LOS ANGELES | METRO Project Rundown 2.0 (non-downtown)

[circuitfiend]

So, action has been kinda slow and tedious at the site for the last week or so. Workers have been chipping away at the piling bases to bring them down to the recently poured pad. Small crews. Very boring visually.

That all changed today.

The CRANE has landed! The base anyway. A ton of rebar and forms are being delivered to the site as I type this. Lots of activity. I just snapped some pics. Will get some more at the end of the day and post this evening.

[OneMetropolis]

can downtown charlie brown update the development page or someone.

[Richard_D]

I would like to see a REAL rendition of the traffic on LaBrea Ave and Hollywood Blvd. Not this one that is akin to what traffic may be like between Midnight and 3AM. The impact this project will cause on an already congested intersection (especially during Hollywood Bowl season, not to mention all the Special Events along Hollywood Blvd.) is almost criminal. I hope they do not get to build this structure (at least not this plan) it is way to big and will cause too much of an impact on the residents of the neighborhood as well as the general public that rely on this intersection as a thruway to the 101 when doing their commute. City planners need to think about this a whole lot more.

[Flavius Josephus]

I would like to see a REAL rendition of the traffic on LaBrea Ave and Hollywood Blvd. Not this one that is akin to what traffic may be like between Midnight and 3AM. The impact this project will cause on an already congested intersection (especially during Hollywood Bowl season, not to mention all the Special Events along Hollywood Blvd.) is almost criminal. I hope they do not get to build this structure (at least not this plan) it is way to big and will cause too much of an impact on the residents of the neighborhood as well as the general public that rely on this intersection as a thruway to the 101 when doing their commute. City planners need to think about this a whole lot more.

Multiple state and local laws, including CEQA, require detailed analyses of traffic impacts, mitigation measures, and in some areas transportation impact fees, before any development is approved. The council will have a detailed analysis before it when it makes a decision, and if people aren't satisfied by the analysis, they'll have an opportunity to comment on its deficiencies.

I think there's a good chance that this project will actually be good for traffic, especially on the 101 and areas near its ramps. It's better that people working in Hollywood live in Hollywood where they can walk or have a short drive to work than that they live further away and clog up the freeways. Hollywood has a concentration of jobs nearby - plus good transit only a couple blocks from this project - and needs this sort of well-designed infill development.

Put another way, the reason Hollywood traffic is bad isn't that there are too many people who live in Hollywood. It's that there are too many people who drive from the Valley to Hollywood. Give them an opportunity to live closer to work and you get less traffic.

[202_Cyclist]

Multiple state and local laws, including CEQA, require detailed analyses of traffic impacts, mitigation measures, and in some areas transportation impact fees, before any development is approved. The council will have a detailed analysis before it when it makes a decision, and if people aren't satisfied by the analysis, they'll have an opportunity to comment on its deficiencies.

I think there's a good chance that this project will actually be good for traffic, especially on the 101 and areas near its ramps. It's better that people working in Hollywood live in Hollywood where they can walk or have a short drive to work than that they live further away and clog up the freeways. Hollywood has a concentration of jobs nearby - plus good transit only a couple blocks from this project - and needs this sort of well-designed infill development.

Put another way, the reason Hollywood traffic is bad isn't that there are too many people who live in Hollywood. It's that there are too many people who drive from the Valley to Hollywood. Give them an opportunity to live closer to work and you get less traffic.

You're absolutely correct. Additionally, people who live close (1/4 to 1/2 mile) of transit, especially rail transit, have fundamentally different transportation patterns than the rest of the population, with much lower car-ownership rates and significantly higher transit mode-share rates.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

I would like to see a REAL rendition of the traffic on LaBrea Ave and Hollywood Blvd. Not this one that is akin to what traffic may be like between Midnight and 3AM. The impact this project will cause on an already congested intersection (especially during Hollywood Bowl season, not to mention all the Special Events along Hollywood Blvd.) is almost criminal. I hope they do not get to build this structure (at least not this plan) it is way to big and will cause too much of an impact on the residents of the neighborhood as well as the general public that rely on this intersection as a thruway to the 101 when doing their commute. City planners need to think about this a whole lot more.

You have it backwards bud. This is great news for hollywood

[circuitfiend]

I live just a long block down the street from LaBrea and Hollywood (Sunset and Labrea) and think that the project is perfectly proportioned for the neighborhood, which has one of the highest ratings for pedestrian activity in the entire city. Super markets, world class entertainment, shopping and great restaurants are all within walking distance to this development. Who wants to get into your car when you can take the elevator to the street and walk a couple blocks. Gee, what a concept!

[brudy]

Multiple state and local laws, including CEQA, require detailed analyses of traffic impacts, mitigation measures, and in some areas transportation impact fees, before any development is approved. The council will have a detailed analysis before it when it makes a decision, and if people aren't satisfied by the analysis, they'll have an opportunity to comment on its deficiencies.

I think there's a good chance that this project will actually be good for traffic, especially on the 101 and areas near its ramps. It's better that people working in Hollywood live in Hollywood where they can walk or have a short drive to work than that they live further away and clog up the freeways. Hollywood has a concentration of jobs nearby - plus good transit only a couple blocks from this project - and needs this sort of well-designed infill development.

Put another way, the reason Hollywood traffic is bad isn't that there are too many people who live in Hollywood. It's that there are too many people who drive from the Valley to Hollywood. Give them an opportunity to live closer to work and you get less traffic.

Very well said.

[blackcat23]

Since we're talking about Horizon Hollywood, here's a site plan obtained from the official project website (http://horizonhollywood.com/).

The 26-story tower will stand 275'. Currently the fifth tallest building planned for Hollywood. Behind the Millennium and Palladium towers, but taller than Sunset Gordon, Columbia Square, and 5901 Sunset.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YHp2uBkGP2o/U_6TwWBzyFI/AAAAAAAAD7U/uk5fXOvijYI/s1600/siteplan.jpg
http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/08/more-on-hollywood-and-la-breas-upcoming.html

[circuitfiend]

New pics from today:

http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj539/Dave1364/P1010165.jpg (http://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Dave1364/media/P1010165.jpg.html)

Close up of the crane base
http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj539/Dave1364/P1010168.jpg (http://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Dave1364/media/P1010168.jpg.html)

[blackcat23]

:previous: Nice pics, circuitfiend. If I recall correctly, there should be two construction cranes eventually. I wonder where the second one will go.

http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-property-report-playa-vista-20140828-story.html

Prominent L.A. developer to build unconventional office at Playa Vista

http://www.trbimg.com/img-53fe7046/turbine/la-water-s-edge-jpeg-jpg-20140827/1000/16x9

by Roger Vincent

Robert F. Maguire III, a prominent developer who helped shape L.A.'s skyline in the 1980s and '90s, is back.

Maguire led development of several of the city's best-known office buildings including U.S. Bank Tower, the tallest structure in Southern California. Now, at 79, Maguire says he is gearing up to develop again.

He plans to build an unconventional office at Playa Vista, the expansive former headquarters site of aviation titan Howard Hughes that has become a magnet for so-called creative firms such as YouTube....The Playa Vista office market is roaring, in part because the tech-centric Westside, sometimes known as Silicon Beach, is running out of space.

"Santa Monica is full," Maguire said. "The obvious replacement for major tenants is Playa Vista."

His plan is to build an office called WE3, which would be the third building at an office campus called Water's Edge at the intersection of Lincoln and Jefferson boulevards. Maguire has held part interest in Water's Edge since he built it in 2002.

The complex, about a mile from the Pacific Ocean, was intended from the start to be a campus for creative technology types, but the timing was off. The roaring tech boom of the late 1990s was over by the time Water's Edge hit the market and it sat empty until video-game giant Electronic Arts Inc. moved there in 2004.

EA ran into financial challenges and labored to sublease much of its space, but Water's Edge is now at more than 90% occupancy, Maguire said. He plans to sell the complex to an investor willing to become a partner in the development of WE3.

"We are interested in joint venture so we can start the building on spec," he said, meaning that work on the $67-million building would begin before any agreements with tenants have been reached....

The design, by architect Zoltan Pali of Studio Pali Fekete Architects, calls for a vivid blue and red four-story building.

"There is color everywhere, inside and out," Maguire said. "It's in total contrast to conventional office space."

WE3 would have polished concrete floors, operable windows and 14-foot ceilings — about 60% higher than is typical.

