260 residential units, approximately 227,000 square feet of offices, and 2,869 square feet of ground-floor retail space atop parking for 785 vehicles.

Lendlease and its joint venture partner Aware Super are entitling the project using density bonus incentives to permit a larger residential building than allowed under zoning rules. In exchange for the zoning concessions, the project will include 22 units of deed-restricted very low-income affordable housing, as well as an additional 7 units to be reserved as workforce housing.

SHoP Architects is designing the project, which calls for the construction of a 13-story, nearly 150-foot-tall residential building and a six-story, roughly 92-foot-tall office building. Renderings portray a pair of contemporary mid-rise structures with upper level setbacks used to create terrace decks. The proposed office building would also incorporate mass timber into its design.

Per the environmental report circulated by the City of Los Angeles, 3401 La Cienega is expected to break ground in early 2023 and open by 2025.

While the project's entitlement case filing went unopposed at the Commission hearing, its tract map filing faced an appeal from Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, an organization affiliated with Laborers' International Union of North America which frequently appeals or opposes large developments seeking discretionary entitlements in the City of Los Angeles. The appeal, which was rejected by the Commission, had argued that environmental study prepared for 3401 La Cienega failed to fully consider the project's potential impacts to air quality and greenhouse gas emissions.

The 3401 La Cienega project is one of a handful of large mixed-use developments in the works surrounding La Cienega/Jefferson Station, highlighted by the Cumulus District, a 12-acre complex consisting of more than 1,200 apartments and a Whole Foods Market, and the, the 17-story Wrapper office tower.

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/950w/public/2022-05/3401%20la%20cienega%20new%204.jpg?itok=S-Ziy8qK

Other projects in the planning stages include a 254-unit apartment complex on the opposite side of La Cienega Boulevard, and a series of office buildings proposed by Kilroy Realty Corp. and Lincoln Property Company.

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2021-07/2021AMER_3401%20S.%20La%20Cienega%20Blvd_0002.jpg?itok=TyvsaULic

Illithid Dude

May 14, 2022, 1:00 AM

Wonderful looking project.

homebucket

May 14, 2022, 5:35 AM

Really nice elegant design and love the little details such as the curved glass on the corners and the terraced setbacks.

colemonkee

May 16, 2022, 3:02 PM

Man, I really hope that goes forward as planned. Really looking forward to our first SHoP-designed project.

On a related note, does anyone know what's going on with the lot directly across La Cienega from the See's Candy building? Directly south of the parking garage? Would love to see that developed into something 7 stories or higher.

citywatch

May 16, 2022, 5:28 PM

In a unanimous vote, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission has approved a proposal to redevelop a storage facility next to the La Cienega/Jefferson Metro stop with new housing, offices, and commercial uses.

Over 20 yrs ago, I used to live not too far from that section of La Cienega. Back then, it was a typical low slung commercial, industrial section of that street.

https://i.ibb.co/KxL3r4m/LC-1.png
google.com

Further north, closer to Sunset Blvd, along what is a supposedly nicer section of that same street.....

https://i.ibb.co/5FZzrdM/LC-2.png
google.com

The union of the DWP reportedly has opposed LA enacting a more ambitious underground program. I believe exposed wires are both more likely to require repair....from things like car crashes....& are also easier to access. So workers have both more hours & less difficult hours to spend on the job.

Such equipment was buried in various cities of Europe...such as Paris, London...over 100 yrs ago. Parts of Tokyo, however, haven't been quite as advanced. A city like San Fran is sort of a bit of the two.

craigs

May 16, 2022, 10:01 PM

Fresh renderings for Gehry-designed Ocean Avenue Project in Santa Monica (https://la.urbanize.city/post/fresh-renderings-gehry-designed-ocean-avenue-project-santa-monica)

It faces the Santa Monica Planning Commission this week

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
May 16, 2022

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_image_1140x538/public/background/2022-05/ocean%20avenue%20project%20worthe%20gehry%20new%201.jpg?itok=c6UIINRr

Slowly but surely, long-held plans for a Frank Gehry-designed mixed-use project inch closer to reality in Downtown Santa Monica.

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/950w/public/2022-05/ocean%20avenue%20project%20worthe%20gehry%20new%203.jpg?itok=hgkghcS3

This week, the Santa Monica Planning Commission is scheduled to review the proposed development agreement for the Ocean Avenue Project, a proposal from Worthe Real Estate Group. Slated for an L-shaped property at the intersection of Ocean and Santa Monica Boulevard, the project calls for clearing most of the two-acre site to make way for the construction of:

a 120-room hotel with amenities and meeting rooms;
100 apartments - including deed-restricted affordable units;
36,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space; and
a 35,000-square-foot museum and gallery campus.
The proposed housing would include 25 deed-restricted affordable units - priced friced for renters earning 30, 50, and 80 percent of the area median income, as well as moderate-income households - in addition to 11 rent-controlled apartments. The remaining units would be rented at market rate.

Additionally, two existing landmarked buildings - 1333 and 1337 Ocean Avenue - would be retained to serve as a component of the proposed cultural campus.

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Designed with the undulating, sculptural facades that typify many of Gehry's Los Angeles-area buildings, the largest structures at the Ocean Avenue Project would reach 130 feet above street level - the tallest heights permitted by the Downtown Santa Monica Community Plan. Publicly-accessible paseos run through the center of the property, providing pedestrian connections between Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, 2nd Street, and 1st Court. Plans also call for a series of terraces on the upper floors of the buildings, including a public observation deck above the hotel.

According to the project's environmental study, construction is expected to occur in a single phase over 34-to-36 months.

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/950w/public/2022-05/ocean%20avenue%20project%20worthe%20gehry%20new%205.jpg?itok=C5k9T0AF

Per a financial analysis submitted to the Planning Commission, the expected construction cost for the Ocean Avenue Project is approximately $243 million, with soft costs escalating the total budget to approximately $350 million.

Against that, Worthe has proposed a community benefits package which includes a financial and land contribution for the development of affordable housing, community use of the cultural campus, public open space, the observation deck, and various fees. In total, the various elements of the community benefits package would amount to a total cost of approximately $120 million.

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/950w/public/2022-05/ocean%20avenue%20project%20worthe%20gehry%20new%206.jpg?itok=a44gTOu2

The Ocean Avenue Project is one of a handful of large mixed-use projects in the works for Downtown Santa Monica, including a proposed revamp and expansion of the Miramar Hotel by Pelli Clarke Pelli. A large multifamily residential complex from Related Cos. is also poised to break ground this summer at the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Broadway.

Worthe Real Estate Group, the developer behind the Ocean Avenue Project, is also working with Frank Gehry on the Warner Bros. Second Century expansion in Burbank.

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/950w/public/2022-05/ocean%20avenue%20project%20worthe%20gehry%20new%208.jpg?itok=chCpQw1L

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-05/ocean%20avenue%20project%20worthe%20gehry%20new%207.jpg?itok=kJtBFQpE

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-05/ocean%20avenue%20project%20worthe%20gehry%20new%204.jpg?itok=6tOYD5Yj

https://la.urbanize.city/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/2022-05/ocean%20avenue%20project%20worthe%20gehry%20new%202.jpg?itok=kiK7uBAn