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

[Illithid Dude]

Speaking of looking pretty good...

https://www.latimes.com/resizer/CEC7zgfByQvDqtGa9D3-bDmXQgE=/800x0/www.trbimg.com/img-5ce74881/turbine/la-1558661246-q8citmxk0b-snap-image

https://www.latimes.com/resizer/VVcbEafurjkzJhTIcqqrj8LDfhU=/800x0/www.trbimg.com/img-5ce7493b/turbine/la-1558661430-z93d7xf2vn-snap-image

42 story luxury residential tower set for 5411 Wilshire Blvd. Designed by Richard Keating.

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-miracle-mile-luxury-residential-skyscraper-20190529-story.html?fbclid=IwAR0UNlpq4ZLrCcGYSYv5-zz87DBYog71iNFzJxbxnK_q40G7JO7ChmvOkx0

[LAsam]

Las Palmas, sorry

Got it, thanks. Looked it up on GoogleMaps... that is a huge project!

[LAsam]

^^ Regarding 5411, I looked it up on Streetview and I was going to say there's no chance in hell they will be allowed to tear down that old art deco building there. Then I noticed that it looks like the existing building is incorporated into the podium of the new tower... so maybe it can pass. Just feels like Spaghetti Factory all over again...

EDIT: Just saw the Urbanize article which says they want to tear down part of the existing 1930's era building... good luck with that.

[kolchak]

Got it, thanks. Looked it up on GoogleMaps... that is a huge project!

Almost 700 apartments!

[Illithid Dude]

^^ Regarding 5411, I looked it up on Streetview and I was going to say there's no chance in hell they will be allowed to tear down that old art deco building there. Then I noticed that it looks like the existing building is incorporated into the podium of the new tower... so maybe it can pass. Just feels like Spaghetti Factory all over again...

EDIT: Just saw the Urbanize article which says they want to tear down part of the existing 1930's era building... good luck with that.

The portion of the building they want to tear down is an annex built in the early 90s. The original elements from the 30s will remain.

[LAsam]

The portion of the building they want to tear down is an annex built in the early 90s. The original elements from the 30s will remain.

Got it, thanks for clarifying. That should help the developer a bit.

[CaliNative]

Speaking of looking pretty good...

https://www.latimes.com/resizer/CEC7zgfByQvDqtGa9D3-bDmXQgE=/800x0/www.trbimg.com/img-5ce74881/turbine/la-1558661246-q8citmxk0b-snap-image

https://www.latimes.com/resizer/VVcbEafurjkzJhTIcqqrj8LDfhU=/800x0/www.trbimg.com/img-5ce7493b/turbine/la-1558661430-z93d7xf2vn-snap-image

42 story luxury residential tower set for 5411 Wilshire Blvd. Designed by Richard Keating.

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-miracle-mile-luxury-residential-skyscraper-20190529-story.html?fbclid=IwAR0UNlpq4ZLrCcGYSYv5-zz87DBYog71iNFzJxbxnK_q40G7JO7ChmvOkx0

Looks to be about 500-550' tall, give or take. Maybe the tallest on Wilshire outside of DTLA. Nice design, incorporating the art deco base with street level retail. Tarzan like.

[CaliNative]

What’s up with that community development called Centennial @ Tejon Ranch?? I thought California learned and was down with the spread of suburban sprawl?? Do people really support that? I honestly think that land should be preserved.. so it’s beautiful the way it looks... and besides we dont need any more sprawl. I understand we need housing, but suburbs isn’t the answer imo.

I hope they don't build it either. Much closer to Bakersfield than L.A. and the area should be left natural. But Tejon Ranch Co. has all this land and they want to build on it. I think demand in such a remote location could stymie the project if the state or economy doesn't. Would be a great state park or nature reserve.

[colemonkee]

Loving 5411 Wilshire and hope it's built exactly as proposed. Though I'd argue the design has far more in common with streamline moderne style than art deco, with the exception of the verticality. Still, both streamline moderne and art deco are from the same era, and pretty common along that stretch of Wilshire, so it fits like a glove. Here's hoping this is the first of many towers of this quality along this stretch. Now, if we could only get SHoP or Cetra-Ruddy to design towers for the two lots at the corner of Wilshire and La Brea...

[ocman]

Exposition Park plans a makeover that would make Seurat smile (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-exposition-park-redesign-lucas-museum-20190530-story.html)

If you live in Los Angeles, perhaps you’ve been to Exposition Park — maybe to catch a Trojans game at the Coliseum, or to see the Space Shuttle Endeavor at the California Science Center, or to let the kids run around the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum.
But odds are you didn’t actually come to Expo Park for the park. You drove in to one of its behemoth parking lots. And then you drove out.

It’s sort of chaos right now,” said Billie Greer, chair of the Master Plan Committee for the board of directors of Exposition Park. “We have to remember that people should be able to come to the park, not just to go to a museum or a stadium. But to exercise. To walk. To sit. To dream a little bit and enjoy the outside. We need some quiet places and some beautiful places.”


At long last, that change may finally be coming.
Officials have commissioned a new master plan timed with the most significant park additions in decades: MAD Architects’ Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which is under construction and will float above the west edge of the park; Frederick Fisher and Partners’ new wing for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, which will serve as a new entrance facing the Lucas Museum; and ZGF’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center, a permanent home for the (soon-to-be upright) Space Shuttle. Also of note: USC’s ongoing $270-million renovation of the Coliseum.