Water's Edge already has an LA Fitness gym, a screening room, a cafe, a soccer field, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court and an Olympic-length lap pool.

"This really reflects the way people want to work and what progressive companies like to buy into in terms of space," Maguire said. "It's changed."

Demand has indeed been strong in Playa Vista lately. A former U.S. Postal Service hub on Jefferson Boulevard now called the Reserve leased 380,000 square feet in less than two years to such tenants as Microsoft, entertainment media company TMZ and content delivery network EdgeCast.

Landlords asked for nearly $3.25 a square foot per month in Playa Vista last quarter, according to brokerage Cushman & Wakefield. In downtown Los Angeles landlords asked for less — about $3.04 a foot.

[202_Cyclist]

Google Eyes Giant Offices in Historic Los Angeles Airplane Hangar

By Elliot Brown
Aug. 26, 2014
Wall Street Journal

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-EG802_0826PL_G_20140826160257.jpg
Google is eyeing an expansion in Los Angeles into a hangar where the “Spruce Goose” was built—Eliot Brown / The Wall Street Journal

"A massive former airplane hangar just north of Los Angeles International Airport was home to construction of the world’s largest airplane in the 1940s and then hosted filming for movies including “Independence Day” and “Transformers.”

Soon it could launch a new life: corporate offices of Google Inc.

According to multiple people familiar with leasing discussions, Google is eyeing an expansion of its Los Angeles facilities into the sprawling facility, a giant edifice built by Howard Hughes in 1943..."

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2014/08/26/google-eyes-giant-offices-in-historic-los-angeles-airplane-hangar/

[brudy]

Google Eyes Giant Offices in Historic Los Angeles Airplane Hangar

By Elliot Brown
Aug. 26, 2014
Wall Street Journal

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-EG802_0826PL_G_20140826160257.jpg
Google is eyeing an expansion in Los Angeles into a hangar where the “Spruce Goose” was built—Eliot Brown / The Wall Street Journal

"A massive former airplane hangar just north of Los Angeles International Airport was home to construction of the world’s largest airplane in the 1940s and then hosted filming for movies including “Independence Day” and “Transformers.”

Soon it could launch a new life: corporate offices of Google Inc.

According to multiple people familiar with leasing discussions, Google is eyeing an expansion of its Los Angeles facilities into the sprawling facility, a giant edifice built by Howard Hughes in 1943..."

http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2014/08/26/google-eyes-giant-offices-in-historic-los-angeles-airplane-hangar/

Interesting. I wonder if Google was the prospective tenant for the giant May Co bldg downtown and what this would mean for that? People were also talking about Yahoo for that space too.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

i had the same thoughts. 300,000 sq ft is exactly the number that the Broadway Trade Center article referenced

[circuitfiend]

More concrete, forms and rebar today. Activity has really picked up. It's been fascinating to watch the process. Pretty much everyone checks out the progress everyday and tries to figure out what is what. This thing is going to take off shortly.

Pouring the base of the core
http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj539/Dave1364/P1010173.jpg (http://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Dave1364/media/P1010173.jpg.html)

Pouring the crane base
http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj539/Dave1364/P1010179.jpg (http://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Dave1364/media/P1010179.jpg.html)

Done for the day
http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj539/Dave1364/P1010187.jpg (http://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Dave1364/media/P1010187.jpg.html)

Crane base
http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj539/Dave1364/P1010185.jpg (http://s1266.photobucket.com/user/Dave1364/media/P1010185.jpg.html)

[Illithid Dude]

Interesting. I wonder if Google was the prospective tenant for the giant May Co bldg downtown and what this would mean for that? People were also talking about Yahoo for that space too.

Maybe Yahoo locked the Broadway space down so Google had to look elsewhere?

[colemonkee]

^ I'm not sure Yahoo! is looking to expand, to be perfectly honest. It would be great if they did, but financially they're not taking off.

Driving east on the 10 last weekend, it became pretty apparent the dramatic effect that 10000 Santa Monica will have on the Century City skyline. It will be the eastern-most tower in the structure, and at 480+ feet, it will really show from a lot of angles. Can't wait to see this one rise.

[blackcat23]

Yahoo is reportedly looking at the new office campus J.H. Snyder Co. is building in Hollywood.

http://recode.net/2014/08/26/with-content-as-new-king-yahoo-mulls-spiffing-up-its-l-a-offices/

Not sure what's being targeted for the Broadway Trade Center.

[blackcat23]

Construction permits are in the works for the Wetherly Luxury Residences. 12 stories/152', 55 condos, located a few blocks west of the Beverly Center/Cedars-Sinai.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--QB4DSSX4H8/VAYSJK2aO1I/AAAAAAAAD8o/d1FE-ynvUMI/s1600/wetherly.jpg

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

pretty clean looking building. It would be even nicer if it was perhaps 5 - 10 stories taller on the tall portion.

[Illithid Dude]

Happy that buildings of this density are being built in West L.A. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Nice, clean, attractive architecture too. For infill in a residential area, you can't really ask for much better.

[Quixote]

More of this farther east, please!

[blackcat23]

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/heres-hollywoods-latest-office-building.html

This is an office building planned near the corner of La Brea and Willoughby. Six stories, 50,000 sq ft of office space with 15,000 sq ft retail.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vznDIBzoBsc/VAipYbQi2GI/AAAAAAAAD-Q/sJQHBNef64c/s900/925rendering.PNG

[blackcat23]

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/hollywoods-lexington-development.html

This is an older project that's recently shown some signs of life. The Lexington, at the corner of Las Palmas and Santa Monica Boulevard. Redesigned a little bit (VTBS Architects), and downsized (786 apt/22k retail to 695 apt/25k retail).

Before:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8WsBG7WI9GI/VA9Cip1_g4I/AAAAAAAAEAs/wZiCZ1ZgJjM/s900/lexingtonold.jpg

After:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmJ8-o3YHlU/VA8Y8XFrlwI/AAAAAAAAD_w/BqdjpNrsLDg/s900/lexington.PNG

[Flavius Josephus]

Potentially interesting stuff from today's LADCP filing report:

- A small apartment building at 5036 W Rosewood. At 11 units, it seems to be a third of the size of the 33-unit condos that were proposed on the site pre-recession (from what I could find online, the "credit" once again seems to go to a certain prominent NIMBY lawyer, whose appeals delayed the approvals until the recession hit).
- Red/Orange Line adjacent 84-unit development at 5500 N Klump Ave. I think the application is just north of the sea of parking at the North Hollywood Station.
- Sprawly 242 SFD project at 12400 N Big Tujunga Canyon Rd. On the one hand, they're 2-story jobs, so hopefully some stuff that can house larger families (per census data, the City of Los Angeles is very short of 4+BR residences, consigning families to the exurbs); on the other, it's undeveloped land zoned for agriculture in the foothills of the mountains (and literally the last parcel within the the city borders per ZIMAS). Definitely on the fence about this one.
- 7 story 32 unit job at 888 S Devon in Westwood. Should bring out the local NIMBYs in force.
- A little adaptive reuse at the corner of 1st and State in Boyle Heights, with a little church being rehabbed into a restaurant and 10 live/work units.

[Flavius Josephus]

And, from the State Clearinghouse, a notice of preparation of an EIR for the proposed Riverwalk project in Long Beach - 131 2-3 story SFDs in a gated community with a private recreation center and pocket park. http://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/DocDescription.asp?DocPK=684367

And Metro is putting in some transit signal priority loops/transponders in West Hollywood, along Venice Blvd, and something along the Orange Line is apparently also in the works. http://media.metro.net/board/Items/2014/09_september/20140910othersectorwesitem4.pdf

[LosAngelesDreamin]

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/hollywoods-lexington-development.html

This is an older project that's recently shown some signs of life. The Lexington, at the corner of Las Palmas and Santa Monica Boulevard. Redesigned a little bit (VTBS Architects), and downsized (786 apt/22k retail to 695 apt/25k retail).

Before:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8WsBG7WI9GI/VA9Cip1_g4I/AAAAAAAAEAs/wZiCZ1ZgJjM/s900/lexingtonold.jpg

After:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kmJ8-o3YHlU/VA8Y8XFrlwI/AAAAAAAAD_w/BqdjpNrsLDg/s900/lexington.PNG

personally i like the older one better :/ taller... i like the stone color of the building and the fact that the corner was curved rather than pointy.. also how the retail was built right up against the sidewalk... rather than including another plaza

[caligrad]

^^^ Yeah, it seems like they downsized a lot and with the housing market getting big at the moment, I wonder why did they do that?

