LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[StethJeff]

^^ Over the last 10 years or so, we've accumulated a lot of individual drops into the bucket. We have a lot more on the horizon and can use a ton more but the bucket certainly isn't empty anymore. I liked the pics, thanks.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

Would you mind directly labeling your DTLA active projects map? I understand that it's a lot easier to create with numbers and a key but it'd be a lot easier to look at with sites labelled by name.

steth, I originally intended to do exactly what you suggested, but the typeface would have to be so small, & hard to read....& would have ended up blocking the view of too much of the area immediately around a proj....that I decided to stick with small, simple numbers. I did go back & modify my post by inserting footnotes to the map....& based on the comments from rajun, I updated the proj listed as #1.

One reason why I wanted to create those aerial views is to give a better sense of how a proj relates to the area immediately around it, & how many other sites remain in need of new infill devlpt. So not wanting to block the sight of things like parking lots or small existing bldgs is important to me.

Originally Posted by rajuncajun

Citywatch, you can also amend #1 to include the parking lot two spaces to the south. They started developing the third building as the parking lot is fenced off and they are digging.

rajun, that's unexpected news, since the devlpr originally said....

centurywestpartners.com

The first phase of the Avant consists of two seven-story buildings at 1340 S. Figueroa and 1355 S. Flower. Joined by an elevated walkway, the two buildings will house 247 apartments above ground-floor restaurants and shops. Those buildings are set to be completed by November 2013, when work will begin on another seven-story tower with 194 units at 1500 S. Figueroa that would be finished by the end of 2014.

I now realize I never really thought about how the boundaries of the Avant proj would be affected by the 2nd phase, 3rd bldg. Even if it wasn't going to be an active construction area til next yr, I still should have tried to show where the 3rd bldg would be located & indicated it as #1A, as I've now done by modifying the map. Rajun, I'm assuming what you saw at the avant site on fig is accurate & so I've listed the 2nd phase as now being underway. If not, the revision to #1 still makes the map a bit more accurate than before.

btw, the downtownnews quarterly update also says the newly opened 1111 wilshire apt bldg has 65 of its 210 apts leased & are filling about 25 per month & expect to be fully booked by sept.

I wonder if the decision of centurywest to start their 3rd bldg sooner than originally described is cuz they're more confident in the amt of demand for new apts in the hood?

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Chef Boyardee

Don't know if it's a final design or what, but here's a rendering for the plot next to vibiana. Wood partners (8th/hope) is the developer.

I'm puzzled cuz colemonkee said the public hearing on that proj involves a 36 story tower. But the renderings for a shorter bldg look too new to be a now outdated version of the plans. I'd also imagine a proj is more likely to go from being large to small, & not the other way around. Although are Wood partners the type of devlpr that favors bigger projs?

The tall tower definitely would cost more to build & require the devlpr to charge higher rents. It's possible the owner became cautious cuz of that, & may now think the area around Vibiana is not going to attract enough ppl willing to spend big $$ for either apts or certainly condos.

Unlike some forumers, I tend not to get all if a new apt or condo bldg isn't taller, or this or that. That's cuz to me there still are so many areas throughout dt that desperately need infill devlpt, & in which so many of those sites probably will be sitting empty for yrs into the future, that I don't think it's the end of the world if a new proj doesn't fit some perfect ideal. So the plans for the smaller bldg look quite nice to me.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by jamesinclair

1) Ive been following this thread for years, and was excited about all the projects – but in person it was a bit disappointing. Basically, you can have 15 amazing projects, but downtown LA is so big it’s like a drop in the bucket. Theres much to be done.

2) Downtown LA is so damn empty, its weird. Where the people at?

3) The streets are way too wide, especially because there’s so little traffic on the surface roads.

james, thanks for the pics. however, I'm a bit by what some of them convey & your impressions of dt....although they do duplicate some of my own reactions over the yrs. They remind me of my visit to the hood last yr, with an old friend from the bay area & her daughter. Sad to say, but my friend wasn't exactly thrilled, as the lack of ppl milling about in various parts of the hood....& the lack of new devlpt at that time....really put a damper on things.

I hope new businesses like Figaro or the ones that are needed to fill the new 7th/Fig ctr will manage to do well in the long run.

LA sometimes can seem like a city with a small population, since so few ppl are out & about in dt. Where is everyone?! There is also the strange irony of fwys all around dtla being crowded with cars, but the streets in dt itself being rather quiet.

[colemonkee]

I'm totally okay with that Wood Partners rendering. Normally I would want something taller, but that looks very nice. Not sure why I would get a notice with the old 41-story Conditional Use Permit application, though.

On another totally different note, here's the Marriott Hotel tower on Saturday around sunset. I'm not totally sold on the design of this one, but will hold judgement until it's finished.


Image by me

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

I'm totally okay with that Wood Partners rendering. Normally I would want something taller, but that looks very nice. Not sure why I would get a notice with the old 41-story Conditional Use Permit application, though.

LargeArch has renderings for several projects that never came to fruition on their website. They display their design of 10000 Santa Monica prominently even though a different design was selected for the project.

I don't know when the design that Boyardee posted was drawn up, but if you're getting notices about a 41 story building, chances are that the developers are thinking bigger than 6-7 floors for the St. Vibiana site.

[Steve2726]

Originally Posted by jamesinclair

2) Downtown LA is so damn empty, its weird. Where the people at?

It does look really dead. What day were you there? Sunday's are usually empty if there's no event at Staples Center but the rest of the week normally has more life.

[Wilcal]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I fucking love this, and would totally be fine with it being built. In a way, I actually rather this be built then the tower. It just looks so contextually... right. Perhaps the tower is behind the building? Or on the parking lot on the other side?