Sparked by these changes and the 2028 Games, the state-funded Office of Exposition Park Management — with contributions from the park’s member institutions — last year hired Washington, D.C.-based master planning specialists Torti Gallas + Partners and a large team of consultants to propose ways for the park to function more like a park.

[colemonkee]

Crazy to think it, but it's been two years since I posted my last update on the Century Plaza towers, which at the time (April 2017) were pretty far along into the shoring and excavation phase. This one is from Sunday, and we're finally at the standard residential floorplate on both towers, so they should start rising a bit quicker now.

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img921/9007/BTvguV.jpg
Image Source: Me and my iPhone

[LAsam]

^ It feels like the towers have been at that level for quite some time now. The site has a ton of activity, though, so they must be making progress. The combined podium for the two towers makes for a massive construction site.

[Steve8263]

Exposition Park plans a makeover that would make Seurat smile (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-exposition-park-redesign-lucas-museum-20190530-story.html)

I (and presumably many others) regularly take the Expo line to events at the new soccer stadium and coliseum. Hopefully they include extensive sidewalk and walking path changes to improve circulation cuz right now the routing from north to south is ridiculous.

[Quixote]

Exposition Park plans a makeover that would make Seurat smile (https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-exposition-park-redesign-lucas-museum-20190530-story.html)

This is long overdue. I've always felt that Exposition Park, like all things related to the public realm in Los Angeles, was very dowdy looking--even more so now considering I just got back from a 2-week trip to Europe. It should look like Chicago's Millennium Park or Museum Campus.

Like the article mentions, there's too many ugly fences, poor landscape design, inconsistent lighting, power lines, etc. The new design should reflect the fact that it's a pre-war campus. That means we should replace all concrete with stone pavers, have balustrades or tasteful wrought iron fencing, shady trees and lush landscaping, etc. And I know the Coliseum is undergoing renovation, but are they going to do something about the exterior? How about giving it a scrub or even painting it before 2028?

LA really needs to look more polished, and Exposition Park is a great place to start.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

This is long overdue. I've always felt that Exposition Park, like all things related to the public realm in Los Angeles, was very dowdy looking--even more so now considering I just got back from a 2-week trip to Europe. It should look like Chicago's Millennium Park or Museum Campus.

Like the article mentions, there's too many ugly fences, poor landscape design, inconsistent lighting, power lines, etc. The new design should reflect the fact that it's a pre-war campus. That means we should replace all concrete with stone pavers, have balustrades or tasteful wrought iron fencing, shady trees and lush landscaping, etc. And I know the Coliseum is undergoing renovation, but are they going to do something about the exterior? How about giving it a scrub or even painting it before 2028?

LA really needs to look more polished, and Exposition Park is a great place to start.

If the city of Los Angeles actually cares about the public realm, this would be the greatest city. It's infuriating to me that we can't even have the most basic and simple city services and maintenance. Imagine if all of LA was taken care of like Pasadena or Manhattan Beach... It would be remarkable

For instance, You would think there would be some sort of plan to underground overhead wires and combine it with replacing the aging water pipes, while at the same time wiring the city for the future and then repaving those same streets. Afterwards, replace the telephone poles with trees. Seems basic enough and would be a great, tangible improvement, even at 10 miles per year... Nope.. We can't even have trash cans at every bus stop

[Haitian]

Speaking of looking pretty good...

42 story luxury residential tower set for 5411 Wilshire Blvd. Designed by Richard Keating.

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-miracle-mile-luxury-residential-skyscraper-20190529-story.html?fbclid=IwAR0UNlpq4ZLrCcGYSYv5-zz87DBYog71iNFzJxbxnK_q40G7JO7ChmvOkx0

Now that's a beautiful building. I spent some great years living in that neighborhood and I've always dreamed of it lined with high rises, like in Westwood. Crazy how much that area has changed. I still remember when Radio Shack was there...

[citywatch]

For instance, You would think there would be some sort of plan to underground overhead wires


https://i.ibb.co/PF1HDJZ/coliseum.png


^ Forget about the Olympics decades ago. This still hasn't been dealt with even after the LAFC's new stadium replaced the former sports arena.

what do things like that say about the type of ppl managing LA?


https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d2f6536b0db70a2e95bc81d12c982dce.webp


Utility poles and crisscrossing overhead power lines (https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2016/11/06/editorials/burying-overhead-power-lines/#.XP06ev57nm8) are a common feature of the landscape in most parts of Japan. These eyesores are not worthy of an advanced economy and are also disappointing tourists from abroad.

Now the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are providing an impetus to efforts to remove utility poles in the capital and bury power cables underground.

The metropolitan government adopted a plan in 2014 to bury power lines in central Tokyo areas where venues for the Olympics will be concentrated. In a recent policy speech, Gov. Yuriko Koike expressed her resolve to push efforts to move the capital’s power grid underground. The efforts in Tokyo, if they bear fruit, should help promote similar moves in other parts of the country.

Comparisons with other countries show just how far Japan lags behind in the introduction of subterranean power distribution systems. In London and Paris, all power lines were installed underground even from before World War II. Among Asian cities, Hong Kong has all its power lines underground, while Seoul has buried 46 percent of its electricity cables.




http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45203000/jpg/_45203437_-17.jpg

Work has begun to remove the first of 52 pylons (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7726186.stm) that dominate the Olympic Park, in time for the 2012 games.