In news from Long Beach, I was driving downtown last night and the 18 and 33 story towers are already digging low for the parking garages, its moving fast, most of the heavy equipment needed is already onsite. wish I knew how to upload pictures on here

[202_Cyclist]

^^^ Yeah, it seems like they downsized a lot and with the housing market getting big at the moment, I wonder why did they do that?

In news from Long Beach, I was driving downtown last night and the 18 and 33 story towers are already digging low for the parking garages, its moving fast, most of the heavy equipment needed is already onsite. wish I knew how to upload pictures on here

Please DO NOT take any photos when driving. It is not worth getting into an accident for.

If you have a Flickr account, posting a photo is pretty easy.

1) Post the photo on Flickr.
2) If you are using Internet Explorer, then:
*File --> View -- Source.
3) A new tab will open with internet code. Search ".jpg"
4) The internet link for the photo you want to post should be the second .jpg link available when you search.
5) Copy that link.
6) On this site, click on the "Insert Image" icon.
7) Paste the link that you've copied from Flickr.
8) Click on submit reply below.

[caligrad]

Please DO NOT take any photos when driving. It is not worth getting into an accident for.

If you have a Flickr account, posting a photo is pretty easy.

1) Post the photo on Flickr.
2) If you are using Internet Explorer, then:
*File --> View -- Source.
3) A new tab will open with internet code. Search ".jpg"
4) The internet link for the photo you want to post should be the second .jpg link available when you search.
5) Copy that link.
6) On this site, click on the "Insert Image" icon.
7) Paste the link that you've copied from Flickr.
8) Click on submit reply below.

OH no ! LOL I got out of the car, parked in the red granted since parking in Long Beach is HORRIBLE, took some pics, got rushed away be a overzealous security guard but will take some pics, thanks for telling me how to post pics.

[brudy]

Potentially interesting stuff from today's LADCP filing report:
- A little adaptive reuse at the corner of 1st and State in Boyle Heights, with a little church being rehabbed into a restaurant and 10 live/work units.

Sounds cool!

[blackcat23]

According to Bisnow (http://www.bisnow.com/commercial-real-estate/los-angeles/2776-colliers-wins-the-lottery-or-at-least-the-right-to-represent-it/), the Sunset Bronson Studios expansion will break ground next week.

14-story (200 ft), 315k sq ft office tower, designed by Gensler. Five-story, 90k sq ft production building, 1,600 (?!?!?!) parking spaces.

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/big-sunset-bronson-studios-expansion-to.html
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M04EWsYePLw/VBD-HlrdbnI/AAAAAAAAEA8/7ZYwP0s8kMc/s1600/icon.PNG

[Flavius Josephus]

According to Bisnow (http://www.bisnow.com/commercial-real-estate/los-angeles/2776-colliers-wins-the-lottery-or-at-least-the-right-to-represent-it/), the Sunset Bronson Studios expansion will break ground next week.

14-story (200 ft), 315k sq ft office tower, designed by Gensler. Five-story, 90k sq ft production building, 1,600 (?!?!?!) parking spaces.

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/big-sunset-bronson-studios-expansion-to.html


That number of spaces doesn't sound crazy for a tallish LA office building. And as long as they're doing it for market-based reasons rather than some number someone pulled out of their derrière in the 60s and made a requirement, it's fine with me. If, on the other hand, they're doing this because requirements say they have to put a ton on site whether they'll need it or not, that's quite another thing.

[DistrictDirt]

That number of spaces doesn't sound crazy for a tallish LA office building.

Lets put this in perspective:

Sunset Bronson Studios Project - 14 stories - 1,600 parking spaces

Wilshire Grand Tower - 73 stories - 1,100 parking spaces

[WonderlandPark]

The parking lot is almost certainly for the entire backlot there, plus the office tower. 1600 is fine for what they need in both places. Nearby Sunset Gower gets over-full often and with the Technicolor (5 Stories) + backlot is around 1000+ spaces. Columbia Square is about 2000 spaces from what I recall reading a while back (office, commercial +residential tower)

[N. Fred]

WonderlandPark makes a good point. I have meetings and sessions at Technicolor on Sunset Gower lot quite a bit, and parking there is rather insane. I almost exclusively walk, Metro and Lyft outside of work, but most people who work at lots like Sunset Gower and Sunset Bronson often have to run back and forth between Hollywood, the valley and westside throughout the week. I think those 1,600 parking spaces are probably a necessary evil. It's good to see that Hudson Properties and others are bullish on Hollywood coming back to Hollywood.

The parking lot is almost certainly for the entire backlot there, plus the office tower. 1600 is fine for what they need in both places. Nearby Sunset Gower gets over-full often and with the Technicolor (5 Stories) + backlot is around 1000+ spaces. Columbia Square is about 2000 spaces from what I recall reading a while back (office, commercial +residential tower)

[edluva]

WonderlandPark makes a good point. I have meetings and sessions at Technicolor on Sunset Gower lot quite a bit, and parking there is rather insane. I almost exclusively walk, Metro and Lyft outside of work, but most people who work at lots like Sunset Gower and Sunset Bronson often have to run back and forth between Hollywood, the valley and westside throughout the week. I think those 1,600 parking spaces are probably a necessary evil. It's good to see that Hudson Properties and others are bullish on Hollywood coming back to Hollywood.

which proves my point that transit/walkability in LA continues to be abysmal for regular, productive members of society (transit is great if you're a poverty stricken salvadorean immigrant with few other options and you don't have business zipping cross-town on a daily basis).

placemaking doesn't occur if there is no *place* to conceptualize one's daily life around. in Santa Monica, for example, few people consider the vast swath of LA east of the 405 a "daily" part of their lives, and it probably goes the other way around. if century city is beyond practical concern for me it won't matter to me what goes on over there. if mobility hinders unity of place, then existence of such place remains tenuous.

it's ridiculous how defensive the rather unenlightened angeleno forumers get about my attacks on LAs pathetic walkability. third street promenade is an outdoor shopping mall, just like old town Pasadena. forumers fail to realize that walkability is a lifestyle, not a shopping strip, and despite these faux-urban exceptions to the norm, LA remains thoroughly unwalkable, whatever the density or height. but don't ask me. ask the developers. they're not building 1600 subterranean spaces out of charity.

[202_Cyclist]

which proves my point that transit/walkability in LA continues to be abysmal for regular, productive members of society (transit is great if you're a poverty stricken salvadorean immigrant with few other options and you don't have business zipping cross-town on a daily basis).

placemaking doesn't occur if there is no *place* to conceptualize one's daily life around. in Santa Monica, for example, few people consider the vast swath of LA east of the 405 a "daily" part of their lives, and it probably goes the other way around. if century city is beyond practical concern for me it won't matter to me what goes on over there. if mobility hinders unity of place, then existence of such place remains tenuous.

it's ridiculous how defensive the rather unenlightened angeleno forumers get about my attacks on LAs pathetic walkability. third street promenade is an outdoor shopping mall, just like old town Pasadena. forumers fail to realize that walkability is a lifestyle, not a shopping strip, and despite these faux-urban exceptions to the norm, LA remains thoroughly unwalkable, whatever the density or height. but don't ask me. ask the developers. they're not building 1600 subterranean spaces out of charity.


Get over yourself. How many times do we need to hear how enlightened you are and how dumb the other Southern California residents are? At least four different cities are planning streetcars networks in Southern California. The second busiest Amtrak route serves Southern California. There is nearly 400 miles of commuter rail. The nation's busiest bus rapid transit route is in LA County. There is 80 miles of light and heavy rail, with 4-5 extensions or new routes under construction. Southern California will enjoy the mobility of high speed rail. The most ambitious transit station currently under construction is in Orange County.

Perhaps you might not be able to get from Mission Viejo to Chatsworth by transit but if you choose to live near rail or near your place of employment, it seems like it is certainly feasible to live 'car-lite' in much of LA and some of the suburbs.

Instead of constantly complaining, try advocating for more funding to expand transit to give residents even more transportation options.

