LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[craigs]

As someone who returned to LA in 2021 after two decades living in San Francisco, I will again say that the relentlessly pessimistic forumers are missing the forest for the trees.

[scania]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

isn't aesop preparing to close? we've lost COS, paul smith, APC, and Acne. let's not pretend that the retail scene downtown is healthy

Aesop isn’t preparing to close. Paul Smith??? Seriously…Paul Smith closed basically all of its stores, Melrose, etc. COS, was basically a failed concept for brick and mortar everywhere. I didn’t say every single store was a success…but as a few have closed, others have opened. Let’s not pretend that we don’t understand how the retail game works. There are a plethora of stores that have closed at The Grove, that doesn’t mean that doesn’t mean that the retail scene isn’t healthy there at The Grove.

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by craigs

As someone who returned to LA in 2021 after two decades living in San Francisco, I will again say that the relentlessly pessimistic forumers are missing the forest for the trees.

DTLA has come a long way from what it was, but we also shouldn't ignore the real problems (some fixable, others less so) that are keeping it from reaching its potential.

[Radio5]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

DTLA has come a long way from what it was, but we also shouldn't ignore the real problems (some fixable, others less so) that are keeping it from reaching its potential.

Exactly. All the right elements are there, just as others have stated, we can either get to a better place slowly, trudging through the mud (as we are) or more quickly. It's just a shame/annoying to know we could if it weren't for our "leaders".

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by craigs

I'm of the "build it and they will come" approach: if the price, quality, and amenities appeal to those buyers, they'll live in a highrise downtown.

Agreed. And I’ve always believed that the primary reason why the homeless issue continued to fester was due to the lack of a critical mass of stakeholders, namely residents. With more population density come more businesses, which in turn beget more pedestrians and a concomitant push to keep the pedestrian realm safe.

Of course, the city also needs to take proactive and preemptive measures along the way to demonstrate that they understand the concerns of prospective developers, residents, and businesses.

[scania]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Agreed. And I’ve always believed that the primary reason why the homeless issue continued to fester was due to the lack of a critical mass of stakeholders, namely residents. With more population density come more businesses, which in turn beget more pedestrians and a concomitant push to keep the pedestrian realm safe.

Of course, the city also needs to take proactive and preemptive measures along the way to demonstrate that they understand the concerns of prospective developers, residents, and businesses.

Agreed!

[ajbeaver25]

Originally Posted by craigs

Link?

Go onto Google Earth streetview and explore the city south of Flower St. Most storefronts are up for lease, vandalized, or straight up abandoned. I agree that the city has grown tremendously in the last 15 years, but denying that most of the area is ghetto seems foolish to me.

[NIMBY Slayer]

Originally Posted by scania

Again…you have Apple, Adidas, Urban Outfitters, Vans, Aesop, Maestro’s, Javier, H&M, Zara, etc etc etc. what are these businesses that won’t move/open in DTLA? You guys sound crazy!!! I’m sorry that we don’t have an Olive Garden or Buffalo Wild Wings in DTLA. Hahahahahahaha

Actually there is a Buffalo Wild Wings downtown. It's on Broadway and Caesar Chavez on the edge of Chinatown.

[scania]

Originally Posted by NIMBY Slayer

Actually there is a Buffalo Wild Wings downtown. It's on Broadway and Caesar Chavez on the edge of Chinatown.

Meh…that’s fair. 😂

[craigs]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Agreed. And I’ve always believed that the primary reason why the homeless issue continued to fester was due to the lack of a critical mass of stakeholders, namely residents. With more population density come more businesses, which in turn beget more pedestrians and a concomitant push to keep the pedestrian realm safe.

Yes. A critical mass of people makes areas safer, as there are many "eyes on the street." That, in turn, makes areas more appealing to new residents, workers, customers, etc.

Of course, the city also needs to take proactive and preemptive measures along the way to demonstrate that they understand the concerns of prospective developers, residents, and businesses.

Agreed.

[HusBy]

The construction fences started coming down over at Alloy, and you can walk on the sidewalks now. This building has really excellent street activation, and I'm impressed even by the Santa Fe side which I had expected to be mostly car-oriented.

Happily it seems to have the residential walk-in entrance and a very nice looking corner retail space on the paseo.

Let me know if y'all are sick of seeing Alloy photos here.

Mateo frontage:




Santa Fe Frontage:

[ChelseaFC]

First highrise for the Arts District, really curious to see how this one turns out and how fast it leases

[scania]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

First highrise for the Arts District, really curious to see how this one turns out and how fast it leases

Yes it will be very interesting. Leases are really good over there…but being a highrise will be a different animal.

[craigs]

Alloy looks great at street level! Thanks for the pics, HusBy.