The electricity pylons will be replaced by two four-mile long tunnels, which will carry the power lines underground at the site in Stratford, east London. Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) chairman David Higgins said the removal symbolised the "huge change" the games would bring to east London.

All 52 pylons are due to be removed by the end of the year.


^ pylons, not just poles. that type of activity makes LA come off like kindergartners.

[Quixote]

https://i.ibb.co/PF1HDJZ/coliseum.png

This about sums it up. Why is everything in LA so shabby looking? And the stuff that isn't too flashy/loud?

[citywatch]

Why is everything in LA so shabby looking?

among other reasons....


https://s28.postimg.cc/sg5sc34n1/beforeafter1_(1).jpg

http://stevefaessel.com/wp-content/uploads/1-before-1-1280x960_c.jpg
stevefaessel.com

http://stevefaessel.com/wp-content/uploads/2-After-1-1280x960_c.jpg
stevefaessel.com

https://www.toaks.org/Home/ShowPublishedImage/9589/636325237745870000
Thousand Oaks


yz2PD9xLzEE


Tokyo apparently is fairly bad too....

https://www7.tepco.co.jp/wp-content/uploads/hd05-07-07-000-img06.jpg
tepco.co.jp



oh no, that's their vision?


https://i.ibb.co/g611QKs/olympics.png

[Quixote]

^ Is the first picture real or an imagined "what could be" rendering?

[citywatch]

^ Is the first picture real or an imagined "what could be" rendering?

I'm not really sure. It came up in a google search & links to another site that looks like a clone of ssp.com. the page also shows work in what appears to be some city in asia...india. Even not wealthy countries are getting into the act?

However, the photo I posted does appear to be a street somewhere in southern calif....possibly the san diego, la jolla area. that city has been doing a large amt of undergrounding over the past 10 yrs.

hint, hint, ppl in charge of LA.

Would be nice if locals managing LA took a page from other cities. Forget Paris, London or hong kong...how about cities even in India?


https://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=141720460&postcount=5134



thought I should add this since I still recall this tragedy....the reporter survived but she lost her hands.....getting rid of overhead isn't merely a matter of making things look better. Overhead power lines have also caused major brush fires in LA over the past decades.

A veteran television news reporter (https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-may-23-me-33034-story.html) assigned to cover a news conference in Hollywood was seriously burned Monday when the microwave transmitter extending from a KABC van came too close to a 34,500-volt power line and caused an explosion. The reporter, Adrienne Alpert, 48, was airlifted to Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, where doctors performed emergency surgery to restore blood flow to burn areas over 25% of her body.

The accident occurred about 9:45 a.m. as Alpert and MacKenzie were setting up for a live broadcast from the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Gordon Street, near the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. According to witnesses, Alpert was inside the van as the transmitter was being raised several feet. MacKenzie was helping position the transmitter when it touched or came near a high-voltage wire. That created a power arc that triggered an explosion, authorities said.

MacKenzie, the van's driver and a 20-year veteran at KABC, was in tears and asked him to help Alpert, whose hands and feet were severely burned.

"I started crying when I saw [Alpert], because I couldn't do anything" said Petrosyan, who was uncertain if he should touch her.

Petrosyan said Alpert moaned, "I can't breathe. . . . I don't want to die."

[Quixote]

Power lines are just one part of the issue. How about the cheap/dated architecture, streets/sidewalks in disrepair, litter everywhere, etc. Smaller, less "glamorous" cities in middle America aren't afflicted with these issues to nearly the same degree.

And the shabbiness mostly applies to the city of LA. Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, and even Long Beach look more put-together.

I attribute the problem to two things:

1) LA was poorly designed/built from the start, never having the grandeur of cities like St. Louis or Cincinnati, let alone New York or Chicago.

2) The city of LA is simply poor. We have roughly 45% of the population of NYC, yet 1/8th its fiscal budget (although NYC imposes a personal income tax, while LA doesn't).

[Quixote]

And since we're complaining about design, I really can't stand how sidewalk trees are left with dirt patches (if they're not paved over with concrete, which is worse) instead of tree grates:

http://treegrate.com/images/slideshow/tree-grates/MG_2814.jpg
treegrate.com

[citywatch]

And the shabbiness mostly applies to the city of LA. Santa Monica, Culver City, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, and even Long Beach look more put-together.



Interesting timing. This just came out today about the main city north of dtla:

The Pasadena City Council Monday (http://www.pasadenanow.com/main/city-council-to-take-up-proposed-three-year-halt-to-underground-utility-surtax/#.XP63Sf57nm8) will consider the Department of Water and Power’s request to temporarily suspend collection of the underground utility surtax that bankrolls the City’s long-term undergrounding project, as a way of offsetting the rates increases it has proposed.

The Department is under pressure to raise rates and has requested that collection of the undergrounding surtax be suspended for a while, as a way of reducing the burden on the City’s ratepayers.

The surtax costs each Pasadenan $44 a year on average and the fund into which it is submitted posts a robust $50 million positive balance which, under the proposal, would continue to finance undergrounding projects.

The surtax was passed in 1966 to fund the undergrounding of utility lines so as to beautify Pasadena.

The overall project has an estimated $2 billion price tag; approximately $10 million per mile. Presently, some 200 miles of power lines still need to be buried.

The drawdown on the fund over the years has been glacial. In fact, without the suspension of surtax collection, staff said it would take 10 years to exhaust.