[Illithid Dude]

which proves my point that transit/walkability in LA continues to be abysmal for regular, productive members of society (transit is great if you're a poverty stricken salvadorean immigrant with few other options and you don't have business zipping cross-town on a daily basis).

placemaking doesn't occur if there is no *place* to conceptualize one's daily life around. in Santa Monica, for example, few people consider the vast swath of LA east of the 405 a "daily" part of their lives, and it probably goes the other way around. if century city is beyond practical concern for me it won't matter to me what goes on over there. if mobility hinders unity of place, then existence of such place remains tenuous.

it's ridiculous how defensive the rather unenlightened angeleno forumers get about my attacks on LAs pathetic walkability. third street promenade is an outdoor shopping mall, just like old town Pasadena. forumers fail to realize that walkability is a lifestyle, not a shopping strip, and despite these faux-urban exceptions to the norm, LA remains thoroughly unwalkable, whatever the density or height. but don't ask me. ask the developers. they're not building 1600 subterranean spaces out of charity.

Why even bring the Promenade in to this? No one was talking about the Promenade, and I've never heard anyone say that DT SaMo is anything BUT walkable. The Promenade is just one street.

And, for the record, I, who lived in SaMo for almost my entire life, would go past the 405 on a daily basis.

[WonderlandPark]

Robinson's May in BH site sold for !! $420 !! Million. Wow.

Sold to Wanda group who intends to build the Richard Meier project next year.

http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-robinsons-asian-investors-20140912-story.html

[202_Cyclist]

Why even bring the Promenade in to this? No one was talking about the Promenade, and I've never heard anyone say that DT SaMo is anything BUT walkable. The Promenade is just one street.

And, for the record, I, who lived in SaMo for almost my entire life, would go past the 405 on a daily basis.

Exactly. Santa Monica is eminently accessible by transit as well, with frequent bus service, and it will only become more accessible when the Expo line is completed in 2017-2018.

[WonderlandPark]

Slow progress on Dream Hotel Hollywood.

http://i59.tinypic.com/2r6jll0.jpg

[LA/OCman]

Exactly. Santa Monica is eminently accessible by transit as well, with frequent bus service, and it will only become more accessible when the Expo line is completed in 2017-2018.

The Expo Line is slated to be completed in 2015 to Santa Monica…much sooner than you stated above.

[blackcat23]

In news from Long Beach, I was driving downtown last night and the 18 and 33 story towers are already digging low for the parking garages, its moving fast, most of the heavy equipment needed is already onsite. wish I knew how to upload pictures on here

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/long-beachs-newest-tower-now-pushing.html

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s3Q3CQ-eyOw/VBSX5LLPi_I/AAAAAAAAEBk/gj8ySaW1Or0/s900/DSC03210.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eaG6SKkf6b8/VBUE0UNsvcI/AAAAAAAAEB8/sF4ItaMLv6A/s900/current1.jpg

[mhays]

Lets put this in perspective:

Sunset Bronson Studios Project - 14 stories - 1,600 parking spaces

Wilshire Grand Tower - 73 stories - 1,100 parking spaces

Height has nothing to do with it. Office workers used to take about 250 sf each and now average closer to 200. If you have 315,000 sf, you might have 1,575 workers. No idea about the production building.

But urban buildings generally have a lot fewer parking spaces. In a downtown environment (no idea about LA specifically) you might have a few hundred spaces, and a secondary node maybe over 500. But 1,600 is pure suburban.

[202_Cyclist]

Blackcat23-- thank you for posting the Long Beach photos. Long Beach is one of the most underrated cities in Southern California.

[Eightball]

Great design!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9836iuPcby4/VBUE-_D2Z2I/AAAAAAAAECQ/_5g9Bns73EE/s1600/current3.jpg

[Quixote]

I honestly forget about Long Beach's existence from time to time. It's quite underrated and brimming with potential.

[StethJeff]

I honestly forget about Long Beach's existence from time to time. It's quite underrated and brimming with potential.

Couldn't agree more. Before having to move there, I'd only been to Long Beach once or twice in my life as a kid to go to the Queen Mary. The problem is that it's too far from everywhere else and sort of exists on an island in the sense that it's completely surrounded by places you'd have no business ever going to. Great place though. Still needs some work but I've always had that feeling that it's just barely on the cusp of becoming something BIG. A little more transit connectivity and investment and it'll take off like DTLA or Abbot Kinney.

[Flavius Josephus]

Couldn't agree more. Before having to move there, I'd only been to Long Beach once or twice in my life as a kid to go to the Queen Mary. The problem is that it's too far from everywhere else and sort of exists on an island in the sense that it's completely surrounded by places you'd have no business ever going to. Great place though. Still needs some work but I've always had that feeling that it's just barely on the cusp of becoming something BIG. A little more transit connectivity and investment and it'll take off like DTLA or Abbot Kinney.

Long Beach has better transit than Venice, with the Blue Line and a robust municipal bus network. Its biggest challenges are probably the fact that it has a tiny downtown surround by suburbia, port-related pollution, and proximity to impoverished neighborhoods reducing its commuter potential. But it looks like they're making real progress in improving DTLB with these projects and others in the pipeline.

I think LB's politics are more conducive to development too - it reminds me of Santa Monica a bit, but without the aggressive NIMBYism. Plus, a LB renaissance might finally get some investors interested in improving the surrounding inland neighborhoods, some of which haven't seen any real private investment since just after WWII and others that really haven't recovered since they went downhill in the 70s and 80s.

[blackcat23]

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/fancy-senior-housing-complex-breaks.html

This is a 199-unit senior housing complex that just broke ground in Playa Vista. Designed by Gensler, developed by the Los Angeles Jewish Home.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PGQAd1j6abs/U-N8PlO5k2I/AAAAAAAADyk/jbWgG_fZ_2s/s900/26-1200x750.jpg

[edluva]

Long Beach has better transit than Venice, with the Blue Line and a robust municipal bus network. Its biggest challenges are probably the fact that it has a tiny downtown surround by suburbia, port-related pollution, and proximity to impoverished neighborhoods reducing its commuter potential. But it looks like they're making real progress in improving DTLB with these projects and others in the pipeline.

the problem with DTLB is it's simply not very desireable like Santa monica or DTLA, because it lacks the transit, walkability, and historic architecture of DTLA and it lacks the creativity/education/money of santa monica/venice.

long beach has several detractors holding it back - it's relatively isolated ("an island" in the ghetto), it's surrounded by a polluted harbor region, and its urban design is horrible (the waters of shoreline village are completely segregated from the rest of the city). But most of all (without getting all racial about things :rolleyes:) DTLB is considered "ghetto". that fact alone answers all of your other concerns re: lack of investment and lack of gentrification.

[Jaycruz]

Did we visit the same Long Beach Edulva????? Downtown was far from ghetto in my opinion. I actually found it very desirable and regretted not looking into the area when I moved from the east coast. I found it easily walkable and the transit was great in the downtown area. The free shuttles are amazing. and they all connect to the blue line. And long beach buses were on rotation like clock work from what I saw.

[StethJeff]

Long Beach has a decent share of historic buildings and is very walkable in several areas. Can't say I agree with everything you're saying, ed.

[edluva]

Long Beach has a decent share of historic buildings and is very walkable in several areas. Can't say I agree with everything you're saying, ed.

as an architect you have to at least acknowledge the glaringly problematic disconnect between the LB shoreline and the rest of DTLB. that has been a topic of discussion for the ages among city planners. Additionally DTLB's historic buildings are not nearly enough and in sufficient quality and consistency to draw gentrification on its own merits the way DTLAs have. you must not be serious in your attempt to paint the two places with any amount of similar deference. If gentrification does occur on a large scale it will be for value first, not because it's a stand-in for Manhattan's East Village

and 90% of my post concurs with flavius' btw, i'm definitely not alone in feeling this way about LB. I'm not a country clubber by any means, but I have heard many people refer to DTLB as "ghetto", and not in the endearing way york blvd or highland park are. the opinion is far more widespread than you admit and let me just say, DTLB in its current condition will never be a major draw to anyone but blue collar locals from the IE or immediate areas. While I think that drawing numbers is great regardless of what kind of numbers, it still must be said (because people are making it a goal) that LBC is on a whole different planet than DTLA, Samo/Venice, Pasadena, etc. regarding the demographics of its patrons and residents, and therefore, a whole different planet regarding available investment and gentrification. hence my original point.

but don't let some guy on SSP convince you of that. the level of investment in LB redevelopment and gentrification speaks for itself ;)

[The Illusive Man]

Good for Long Beach. I'm glad to see the area improving. It's definitely underrated and has a lot of potential.

I don't get to go out there often, but when I do, I've always enjoyed it.