Illithid Dude,
I love your colorful enthusiasm; okay, I'll throw in the towel on this one--I like the more modest proposal. But just thinking about the project makes me wonder at the LA archdiocese and their complete abandonment of this lovely structure. Remember after the Northridge earthquake? The dumb-ass fools wanted to demolish the church rather than rebuild and retrofit. Granted, the area was a bit more dicey than now, but the church and is wealth could have made a huge improvement by investing in the area. What I would have envisioned would be similar to what I.M. Pei did for the First Church of Christ Scientist in Boston--truly stunning.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by Wilcal

Illithid Dude,
I love your colorful enthusiasm; okay, I'll throw in the towel on this one--I like the more modest proposal. But just thinking about the project makes me wonder at the LA archdiocese and their complete abandonment of this lovely structure. Remember after the Northridge earthquake? The dumb-ass fools wanted to demolish the church rather than rebuild and retrofit. Granted, the area was a bit more dicey than now, but the church and is wealth could have made a huge improvement by investing in the area. What I would have envisioned would be similar to what I.M. Pei did for the First Church of Christ Scientist in Boston--truly stunning.

I mean, it's not like the building is abandoned - they use it as an event space and there are plans to turn it into a restaurant.

[brudy]

Originally Posted by citywatch

LA sometimes can seem like a city with a small population, since so few ppl are out & about in dt. Where is everyone?! There is also the strange irony of fwys all around dtla being crowded with cars, but the streets in dt itself being rather quiet.

This is true and applies to downtown as well. There are only ~55k residents downtown. Think about that in terms of a very small town, because despite the architecture, that's not a lot of people. Yes there are draws to downtown - restaurants, music center, tourists. But there aren't that many people that actually live here, and that can make it feel very empty at times. You need to know where and when to go to find the activity. Downtown seems better at night, to be honest. Little Tokyo is always hopping. You can turn a corner in the arts district and find a huge line waiting to get into something. It's all a bit of secret which can be hard as a tourist. Once you're inside some of these places, it's amazing, but you need to know where to go at this point. When I travel to other cities I love to just wander and stumble upon cool stuff. That can happen in downtown, but it's not like Europe or today's Manhattan. If anybody remembers 80's SOHO or early 90's Williamsburg or Meatpacking, that's a closer analog.

People also need to think of downtown in context of the rest of LA. It's competing against many other well-developed areas. It's not like Boston that has basically one or two centers of development and shopping. DTLA is one neighborhood surrounded by everything one could ever want in terms of shopping and entertainment within a 20 minute drive, generally without the issues of downtown. It's challenge is to build its own population then provide the shopping and other services and then draw people in with those things. We're constantly competing against the rest of the city for everything. People on this forum are very excited about the direction of downtown, and that's great, but the reality is it has a way to go. I don't think it will feel all that different until this next wave of development is complete and occupied. That will give downtown a ~10% boost in population.

I'm not trying to be a downer, I think downtown's prospects are great. Maybe we'll hit critical mass in a few years, but right now it's still a hodge podge of semi-secret locations and events, of knowing where and when to walk. Some of that mystery is what I really like about downtown. But I think people's expectations are too high for the current state of downtown, especially if you're expecting an SF or NYC type of experience.

[brudy]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I mean, it's not like the building is abandoned - they use it as an event space and there are plans to turn it into a restaurant.

There are events going on there all the time. I'd rather have this be an event space or restaurant than a church. I think a larger project next door would be great.

The Christian Science plaza in Boston is an absolutely ginormous structure and while very pretty and providing the reflecting pool, it does little else to add to the neighborhood or street life. It's a beautiful hulking fortress.

[jamesinclair]

Originally Posted by Steve2726

It does look really dead. What day were you there? Sunday's are usually empty if there's no event at Staples Center but the rest of the week normally has more life.

Pictures taken Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which made it even weirder. It felt like Sunday morning most of the time.

I did want to add that my dad was impressed with the changes .....from his experiences in the area during the late 80s.

[bighomey3000]

Deleted

[RuFFy]

Found this on Curbed. Apparently the structure that formerly housed Crash Mansion is being demolished. Anybody?

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2013/05/do...tribute_to_the_south_park_hotel_boom.php

[Wilcal]

Originally Posted by brudy

There are events going on there all the time. I'd rather have this be an event space or restaurant than a church. I think a larger project next door would be great.

The Christian Science plaza in Boston is an absolutely ginormous structure and while very pretty and providing the reflecting pool, it does little else to add to the neighborhood or street life. It's a beautiful hulking fortress.

While I agree about the lack of engagement of street life, I still think esthetically the Pei design is a "knock-out." Better a "beautiful hulking fortress" than that "fortress" on Temple.

[blackcat23]

So this is the look for the new incarnation of Blossom Plaza.



Photo from the Downtown News.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

So this is the look for the new incarnation of Blossom Plaza.



Photo from the Downtown News.

Bummer, that's pretty bland..and oddly primary colored. I liked this version:


Source: Curbed

[Illithid Dude]

Oh, that's ugly, though with the right materials, it might not look terrible. Either way, the old version looked a lot better.

[blackcat23]

I don't mind the color scheme so much. I think they're trying to play off of Chinatown Station.

The sidewalk presence sucks, though. It looks like they're putting the entrance to the parking garage directly next to the entrance to the train station.

[brudy]

Originally Posted by Wilcal

While I agree about the lack of engagement of street life, I still think esthetically the Pei design is a "knock-out." Better a "beautiful hulking fortress" than that "fortress" on Temple.

Totally agree. The Pei part is very nice. I was thinking about the older part of the church.