Some years ago the fund’s consistently healthy balance sheet caught the eye of city employee Danny Wooten, and his accomplice Tyrone Collins, and was looted by the duo of $6 million before anybody noticed.



^ That runs counter to ppl who say doing such work is too costly, will cause a city to struggle to fund it, so it isn't feasible. Or that ratepayers will go broke per yr trying to cover it.

Pasadena has had so much money for undergrounding, they not only haven't had UG projs hurting from a lack of enough $$, they've had so much pooled money, it ended up embezzled.


Unless they pay attention to the fine print on their utility bills (https://www.sgvtribune.com/2016/11/03/undergrounding-pasadena-utilities-would-clear-the-air/), where one line item for decades has been an undergrounding fund to the tune of about $11 a month per household, many Pasadenans had not been aware of the effort to bring power lines down from their unsightly poles until the embezzlement scandal hit.

Now, a past middle manager in the Department of Water and Power is in jail awaiting trial on charges of stealing over $6 million from the fund by writing phony checks on its huge balance.

That balance got into the tens of millions because in fact little work has been done for more than 20 years on the plan, currently under review, to put almost all of the city’s power lines underground. Some tony residential neighborhoods got the work done by the 1980s, so that their views of the mountains and the city have long been unmarred by strings of wiring.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently told the editorial board that in his city it was costing millions of dollars a block to do the work in commercial districts. But critics say the L.A. scheme was really blocked by the DWP union, whose members had less work to do after windstorms with wires safely underground.

After all these years of citizens paying in, we still think that the city ought to invest that money in clearing the air of wires in every neighborhood possible.

Spend those millions before some embezzler strikes again.

[kolchak]

Tonight: Academy Square - high rise portion from Cahuenga
http://i64.tinypic.com/16gd2ti.jpg

[kolchak]

also tonight: Rise Cahuenga & Fountain
http://i68.tinypic.com/14axxtw.jpg

[kolchak]

Today: The Godfrey

http://i68.tinypic.com/10x7dhw.jpg

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

That's such a crisp picture that I almost can't tell if it's a rendering or a real photo

[kolchak]

Tuesday: Netflix Square on Vine...

http://i63.tinypic.com/21bm24y.jpg

[colemonkee]

Great updates, kolchak!

[kolchak]

Thanks! One more - Edition West Hollywood Wednesday-

http://i66.tinypic.com/291etd0.jpg

[colemonkee]

^ Anthony Anderson is not impressed.

[Illithid Dude]

i actually really like the edition hotel, though that is an underwhelming angle

[Steve8263]

I agree, it turned out very nice and the landscaping in front is impressive. Those 2 small white buildings must be what Anthony Anderson is looking at in disdain as they are quite shabby in comparison.

[colemonkee]

^ My comment was purely in jest. I like the building too. I also like the 3-story white building to the left (with the parking sign on it). It's an example of Beaux Arts-era (20's, 30's) LA commercial buildings outside of the Historic Core (there's another great example on Wilshire just west of Fairfax. I'd like to keep that one, but the one between the Edition and it (on the right) is free to go in my opinion. Along with that parking lot.

[Illithid Dude]

not to be pedantic but i'm pretty sure that's hollywood regency

[colemonkee]

^ My "beaux arts" classification was honestly because it was hard to classify, but has a distinct style. Not as familiar with Hollywood regency, but I can see some of the characteristics after some good ole' Googlin.

[blackcat23]

Renderings revealed for Western Gateway development

https://urbanize.la/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/alexan%20long%20beach%2012.jpg?itok=RMVd588z (https://urbanize.la/post/details-emerge-long-beachs-westside-gateway-development)

[Illithid Dude]

shout out to this very refined infill development going up in west ho. peep the curved windows. details matter!

https://urbanize.la/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/Architecture%20-%20Exterior%2003.jpeg?itok=fPKsTSYm

https://urbanize.la/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/Architecture%20-%20View%20of%20Ast%C3%A9ras%20Kings%20main%20entry%20and%20plaza.jpg?itok=h4XxLu3E

https://urbanize.la/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/Services%20and%20Amenities%20-%20Cafe%20Bar%20and%20Lounge.jpg?itok=V5M9RJ1v

https://urbanize.la/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/Services%20and%20Amenities%20-%20Lobby.jpg?itok=zP7SPZgY

[bobbyv]

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-07-24/hollywood-project-amoeba-music-lawsuit

[bobbyv]

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9fef1e8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1152+0+0/resize/840x473!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fca-times.brightspotcdn.com%2Fe1%2F48%2F283125834bd89824c13405d161f0%2Fclippers4.jpg

https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2019-07-25/clippers-arena-inglewood-renderings-steve-ballmer

[blackcat23]

If you want some larger version of those Clipper arena renderings

https://urbanize.la/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/Plaza%20Entry%20-%20Clippers%20Inglewood%20Basketball%20and%20Entertainment%20Center.jpg?itok=iRUACAF9 (https://urbanize.la/post/clippers-unveil-plans-18500-seat-arena-inglewood)

[JerellO]

Idk how I feel about the clippers stadium. Just build more dense housing on that lot and keep them in staples center. DTLA is way more central and accessible via freeway and public transportation. Also the developments happening surrounding staples is so much better for visitors imo.