[caligrad]

as an architect you have to at least acknowledge the glaringly problematic disconnect between the LB shoreline and the rest of DTLB. that has been a topic of discussion for the ages among city planners. Additionally DTLB's historic buildings are not nearly enough and in sufficient quality and consistency to draw gentrification on its own merits the way DTLAs have. you must not be serious in your attempt to paint the two places with any amount of similar deference. If gentrification does occur on a large scale it will be for value first, not because it's a stand-in for Manhattan's East Village

and 90% of my post concurs with flavius' btw, i'm definitely not alone in feeling this way about LB. I'm not a country clubber by any means, but I have heard many people refer to DTLB as "ghetto", and not in the endearing way york blvd or highland park are. the opinion is far more widespread than you admit and let me just say, DTLB in its current condition will never be a major draw to anyone but blue collar locals from the IE or immediate areas. While I think that drawing numbers is great regardless of what kind of numbers, it still must be said (because people are making it a goal) that LBC is on a whole different planet than DTLA, Samo/Venice, Pasadena, etc. regarding the demographics of its patrons and residents, and therefore, a whole different planet regarding available investment and gentrification. hence my original point.

but don't let some guy on SSP convince you of that. the level of investment in LB redevelopment and gentrification speaks for itself ;)

LMAO ! WTF. Dude. your going from thread to thread spreading misinformation. Downtown is going through a HEAVY gentrification right now as we speak. WTF. I hate people who spread misinformation. Many of the old downtown buildings are being rezoned and reborn into condos and mixed use developments. The biggest vacant building that sat in the middle of downtown, the press telegram building, that was built in the early 1900s was just converted into Condos and lofts ! the long beach arts district was a dump a mere 5 years ago and now its the center of the city revitalization program with storefront shops, stores and restaurants. And what disconnect from the Long Beach shoreline and downtown ? Downtown literally runs up right next to the beach ??? and I hope your not talking about the tourist trap that is shoreline village. Not even the locals waste their time going there.

Long Beach blvd, north of 7th street which has been considered one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city is going through a very nice revitalization, a 10 story Senior housing complex was just built and is at full capacity, the entire stretch of long beach blvd from 7th to willow has construction cranes and bulldozers with new construction taking over, mind you its happening in the toughest neighborhood in the city which crime is down to one of its lowest point, im seeing people from outside of the area coming in that you wouldn't expect in some areas, west Long Beach is at its cleanest in decades and is still improving ! WTF the only thing stopping long beach from becoming santa monica is the LA river dumping onto the beach and the proximity to the port. other than that if Long Beach was feeling frisky and brought back the REAL Pike. Long Beach would give the western LA beaches a run for their money.

[JDRCRASH]

Indeed, I sometimes wonder would Long Beach would be like if the city somehow was able to build a complete replica of the old Pike and pier, like where Marina Green Park and Queensway Bay are right now.

Based on the old noirish photos i've seen of the place, it was right up there with the Santa Monica pier and Coney Island.

[Flavius Josephus]

i want what you're smoking

Beach-related hyperbole aside, Long Beach's openness to development is what may well allow it to compete with the Westside as a vibrant neighborhood. SaMo is nice if you already live there, but its rabid anti-growth politics mean that it is essentially off-limits to everyone who is not very rich (or moved into a rent-controlled place 30 years ago and will never move out).

Sure, being next to a megaport and its associated pollution isn't good. But in a housing market as constrained as SoCal's, if you build a bunch of housing in an increasingly walkable area with moderately good transit near some stores, bars, and restaurants, people will live there and a vibrant urban lifestyle will spring up. There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people in the AV and IE who would love to have an urban lifestyle closer to LA if only they could afford it. If Long Beach understands this and increases supply while Santa Monica fights to keep new people out, perhaps some day in a decade or two we'll be talking about how all the Post-Millennials are moving to the trendy south.

[202_Cyclist]

People are able to live along the ocean in Long Beach for significantly less than they could in Orange Co. or elsewhere in Southern California.

Yes, the port is a source of pollution but the Port of LA/LB is also spending hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars, to reduce the pollution from the trucks and ships servicing the port, including providing energy to the ships when they dock so they don't have to run their diesel engines.

[brudy]

I think LB is just entering some people's awareness as a place to live where you could get something of a beach and urban (or at least walkable) context and still be close to everything LA provides. I've heard a few people talking about it here in downtown and a guy in my building moved down there earlier this year to a much larger place for less rent on the water.

[Flavius Josephus]

On another note, LADCP's environmental notices have this:

- 254 unit river-adjacent apartment development at 6621 N Reseda Blvd with ground floor retail. http://cityplanning.lacity.org/staffrpt/mnd/ENV-2014-1760.pdf. It's about 2/3 of a mile from the Orange Line. Replaces an auto body shop.
- Major expansion of a homeless shelter to include a bunch of supportive housing at 340 N Madison Ave by PATH Ventures. http://cityplanning.lacity.org/staffrpt/mnd/ENV-2014-1303.pdf

[edluva]

Beach-related hyperbole aside, Long Beach's openness to development is what may well allow it to compete with the Westside as a vibrant neighborhood. SaMo is nice if you already live there, but its rabid anti-growth politics mean that it is essentially off-limits to everyone who is not very rich (or moved into a rent-controlled place 30 years ago and will never move out).

Sure, being next to a megaport and its associated pollution isn't good. But in a housing market as constrained as SoCal's, if you build a bunch of housing in an increasingly walkable area with moderately good transit near some stores, bars, and restaurants, people will live there and a vibrant urban lifestyle will spring up. There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people in the AV and IE who would love to have an urban lifestyle closer to LA if only they could afford it. If Long Beach understands this and increases supply while Santa Monica fights to keep new people out, perhaps some day in a decade or two we'll be talking about how all the Post-Millennials are moving to the trendy south.

i won't completely negate the positives DTLB has. its near water. it's got walkable bones. there's transit. attractions too.

but to your point, fundamental gentrification in DTLB is going to occur on the scale of decades, not years. DTLB attracts primarily weekenders of the middle-lower socioeconomic spectrum. the restaurants, bars, even the type of "redevelopment" targets patrons from the gateway cities and the IE. it completely lacks the sophistication of santa monica, DLTA, and pasadena. think jersey shore. for this reason, there is still a long long way to go for it to become a national or even international destination in its own right, excepting the demographic it currently serves.

santa monica does have its problems. especially rent control and the SMRR, and to some degree it's become a victim of its own success. but all in all, santa monica has an enviable list of positives that DTLB could only dream of ever possessing.

[Flavius Josephus]

i won't completely negate the positives DTLB has. its near water. it's got walkable bones. there's transit. attractions too.

but to your point, fundamental gentrification in DTLB is going to occur on the scale of decades, not years. DTLB attracts primarily weekenders of the middle-lower socioeconomic spectrum. the restaurants, bars, even the type of "redevelopment" targets patrons from the gateway cities and the IE. it completely lacks the sophistication of santa monica, DLTA, and pasadena. think jersey shore. for this reason, there is still a long long way to go for it to become a national or even international destination in its own right, excepting the demographic it currently serves.

santa monica does have its problems. especially rent control and the SMRR, and to some degree it's become a victim of its own success. but all in all, santa monica has an enviable list of positives that DTLB could only dream of ever possessing.

I think it would be great to give folks from the Gateway Cities and IE an urban alternative to overcrowded '50s tract homes and insane commutes from exurbia. And I'm not sure if you're referring to Jersey Shore generally or the TV show in particular, but assuming it's the former, it's worth remembering the critical role the Jersey Shore long played as an opportunity for recreation for working class and middle class people. It's currently very tough to be poor in SoCal - if this provides some housing to mitigate upward pressures on rents and some convenient recreational amenities for people in the surrounding areas, then that's a win from my perspective even if it doesn't end up going all the way to ultra-trendy like DTLA or DTSM.

Short version: SoCal needs housing. Anywhere that builds a lot of it sufficiently close together for people to walk and generate sufficient demand for concentrations of restaurants, etc., to develop is going to do well. That's the lesson of DTLA.

[caligrad]

i won't completely negate the positives DTLB has. its near water. it's got walkable bones. there's transit. attractions too.

but to your point, fundamental gentrification in DTLB is going to occur on the scale of decades, not years. DTLB attracts primarily weekenders of the middle-lower socioeconomic spectrum. the restaurants, bars, even the type of "redevelopment" targets patrons from the gateway cities and the IE. it completely lacks the sophistication of santa monica, DLTA, and pasadena. think jersey shore. for this reason, there is still a long long way to go for it to become a national or even international destination in its own right, excepting the demographic it currently serves.

santa monica does have its problems. especially rent control and the SMRR, and to some degree it's become a victim of its own success. but all in all, santa monica has an enviable list of positives that DTLB could only dream of ever possessing.