[Quixote]

^ Ballmer (Clippers owner) is worth $50 billion and his ego can't handle being a third-string tenant at Staples. I know there are still lots of hurdles to clear, but this is probably going to happen. When it does, Staples will house nothing but championship teams (Lakers, Kings, Sparks)... although it's very possible the Clippers win their first title before moving to a new stadium.

[Illithid Dude]

Never understood why Balmer couldn't build affordable housing around the stadium like in Oakland and Brooklyn to assuage the critics. I'm not necessarily opposed to the stadium but I empathize with residents who feel like the neighborhood is becoming more welcoming to transitory elements than it is for those who live there.

[Steve8263]

Right under the final approach of LAX isn't a good place for dense housing.

[colemonkee]

^ That can be addressed somewhat with proper insulation and double-paned windows.

[blackcat23]

Right under the final approach of LAX isn't a good place for dense housing.

Some of the land that the Clippers hope to build their arena used to be housing, which was torn down for this very reason.

When Inglewood settled its lawsuit with LAWA over the LAX modernization/expansion, LAWA agreed to cover the cost of soundproofing a lot of housing under the flight path, but also paid to relocate residents and demolish buildings that couldn't get under the noise threshold set in the agreement.

If Ballmer was smart, he'd have started buying land to build affordable housing (or existing buildings to preserve with affordability covenants) concurrently with announcing the arena project. He still should, although it would look more like a half-hearted olive branch at this point.

[Tiorted9]

Speaking of looking pretty good...

https://www.latimes.com/resizer/CEC7zgfByQvDqtGa9D3-bDmXQgE=/800x0/www.trbimg.com/img-5ce74881/turbine/la-1558661246-q8citmxk0b-snap-image

https://www.latimes.com/resizer/VVcbEafurjkzJhTIcqqrj8LDfhU=/800x0/www.trbimg.com/img-5ce7493b/turbine/la-1558661430-z93d7xf2vn-snap-image

42 story luxury residential tower set for 5411 Wilshire Blvd. Designed by Richard Keating.

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-miracle-mile-luxury-residential-skyscraper-20190529-story.html?fbclid=IwAR0UNlpq4ZLrCcGYSYv5-zz87DBYog71iNFzJxbxnK_q40G7JO7ChmvOkx0

Automation Arriving at Area Garages

https://labusinessjournal.com/news/2019/jun/07/automation-arriving-area-garages/

Tenants of the complex at 5411 Wilshire Blvd. will be able to drop off their cars in a parking bay, like a normal lot. From there, a lift mechanism lowers the car into underground storage. The system also charges electric cars.

When drivers are ready to leave, they scan a keycard, and the system retrieves their cars.

The automated garage has room for 200 cars — 70 more than the 130 that would fit in a traditional structure of the same size, Marks said.

And on May 29, CityLift Parking announced it was granted approval for a three-level automated parking system in Hollywood. At the facility, drivers park in a lift, and the system then stacks and stores the vehicles.

CityLift said it saves 60% of space over a traditional lot. The cars take a minute and a half to retrieve when stacked three high, the company said.

[JerellO]

Right under the final approach of LAX isn't a good place for dense housing.

Tell that to San Diego 😂 we have housing towers built a few hundred feet from the landing path

[Tykendo]

Great Arena proposal for the Clippers. I think a name change is needed as well. Shoot! the bland uniforms don't even have a clipper ship anywhere to be seen. Clippers was San Diego. Time to move on, and out of the shadows of the Lakers.

[Tykendo]

Some of the land that the Clippers hope to build their arena used to be housing, which was torn down for this very reason.

When Inglewood settled its lawsuit with LAWA over the LAX modernization/expansion, LAWA agreed to cover the cost of soundproofing a lot of housing under the flight path, but also paid to relocate residents and demolish buildings that couldn't get under the noise threshold set in the agreement.

If Ballmer was smart, he'd have started buying land to build affordable housing (or existing buildings to preserve with affordability covenants) concurrently with announcing the arena project. He still should, although it would look more like a half-hearted olive branch at this point.

I'm all for the rich giving back, and affordable housing is a necessity, but how much affordable housing have the Laker's ownership built and paid for? Just wanted to know. Maybe Ballmer could build as much as the Lakers have.

[Tiorted9]

I bet Ballmer has donated millions here in LA, the Ballmer Group (an LLC ran by his wife and focused on poverty) is based here. They recently opened an office in his hometown of Detroit and they have donated millions there. They typically donate to organizations and causes that fit their missions in Seattle, Detroit and LA.

If anyone is interested, here is an older article about the Ballmer Group.
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2018/11/02/steve-ballmer-microsoft-detroit-grants/1859401002/

[blackcat23]

I'm all for the rich giving back, and affordable housing is a necessity, but how much affordable housing have the Laker's ownership built and paid for? Just wanted to know. Maybe Ballmer could build as much as the Lakers have.

Zero, as far as I know, but you're missing my point.

My point is that politically, Ballmer would have been smart to preemptively take steps to either build or preserve affordable housing in Inglewood, where gentrification is already on everyone's minds because of the massive stadium district under construction across the street.

I'd be saying the same thing if the Lakers were the team trying to build a new arena in Inglewood.

[plutonicpanda]

What’s up with that community development called Centennial @ Tejon Ranch?? I thought California learned and was down with the spread of suburban sprawl?? Do people really support that? I honestly think that land should be preserved.. so it’s beautiful the way it looks... and besides we dont need any more sprawl. I understand we need housing, but suburbs isn’t the answer imo.
I'm sure my response is predictable here but yes I support it and think it will be a great development. We need to keep sprawling out so as long as people like me who prefer that lifestyle have options other than concrete jungles. Though I love my new place in the arts district and see great value in urban areas, suburbs offer superior QOL, IMO and projects like these will afford more homes at better rates per square foot than urban areas possibly can. To solve the housing problem the issue needs to come from different angles, not just one. There is plenty of natural landscape in California. We could development half of the entire high and low desert and that statement will still be true. Count me as someone who hopes this suburban development is built.

[plutonicpanda]

among other reasons....


yz2PD9xLzEE


These are great projects. I wish Mulholland would have something like this happen and mixed-use dirt trail built from the 101 to the 405.

[plutonicpanda]

Idk how I feel about the clippers stadium. Just build more dense housing on that lot and keep them in staples center. DTLA is way more central and accessible via freeway and public transportation. Also the developments happening surrounding staples is so much better for visitors imo.

I hope if this stadium is built anyways they move forward with the proposed people mover connecting this and the Rams stadium to the Crenshaw line. Furthermore if that APM is built I hope it runs like real transit and not just for special events. They should incorporate high-rise housing into these developments on parcel sites with structured parking and not giant surface lots. Another good contender for this is the Forum parking lots. Build a massive parking garage on top of retail under housing and more housing on the obsolete parking lots.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

I'm sure my response is predictable here but yes I support it and think it will be a great development. We need to keep sprawling out so as long as people like me who prefer that lifestyle have options other than concrete jungles. Though I love my new place in the arts district and see great value in urban areas, suburbs offer superior QOL, IMO and projects like these will afford more homes at better rates per square foot than urban areas possibly can. To solve the housing problem the issue needs to come from different angles, not just one. There is plenty of natural landscape in California. We could development half of the entire high and low desert and that statement will still be true. Count me as someone who hopes this suburban development is built.

I hope this is sarcasm. Tejon ranch is beautiful as is. No need to build a ridiculous development 70 miles from downtown LA in an extreme fire zone

[plutonicpanda]

I hope this is sarcasm. Tejon ranch is beautiful as is. No need to build a ridiculous development 70 miles from downtown LA in an extreme fire zone
No sarcasm.

Fire zones can be contained with modern technologies fire suppression along with fire resistant materials used to construct homes are readily available. Tejon Ranch is beautiful as was the LA Basin I'm sure before it was built. Yosemite Valley is beautiful. The Earth is beautiful. Statements like that in the context of development needs and the realities become non-statements as they are worthless. There are plenty more areas like Tejon Ranch around California that are light years away from anyone even talking about developing them.

Tejon Ranch is well within the fringe of one of the largest megalopolis's in the world and one that needs housing more than urban apartments in a concrete jungle. Clearly as much of it that is being built it isn't doing much.California is actively discouraging suburban development to no end. I'll try and dig up the article I found that shows how much unused develop-able land exists in the LA area.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

We simply do not need exurban sprawl 70 miles from the core of the metro. We need infil development and to reduce our footprint. I really hope the environmental groups sue and sue and sue until the developer gives up. Nothing will convince me that this development is a good idea. I literally drove through there yesterday.. 103 degrees, extremely dry and in the middle of no where.... And that's after a wet year

[plutonicpanda]

We simply do not need exurban sprawl 70 miles from the core of the metro. We need infil development and to reduce our footprint. I really hope the environmental groups sue and sue and sue until the developer gives up. Nothing will convince me that this development is a good idea. I literally drove through there yesterday.. 103 degrees, extremely dry and in the middle of no where.... And that's after a wet year
The demand exists and we do need it as there isn't room closer other than to build up and not everyone wants that. Next time an environmental group sues to stop your concrete jungle project you ought not to complain about that. I hope the judges make the sensible decision and dismiss the lawsuits so this development will continue. I might even consider a house here as I'm eyeing this area and south oc.

[Trae]

We simply do not need exurban sprawl 70 miles from the core of the metro. We need infil development and to reduce our footprint. I really hope the environmental groups sue and sue and sue until the developer gives up. Nothing will convince me that this development is a good idea. I literally drove through there yesterday.. 103 degrees, extremely dry and in the middle of no where.... And that's after a wet year

Then do something about building more housing in the core (ie LA Basin between the mountains and the 105) instead of all this NIMBY stuff going on because eventually you'll have developments like Tejon Ranch and that other super huge one just south of it being built by Newhall (name escapes me). The suburbanization of the deserts are also ramping up and it'll be pretty solid between The Antelope Valley and High Desert in the not so distant future.

[Steve8263]

It's important to note that something like 90% of the 270,000 acres are to be preserved as part of the development agreement. I'm not saying I support it but that's a huge component of the project.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Then do something about building more housing in the core (ie LA Basin between the mountains and the 105) instead of all this NIMBY stuff going on because eventually you'll have developments like Tejon Ranch and that other super huge one just south of it being built by Newhall (name escapes me). The suburbanization of the deserts are also ramping up and it'll be pretty solid between The Antelope Valley and High Desert in the not so distant future.

The city of LA currently has thousands of units under construction in the core. Im not sure what I can do personally since I don't have developer money but I'm an advocate for much more infill development and live the life myself.