A walking contradiction much ? on the last page you said Long Beach lacked walkability and it lacked transit and now your saying its walkable and it has transit? pick one side of the fence.......

the problem with DTLB is it's simply not very desireable like Santa monica or DTLA, because it lacks the transit, walkability, and historic architecture of DTLA and it lacks the creativity/education/money of santa monica/venice.

[bighomey3000]

It is better to ignore trolls (with the ignore button) then feed them.

[edluva]

A walking contradiction much ? on the last page you said Long Beach lacked walkability and it lacked transit and now your saying its walkable and it has transit? pick one side of the fence.......

think a little deeper caligrad. DTLB's connection to the waterfront is horrible. downtown north of ocean has walkability (though patchy, hence the walkable bones) but the main reason people come to DTLB, to be near the water, is lost to horrible connectivity. the shoreline is completely devoid of walkability. overall, it needs lots of work to become walkable. get it?

try harder, caligrad ;)

[Flavius Josephus]

Meanwhile, in Hollywood Target news, it looks like the Court of Appeal has denied Target's request to stay pending appeal the Superior Court decision halting the project. http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/dockets.cfm?dist=2&doc_id=2084287&doc_no=B258033. Target appears to have filed a petition for review of that order by the California Supreme Court. http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/mainCaseScreen.cfm?dist=0&doc_id=2087332&doc_no=S221183.

The court filings do not appear to be freely available online; from the public docket sheets, I think this is just relates to the denial of the stay pending appeal, rather than the whole appeal.

[blackcat23]

254 unit river-adjacent apartment development at 6621 N Reseda Blvd with ground floor retail. http://cityplanning.lacity.org/staffrpt/mnd/ENV-2014-1760.pdf. It's about 2/3 of a mile from the Orange Line. Replaces an auto body shop.

Here we go:

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/low-rise-mixed-user-to-sprout-on-reseda.html

The WaterMark, designed by TAG Architects. Six-story project being developed by Metric Holdings Corporation.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n90oSIio_OM/VBxQVV7ofOI/AAAAAAAAEFg/aoWN-_XA6z8/s900/reseda1.PNG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kHcVa3AoMbQ/VBwvnrndzvI/AAAAAAAAEFU/gwksN-PYIsE/s900/6621reseda.PNG

[edluva]

Meanwhile, in Hollywood Target news, it looks like the Court of Appeal has denied Target's request to stay pending appeal the Superior Court decision halting the project. http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/dockets.cfm?dist=2&doc_id=2084287&doc_no=B258033. Target appears to have filed a petition for review of that order by the California Supreme Court. http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/mainCaseScreen.cfm?dist=0&doc_id=2087332&doc_no=S221183.

The court filings do not appear to be freely available online; from the public docket sheets, I think this is just relates to the denial of the stay pending appeal, rather than the whole appeal.

just trying to get a target built in hollywood...a friggin' target!

LA is toxic to progress

[BrianMojo]

Here we go:

The WaterMark, designed by TAG Architects. Six-story project being developed by Metric Holdings Corporation.


Not bad at all! It begins.

[caligrad]

just trying to get a target built in hollywood...a friggin' target!

LA is toxic to progress

Now this I agree with you. If this is the Stalled target on sunset they are talking about, its sad. Let it finish ! why stop it mid construction. ridiculous.

[caligrad]

In other news. The shoreline gateway project in Long Beach is digging down at a steady pace like metropolis. However there was a little chirp from one of the neighbors concerned with views being blockeds and traffic increasing but the city of Long Beach politely said "SHUT THE HELL UP". I like how Projects in Long Beach pretty much move swiftly and most of the time receive little to no opposition from its neighbors. This project sits right next to a couple of 2 story apartments/condos and across the street from other towering condos not much of a peep out of the neighbors until now. There was when it was first proposed but most of them were elderly and this was proposed 8 years ago........so.....yeah.......

[caligrad]

Here we go:

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/low-rise-mixed-user-to-sprout-on-reseda.html

The WaterMark, designed by TAG Architects. Six-story project being developed by Metric Holdings Corporation.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n90oSIio_OM/VBxQVV7ofOI/AAAAAAAAEFg/aoWN-_XA6z8/s900/reseda1.PNG

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kHcVa3AoMbQ/VBwvnrndzvI/AAAAAAAAEFU/gwksN-PYIsE/s900/6621reseda.PNG

Thanks for the update blackcat. is it just me......or looking at this harder it looks like a fancy parking garage ? doesn't even look like a residential building to me, just a fancy parking garage........BUILD IT !

[Flavius Josephus]

Thanks for the update blackcat. is it just me......or looking at this harder it looks like a fancy parking garage ? doesn't even look like a residential building to me, just a fancy parking garage........BUILD IT !

Nice project. Nothing special, but a good salt-of-the-earth bunch of apartments quietly bringing much-needed housing without being too bold and provoking too much backlash from the neighbors. A few dozen of these a year and LA might actually stand a chance of getting construction up to a level where it keeps pace with population growth.

[edluva]

I think it would be great to give folks from the Gateway Cities and IE an urban alternative to overcrowded '50s tract homes and insane commutes from exurbia. And I'm not sure if you're referring to Jersey Shore generally or the TV show in particular, but assuming it's the former, it's worth remembering the critical role the Jersey Shore long played as an opportunity for recreation for working class and middle class people. It's currently very tough to be poor in SoCal - if this provides some housing to mitigate upward pressures on rents and some convenient recreational amenities for people in the surrounding areas, then that's a win from my perspective even if it doesn't end up going all the way to ultra-trendy like DTLA or DTSM.

i agree wholehartedly. the lower class need beaches to play at too. my comments weren't in disgreement with that at all, but more to the delusional forumers touting DTLB as some kind of upcoming santa monica or DTLA, which it probably will never be. the lower class who both surround and swarm DTLB will ensure that DTLB won't ever fully gentrify and attain that universal appeal santa monica or pasadena has. which is ok for what it serves. optimism is good, but let's not get delusional here.

for the same reason DTLB is playground for low income gateway/IE types, DTLB will continue to be viewed as somewhat "ghetto" for a long time coming, like it or not. akin to the jersey shore. and not in the bohemian way venice was in the 90s when it was still a rough neighborhood, for those wishful thinkers up here. anyone trying to deny that is again, being delusional.

[upward 2000]

In other news. The shoreline gateway project in Long Beach is digging down at a steady pace like metropolis. However there was a little chirp from one of the neighbors concerned with views being blockeds and traffic increasing but the city of Long Beach politely said "SHUT THE HELL UP". I like how Projects in Long Beach pretty much move swiftly and most of the time receive little to no opposition from its neighbors. This project sits right next to a couple of 2 story apartments/condos and across the street from other towering condos not much of a peep out of the neighbors until now. There was when it was first proposed but most of them were elderly and this was proposed 8 years ago........so.....yeah.......

Any word on when the shoreline gateway project is due to open?

[caligrad]

^^^ If I remember correctly, The 18 story tower is suppose to open late 2016 or early 2017. and the 32 story tower wont be completed until 2019. it wont start construction until the first one is done but I've read in the downtown gazette paper in Long Beach that construction of the second tower may actually start between late next year and mid 2016 because developers want to move quickly as quickly as possible while the market is still good for housing. Finger crossed.

[Flavius Josephus]

LADCP case filing report is out. Very quiet fortnight - a few 20-35 unit apartment buildings and a few small lot subdivisions there, but nothing bigger as far as I can see. http://cityplanning.lacity.org/CNCRpts/dsp_viewFileDetail.cfm?filename=298.

Meanwhile, CEQANet has a 97 unit mixed user in Burbank at 550 N 3rd St, http://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/DocDescription.asp?DocPK=684784, and a DEIR for the proposed Sprouts Farmers' Market at 8550 SMB in WeHo, http://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/DocDescription.asp?DocPK=684651. Also a few smallish projects in LA - 18 units in a 5 story apt block at 479 S Fairfax, http://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/DocDescription.asp?DocPK=684658; 34 unit apts at 801 N Hudson, http://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/DocDescription.asp?DocPK=684660; 9 unit, 4 story building on a small site at 316 N Kenmore, http://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/DocDescription.asp?DocPK=684811; and the MND for the supportive housing and shelter expansion, http://www.ceqanet.ca.gov/DocDescription.asp?DocPK=684884.

[RaymondChandlerLives]

i agree wholehartedly. the lower class need beaches to play at too. my comments weren't in disgreement with that at all, but more to the delusional forumers touting DTLB as some kind of upcoming santa monica or DTLA, which it probably will never be. the lower class who both surround and swarm DTLB will ensure that DTLB won't ever fully gentrify and attain that universal appeal santa monica or pasadena has. which is ok for what it serves. optimism is good, but let's not get delusional here.

for the same reason DTLB is playground for low income gateway/IE types, DTLB will continue to be viewed as somewhat "ghetto" for a long time coming, like it or not. akin to the jersey shore. and not in the bohemian way venice was in the 90s when it was still a rough neighborhood, for those wishful thinkers up here. anyone trying to deny that is again, being delusional.

Do you even know how gentrification works? DTLA is surrounded by low income neighborhoods on all four sides, and is home to the largest concentration of homeless in the US, yet somehow is it gentrifying at healthy rate. DTLB is actually less in tatters than Santa Monica and Pasadena were before they polished up, it is tailor-made for gentrification. A decent-sized chunk of walkability near the ocean is a precious commodity in Southern California and DTLB provides it. Put your money on it coming up towards the end of the decade, especially if the city embraces condo-culture a'la Miami.

[edluva]

Do you even know how gentrification works? DTLA is surrounded by low income neighborhoods on all four sides, and is home to the largest concentration of homeless in the US, yet somehow is it gentrifying at healthy rate. DTLB is actually less in tatters than Santa Monica and Pasadena were before they polished up, it is tailor-made for gentrification. A decent-sized chunk of walkability near the ocean is a precious commodity in Southern California and DTLB provides it. Put your money on it coming up towards the end of the decade, especially if the city embraces condo-culture a'la Miami.


do you honestly believe the forces serving to gentrify DTLA are equivalent to those in DTLB? DTLB is being "gentrified" by businesses that serve low income patrons from the IE and gateway cities. as a result, DTLB is "ghetto". unlike DTLA, DTLB is not cool. it will probably never be.

contrast that with DTLA, which is being gentrified by a demographic similar to that which gentrified silverlake, santa monica/venice, mid-city, and even pasadena...a demographic that is educated, creative, wealthy, erudite, politically involved, the exact kinds of people that DTLB has had difficulty attracting. this is probably because DTLA is far more attractive than DTLB - it offers a true big-city landscape that LB lacks, extensive walkable urbanism, the transit nexus of regional rail, little tokyo, chinatown, a world class art museum etc etc. but most importantly it's not overrun by businesses that serve the "ghetto" class. that is the key difference, believe it or not.

DTLA is surrounded by poor immigrants and homeless, but its not "ghettofied" with nightclubs and restaurants that serve the harbor/IE crowd how DTLB is. in other words, DTLA has a cool factor DTLB will never have. you will see hipsters and yuppies colonize tattered up historic cores like DTLA, but you will never see hipsters and yuppies mingling with people from upland and downey and the power106 crowd. sorry that's just how things go.

wait a minute, am i even having this conversation with you? if you can't tell the difference then you are blind.

[Flavius Josephus]

From the latest round of environmental notices, 71 unit apt building at 7128 N Amigo Ave in Reseda - http://cityplanning.lacity.org/staffrpt/mnd/ENV-2014-1119.pdf.

[RaymondChandlerLives]

do you honestly believe the forces serving to gentrify DTLA are equivalent to those in DTLB? DTLB is being "gentrified" by businesses that serve low income patrons from the IE and gateway cities. as a result, DTLB is "ghetto". unlike DTLA, DTLB is not cool. it will probably never be.

contrast that with DTLA, which is being gentrified by a demographic similar to that which gentrified silverlake, santa monica/venice, mid-city, and even pasadena...a demographic that is educated, creative, wealthy, erudite, politically involved, the exact kinds of people that DTLB has had difficulty attracting. this is probably because DTLA is far more attractive than DTLB - it offers a true big-city landscape that LB lacks, extensive walkable urbanism, the transit nexus of regional rail, little tokyo, chinatown, a world class art museum etc etc. but most importantly it's not overrun by businesses that serve the "ghetto" class. that is the key difference, believe it or not.

DTLA is surrounded by poor immigrants and homeless, but its not "ghettofied" with nightclubs and restaurants that serve the harbor/IE crowd how DTLB is. in other words, DTLA has a cool factor DTLB will never have. you will see hipsters and yuppies colonize tattered up historic cores like DTLA, but you will never see hipsters and yuppies mingling with people from upland and downey and the power106 crowd. sorry that's just how things go.
wait a minute, am i even having this conversation with you? if you can't tell the difference then you are blind.

How loathsome. Good thing most gentrifiers aren't nearly as elitist and bigoted as you. Silverlake, Echo Park, Highland Park, and DTLA would never have gentrified if that were the case.

[caligrad]

How loathsome. Good thing most gentrifiers aren't nearly as elitist and bigoted as you. Silverlake, Echo Park, Highland Park, and DTLA would never have gentrified if that were the case.

LOL There's no arguing with flip flopping Enigma Edulva. Even when your throwing facts at their face, the moderators will some how see your being mean and delete your comments and keep theirs up. Just ignore him/her. I've learned that when most of us ignore him/her, they tend to go quiet for a while.

I'm just loving the fact that Edulva is speaking so highly of DTLA, just a few months ago they were saying DTLA was a cesspool, disaster, not cool, would never fully gentrify, would never become a "true American urban center" and was bound to fail. But typical Edulva, now all of a sudden they have jumped on the bandwagon. HAHAHAHA typical and predictable.

[edluva]

How loathsome. Good thing most gentrifiers aren't nearly as elitist and bigoted as you. Silverlake, Echo Park, Highland Park, and DTLA would never have gentrified if that were the case.

i take no offense to that label. why? it's not difficult to be "elitist" in LA because, let's be honest, so much of LA is ghetto. it's like calling someone elitist for thinking TJ is crappy, or redneck jacksonville is crappy, just not to that extreme (clearly LA is nicer than TJ, or jacksonville, but my point remains)

the pre-gentrified silverlake was much different from the IE/gateway crowd currently "gentrifying" DTLB. the IE/gateway types are american, just blue collar. they are LAs version of guidos. the pre-gentrified silverlake are not guidos. they're just foreign. they're poor but they're not hood, like DTLB is. hipsters are allergic to ghetto, whereas they welcome foreign. get it?

so your case that HP, silverlake, or DTLA would never have been gentrified is untrue. they do not share analagous circumstances with DTLB.

[edluva]

LOL There's no arguing with flip flopping Enigma Edulva. Even when your throwing facts at their face, the moderators will some how see your being mean and delete your comments and keep theirs up. Just ignore him/her. I've learned that when most of us ignore him/her, they tend to go quiet for a while.

I'm just loving the fact that Edulva is speaking so highly of DTLA, just a few months ago they were saying DTLA was a cesspool, disaster, not cool, would never fully gentrify, would never become a "true American urban center" and was bound to fail. But typical Edulva, now all of a sudden they have jumped on the bandwagon. HAHAHAHA typical and predictable.

DTLA probably won't fully gentrify. it's an island surrounded by too much poverty. but still, i can admit that it appeals to a much cooler crowd than DTLB. i attribute that to its superior cultural heritage, superior built env't, superior transit, superior location (proximity to culture), etc.

can you see how these seemingly "flip flopping" points can coexist? (you apparently need assistance with more absract concepts here ;) )

I'm just illustrating the point that DTLA is more attractive to gentrifying forces. doesn't mean i'm all that impressed with it, personally.

[LAsam]

DTLA probably won't fully gentrify. it's an island surrounded by too much poverty. but still, i can admit that it appeals to a much cooler crowd than DTLB. i attribute that to its superior cultural heritage, superior built env't, superior transit, superior location (proximity to culture), etc.

Don't forget proximity to jobs. I don't have the numbers, but I'm confident DTLA has far superior proximity to high paying jobs than DTLB. To be able to sustain the kind of prices required for full gentrification, you need people with disposable income.

[Flavius Josephus]

Don't forget proximity to jobs. I don't have the numbers, but I'm confident DTLA has far superior proximity to high paying jobs than DTLB. To be able to sustain the kind of prices required for full gentrification, you need people with disposable income.