[plutonicpanda]

The city of LA currently has thousands of units under construction in the core. Im not sure what I can do personally since I don't have developer money but I'm an advocate for much more infill development and live the life myself.
I think a big problem is the price of these apartments. Have you seen the costs to move into these things? It is unreal.

It's important to note that something like 90% of the 270,000 acres are to be preserved as part of the development agreement. I'm not saying I support it but that's a huge component of the project.

Interesting and thanks for pointing that out. I would like to know the full cost of this project and it would be nice if the developer would pay into Metrolink electrification proposals to expedite that project. I myself am not opposed to "sprawl" tax but the problem is CA is so over taxed already and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere it is hard for me to get behind new taxes. I was a big supporter of SB-1 but with the massive state surplus more should be happening.

[LA21st]

Have the Century Plaza towers stopped construction? I less construction workers there on the way to my office. :shrug:

[LAsam]

Have the Century Plaza towers stopped construction? I less construction workers there on the way to my office. :shrug:

Definitely not stopped. Walked by today and saw some site activity. Looks like maybe they were increasing the height of the crane... perhaps that slows work down in the interim.

[LA21st]

Ah, ok. I walk by at 6:40 AM, but usually thats when alot of construction guys arrive. So I found it weird.

[LAsam]

Ah, ok. I walk by at 6:40 AM, but usually thats when alot of construction guys arrive. So I found it weird.

Yeah, I'd say it was a lower level of activity than usual, but definitely not stopped.

[LAsam]

https://argonautnews.com/sros-are-back-in-style/

https://argonautnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/sro.jpg

SROS ARE BACK IN STYLE-DOWNTOWN SANTA MONICA TO GET HUNDREDS OF TINY APARTMENTS OFFERED AT MARKET RATE

Under terms of an agreement between Santa Monica city leaders and prominent developer WS Communities, six new apartment buildings slated for Fifth, Six and Seventh streets would create hundreds of new SRO-style units, the majority of them leased at market rate.

The deal specifies that market-rate SROs must be leased to people, not corporations, according to legal representatives of the city. Policymakers hope that an infusion of smaller housing units at more attainable prices may help alleviate a shortage of housing options that working people can afford.

SRO units planned for downtown Santa Monica would span at least 225 square feet, not including a bathroom and closet. According to the city attorney’s office, each SRO is required to have a separate bathroom (including toilet, shower and sink) as well as a cooking appliance, refrigerator and kitchen sink.

[kolchak]

The changing face of Cahuenga Blvd -

http://i68.tinypic.com/o56op3.jpg

[kolchak]

Sunset and Bronson -

http://i66.tinypic.com/mltpjl.jpg

[kolchak]

Academy Square

http://i63.tinypic.com/281vw4y.jpg

[LA21st]

Yea, I was in the area yesteday. Awesome changes. :cheers:

[Quixote]

Time to start planning that Santa Monica / Sunset subway...

[IMBY]

https://argonautnews.com/sros-are-back-in-style/

https://argonautnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/sro.jpg

SROS ARE BACK IN STYLE-DOWNTOWN SANTA MONICA TO GET HUNDREDS OF TINY APARTMENTS OFFERED AT MARKET RATE

Why not just have community baths/showers at the end of each floor, to add more SF to the units? It also gives opportunities to meet other residents.

[kolchak]

6200 Sunset -

http://i63.tinypic.com/2rr5m5x.jpg

[colemonkee]

Sunset & Bronson turned out really nice! Man, that area is undergoing a huge change. Here's hoping the hotel tower at the Jack in the Box moves forward soon. And - a girl can dream - the Palladium towers (though not holding out hope for those).

Why not just have community baths/showers at the end of each floor, to add more SF to the units? It also gives opportunities to meet other residents.

Probably a code issue in Santa Monica.

[kolchak]

Sunset & Bronson turned out really nice! Man, that area is undergoing a huge change. Here's hoping the hotel tower at the Jack in the Box moves forward soon. And - a girl can dream - the Palladium towers (though not holding out hope for those).



Probably a code issue in Santa Monica.


They are already repurposing the former Yoshinoya at Santa Monica and Vine to a Jack in the Box and - from what I understand - closing the Suuset Blvd location when it is ready.

[colemonkee]

^ Oh man, that is awesome if that is why they are making the switch. I know that's been a top-performing Jack in the Box location for some time (they were an old client of mine for many years), so glad to see they are relocating to make way for the tower, but not totally shutting down shop.

[kolchak]

Grabbed this today. Well along. The Yoshinoya moved into the strip mall across the street replacing an old smoke shop.

http://i65.tinypic.com/milw5w.jpg

[caligrad]

Time to start planning that Santa Monica / Sunset subway...

I 100% agree. As everyone knows this, IMO, is easily in the top 5 of rail projects that need to happen asap. But ofcourse Metro will BS us and tell us that "its not feasible, it would have low ridership, lets just make it horse and buggy for now" and people will agree and say metro is right, all while the entire stretch sits as a virtual parking lot, as it has for over a decade, for 8 hours of the day.

[kolchak]

Academy Square along Delongpre -
http://i67.tinypic.com/2u7mx6w.jpg

[Illithid Dude]

Crenshaw Line up La Brea and new HRT from Sunset in Silver Lake / Echo Park to Santa Monica down La Cienega to Venice terminating at the beach would obviously be an amazing crosstown train and really push the metro system towards universal usability. Only issue is, there's literally no political willpower, interest, or even consideration towards actualization. As of now, this proposal exists only as an idea broached upon a few scattered internet forums and facebook groups. A true shame, but at least 405 / Sepulveda is going to be full HRT.