There are decent jobs in LB, and it's not hard to imagine some OC jobs moving over the county line if LB is where their workers want to live. Same dynamic we're getting with some Westside firms moving to DTLA or at least opening branches there.

[Flavius Josephus]

A few interesting tidbits from some otherwise-dull SCAG federal transit funding compliance documents covering short-term transit investments:

- Glendale is undertaking a feasibility study for a downtown streetcar
- Long Beach is improving bus and Blue Line signal priority at intersections (not sure if this is part of Metro's Better Blue Line project - it's listed with Long Beach as the lead agency).
- LA County is seeking funds for a bikeshare program in unincorporated East LA.
- Some sort of streetscape project along Washington Blvd aimed at improving transit and promoting TOD
- Montebello, Santa Clarita, and Glendale seem to be working on installing TAP readers on their municipal bus lines
- Redondo Beach is creating a new Galleria-adjacent bus terminal, and Metro's looking to extend the Green Line down there (nothing yet about the broader South Bay extension to Torrance)

http://ftip.scag.ca.gov/Documents/D2015-FTIP-TransitLA.pdf and http://rtpscs.scag.ca.gov/Pages/Amendment-2.aspx

[LDVArch]

DTLA probably won't fully gentrify. it's an island surrounded by too much poverty. but still, i can admit that it appeals to a much cooler crowd than DTLB. i attribute that to its superior cultural heritage, superior built env't, superior transit, superior location (proximity to culture), etc.

How do you know this? Would you have said the same thing about Manhattan in the late 80's when the Meatpacking District was not populated by art galleries, but with sex clubs?

By the way, there was nothing "cool" about these sex clubs at the time. The only cool thing in the district at that time was the Dia Center. And, by cool I mean sky blue paint.

[Flavius Josephus]

Public notice indicates 151 room hotel coming to 1710 W Olympic, replacing a church. http://cityplanning.lacity.org/MeetingsNHearings/dsp_viewFileDetail.cfm?filename=47268.

[edluva]

How do you know this? Would you have said the same thing about Manhattan in the late 80's when the Meatpacking District was not populated by art galleries, but with sex clubs?

By the way, there was nothing "cool" about these sex clubs at the time. The only cool thing in the district at that time was the Dia Center. And, by cool I mean sky blue paint.

let's see...

so you're comparing DTLB to the meatpacking district. yeeeaah, i mean other than being a sparsely populated little bit of land made up of bargain basement historic warehouse buildings, and other than being coterminous with and completely surrounded by west village, greenwich village, soho, and chelsea, and other than being situated smack in the trendiest part of, you know, manhattan... other than that, the meatpacking district had no advantages over DTLB of today. none at all. they're exactly the same.

[edluva]

i think the point everyone is completely missing is, it's easier to gentrify a place that is completely "bombed out" and completely foreign, but still surrounded by everything, (like the meatpacking district or echo/highland park are) than it is to gentrify a place that is already "gentrified-lite" by working class americans, such as the IE/gateway types who already "own" DTLB so to speak. and because they are the guidos of LA, and because they already claim DTLB as their urban/coastal playground, and because they surround and insulate DTLB from other desirable urban neighborhoods of LA by a long distance, they ensure that DTLB will not become a haven for hipsters/yuppies with real money for a long while. the kind of change you see in santa monica/venice/greenwich village/meatpacking = the kind of change that guidos and IE types prevent from occurring. which is fine for what it is. like someone said, the working class need to go clubbing, eat out, and visit the beach too. but let's not fool ourselves here.

show me when seaside heights starts luring yuppies away from the meatpacking district and i'll tell you when DTLB starts giving santa monica a run for its money. show me a guido neighorhood with world class art galleries, a craft brewery, and an artisan leathersmith in its midst and i'll give you a super desirable and trendy DTLB.

[StethJeff]

omg stop using the word guido interchangeably with someone from the IE.

[LA21st]

I was in Downtown LB yesterday for a interview. I didn't notice the crowd
Edluva was talking about per se, but I did notice a good amount of Indian professionals coming in and out of offices on Pine Ave.

Interesting, because I've never seen sizeable groups of Indians anywhere else yet in the LA area.

I think downtown Long Beach has loads of potential though. Pine Avenue isn't Santa Monica, but how many places in the U.S. are Santa Monica? Or Silver Lake? Or Venice? These are some of the most unique places in America.

I also saw they were building TODs as far north as Anaheim street. I can't see why they can't do this with all of Long Beach's blue line stops. Isn't the Wardlow stop in a middle class area?

[LA21st]

I think the Fairfax District, between Beverly and Santa Monica has tons of redevelopment sites too.

I saw some new construction here and there, but I had to wonder, "Why isn't this little area full of midrise condos or apartments already?"

The Farmers Market/Grove benefit tourists and residents. It's safe. Melrose and Third street shopping is nearby. Beverly Center/Cedars aren't far away. Fairfax has it's own commercial strip.

Santa Monica blvd is loaded.

I don't get it. Developers should be pouncing on this area like crazy. There shouldn't be any auto shops or crappy buildings at all.

[Flavius Josephus]

I think the Fairfax District, between Beverly and Santa Monica has tons of redevelopment sites too.

I saw some new construction here and there, but I had to wonder, "Why isn't this little area full of midrise condos or apartments already?"

The Farmers Market/Grove benefit tourists and residents. It's safe. Melrose and Third street shopping is nearby. Beverly Center/Cedars aren't far away. Fairfax has it's own commercial strip.

Santa Monica blvd is loaded.

I don't get it. Developers should be pouncing on this area like crazy. There shouldn't be any auto shops or crappy buildings at all.

Unfortunately a lot of that area is NIMBY-heavy. I think that as the Purple Line is extended, some of the traffic-based opposition will ease, but for now, it's a mess. I believe NIMBYs derailed a big Casden project by the Grove. But it would be a great place for growth - convenient to DTLA, the Westside, and Hollywood. Park La Brea's probably overdue some expansion too.

[Wilcal]

omg stop using the word guido interchangeably with someone from the IE.
Thank-you Jeff. I happen to be a man who lives in the Inland Empire (yes, over 4.5 million of us do) for many reasons. For example, as I write this note I can feel the coolness of a fall morning while looking at my poplars and maples slowly change to a lovely fall red, orange, and yellow. But I'm realistic, and there is good and bad in any area. However, I sometimes resent the snobbishness of some on this forum (someone like Edluva being the primary culprit) when it comes to the inhabitants of this region. In other words, Edluva, you are too generalizing in your thoughts and are probably speaking from a very deep-seated insecurity about yourself. By the way, if you should happen to dare come through the area and start spewing your condescending crap to a local, fair warning, you're likely to get your little "face punched in." In other words, Edluva, I think that sometimes you need to keep your big mouth shut.

[Flavius Josephus]

Thank you Jeff. I happen to be a man who lives in the Inland Empire (yes, over 4.5 million of us do) for many reasons. For example, as I write this note I can feel the coolness of a fall morning while looking at my poplars and maples slowly change to a lovely fall red, orange, and yellow. But I'm realistic, there is good and bad in any area. However, I sometimes resent the snobbishness of some on this forum (someone like Edluva being the primary culprit) when it comes to the inhabitants of this region. In other words, Edluva, you are too generalizing in your thoughts and are probably speaking from a very deep-seated insecurity about yourself. By the way, if you should happen to dare come through the area and start spewing your condescending crap to a local, fair warning, you're likely to get your "face punched in." In other words, Edluva, I think that sometimes you need to keep your big mouth shut.

I think that we've long since established that edluva, with the references to "guidos" and "ghetto," is a troll who has some - how shall I put it? - not-very-progressive views on race. I think the time has come just to ignore it and stop feeding the trolls.

[mello]

I think DTLB has a chance to gentrify if they can attract quality tech jobs to the vicinity. Not sure if young people with money will move there and then have a commute to Irvine/Costa Mesa or go north to El Segundo or farther.

Speaking of IE people I went to Huntington Beach on a really warm Saturday in February in 2013 one of those freak heat waves it was probably 95 way inland and 87 at the beach. Huntington was swarming with 909ers as this guy who worked at a restaurant referred to them. This girl I was with couldn't tell they were IE people but I said "I'm positive they are lets ask the waiter" he said that HB is the spot on beach for them all to flood in to.

The side walks were packed it was the busiest day non holiday I had seen in a beach community and this was in February.