[plutonicpanda]

while the entire stretch sits as a virtual parking lot, as it has for over a decade, for 8 hours of the day.

Massive hyperbowl if I have ever seen one!

[blackcat23]

11-story, 280,000 sf office building breaks ground in Culver City

https://urbanize.la/sites/default/files/styles/2018_article_gallery_image_2000w/public/field/image/20180803_night_0.jpg?itok=veEHnLMA (https://urbanize.la/post/site-prep-begins-entrada-office-complex-culver-city)

[kolchak]

That Culver City project looks promising. At least it has street and sidewalk presence.

One last Cahuenga update, Academy Square and Rise -

http://i66.tinypic.com/mc7zv7.jpg

[caligrad]

Massive hyperbowl if I have ever seen one!

(Hyperbole*) Which part gave it away? :haha: ofcourse it was. I wasn't being literal. Just pointing out in comparison how Metro has grand plans to needlessly expand some corridors while totally ignoring other corridors that would actually have massive amounts of riders.

[plutonicpanda]

(Hyperbole*) Which part gave it away? :haha: ofcourse it was. I wasn't being literal. Just pointing out in comparison how Metro has grand plans to needlessly expand some corridors while totally ignoring other corridors that would actually have massive amounts of riders.

My bad I thought you were being more literal. Anyhow I agree with you to an extent. We need more money for infrastructure.

[a9l8e7n]

Already above ground. The Santa Monica/Granville development by CIM Group which is replacing the old dealership.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48580810866_9234bb88d2_b.jpg

https://urbanize.la/post/city-planning-commission-review-loha-designed-west-la-project

[IMBY]

I never read of any development in Orange County. There must be something being built out there, even if it's a small apartment building. Or is there a separate thread. Isn't Orange County part of Metro? And Riverside and Ventura County?

[LA21st]

Yea, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton and Irvine are building quite a bit. People dont add to the OC thread, but it's not like nothing's going on there lol. They're used to be a decent OC development site, but the guy stopped running it.

[IMBY]

Yea, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Fullerton and Irvine are building quite a bit. People dont add to the OC thread, but it's not like nothing's going on there lol. They're used to be a decent OC development site, but the guy stopped running it.

Completely understood! Perhaps one day someone will revise the OC development site! Would love to see what they're building out there!

[202_Cyclist]

Completely understood! Perhaps one day someone will revise the OC development site! Would love to see what they're building out there!

There is an Orange County thread under the Pacific West section of this forum but it hasn't been updated in a year-and-a-half. As an Orange County native, I'd like to see updates.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=126118&page=29

[IMBY]

There is an Orange County thread under the Pacific West section of this forum but it hasn't been updated in a year-and-a-half. As an Orange County native, I'd like to see updates.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=126118&page=29

I can't thank you enough for that referral as I went back all the way to 2008. I didn't realize there was that much construction going on out there, and even a couple streetcar lines.

As far as an urban like city, Santa Ana could be a candidate, if not already.

I haven't been thru Orange County in 15-20 years. I've gotten too damn lazy in my travels, as I'm now restricting myself to fly to cities where I can ride the rails all day, where I don't have to put my hands on a steering wheel.

Can I dream? Light rail lines extended into Orange County from L.A..

I do realize there's a commuter line out to Oceanside, perhaps I'll do that some time when I'm in the area.

[JerellO]

I can't thank you enough for that referral as I went back all the way to 2008. I didn't realize there was that much construction going on out there, and even a couple streetcar lines.

As far as an urban like city, Santa Ana could be a candidate, if not already.

I haven't been thru Orange County in 15-20 years. I've gotten too damn lazy in my travels, as I'm now restricting myself to fly to cities where I can ride the rails all day, where I don't have to put my hands on a steering wheel.

Can I dream? Light rail lines extended into Orange County from L.A..

I do realize there's a commuter line out to Oceanside, perhaps I'll do that some time when I'm in the area.

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner is very popular among those traveling between Los Angeles and San Diego. My friends actually got me into it and prefer to travel that way now due to my friend’s apartment in LA being walking distance from the Hollywood and Vine red train station

[LA21st]

Is the crane near Westwood Village the one for the 20 story dorm? I saw it yesterday.

[a9l8e7n]

Is the crane near Westwood Village the one for the 20 story dorm? I saw it yesterday.

Yes.
https://urbanize.la/post/ucla-beginning-construction-5400-student-beds

[Steve8263]

Details out for the makeover of the La Brea Tar Pits museum and surrounding parks-

https://tarpits.org/reimagining-la-brea-tar-pits

https://tarpits.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/boards_8mb.pdf
https://tarpits.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/dsr_full_masterplan_proposal.pdf
https://tarpits.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/la_brea_tar_pits_and_museum_concept_for_download_low_res.pdf

[JerellO]

Details out for the makeover of the La Brea Tar Pits museum and surrounding parks-

https://tarpits.org/reimagining-la-brea-tar-pits

https://tarpits.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/boards_8mb.pdf
https://tarpits.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/dsr_full_masterplan_proposal.pdf
https://tarpits.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/la_brea_tar_pits_and_museum_concept_for_download_low_res.pdf

Definitely Weiss Manfredi for me.