LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[ChelseaFC]

The fact that the area of Pico under the new Convention Center is being converted into becoming the primary dropoff point and thus accessible to public vehicles makes me nervous for a terrorist attack. Maybe it's unfounded, but I don't think the drop-off point is going to be gated entry, so it seems quite vulnerable. If I were a religious or political organization hosting a large event, I'd honestly look at another city, given the current state of things.

[Illithid Dude]

Went back to the archives to remind myself of the circuitous process of getting the convention center expansion to this point. Originally the convention center was to be a public private partnership with AEG budgeted at $500 million. I would love to know how ten years later the budget has ballooned to 2.5 billion. Is that just inflation or is there something more?

[SoCalKid]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Went back to the archives to remind myself of the circuitous process of getting the convention center expansion to this point. Originally the convention center was to be a public private partnership with AEG budgeted at $500 million. I would love to know how ten years later the budget has ballooned to 2.5 billion. Is that just inflation or is there something more?

I think it's a mix of bad initial estimates, scope creep, inflation, and every department getting to put their conditions on the project. LADWP will say "but you have to do it X way!" and the project manager will say "oh ok, we'll change that", then the fire department will do the same, as will the building department, transportation, street services, etc. And the price balloons because no one will push back on the idiot bureaucrats. But also just genuine scope creep - the plan looks very very nice and very very complicated. That design is definitely not what was initially contemplated in a $500 million budget.

BUT I want to state again, I'm very happy to see this happening. A strong downtown is critically important to having a strong, cohesive urban city. And this should be a shot in the arm for South Park and DTLA more broadly.

[citywatch]

Brandon R. Guzman-Johnson: Scaffolding going up at The Broad. Construction is moving forward at a quicker pace than I expected.


Brandon R. Guzman-Johnson, facebook DTLA development

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[Radio5]

Cool video showing 110 removal downtown and what could replace it. Never would happen, but fun to see!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFbNDkU0mKw

[citywatch]

cityfeet.com

From 2018: At 611 Place, the Chetrit's secured entitlements to convert the building into 135 commercial condos and 402 joint live/work condos in 2007, but saw those plans waylaid by poor market conditions. In 2014, the company obtained an extension of those entitlements to 2023, but have shown no other signs of pursuing the adaptive reuse project.

^ that property came to mind when this group a few days ago organized a discussion on reviving dtla...

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The Chetrit group, based out of NYC, also owns the long closed clark hotel at Hill St & 4th & embassy hotel building on Grand at 9th St:

wikimapia.com

From 2023: For more than a decade, the Chetrits have sought to convert the property into a hotel. That effort initially stalled in 2014 due to a conflict between the property owner and the labor union Unite Here Local 11, which successfully blocked the family from obtaining alcohol permits for both the Trinity Auditorium. While the project was eventually able to move forward through permitting, it has remained closed to the public.

Most investors who've put their money into dtla for over 50 yrs have been based elsewhere....I recall devlpr Tom Gilmore saying when he moved from NYC to LA, he was amazed that so many properties in dt had been left vacant & were rotting away.

The Central City Assoc several yrs ago went to NYC to promote dtla to investors based there & attract them to LA. A lot of projs in dt don't instantly return big money to an owner or funder, so personal relationships or mutual business arrangements are key to getting financing. Over 200 yrs since the founding of America & city of LA, a lot of the economy remains not based in LA, much less dtla.

Now some investors in dt are losing their principal & having to bail on properties they've owned for yrs in dt. News like that is spooking off even more potential funders, meaning if new projs in dtla were slow in the past, they obviously will become even slower now & in the future.

[Nouvellecosse]

I love the building with the little dome in the last image. Very unique style. Hopefully someone finds a good use for it.

[citywatch]

spectrumnews.com

The Umeya, developed by Little Tokyo Service Center at 412-426 S. Crocker Street, consists of a seven-story building featuring 175 apartments studio, one-, and two-bedroom unit apartments.

All of the apartments are earmarked for occupancy by low-, very low-, and extremely low-income households, with half serving as supportive housing.

^ Subsidized devlpts on the east side of dtla right now are the main signs of life. They give a look of hope, but if they're not well managed....which will be a tough job.....they'll end up hurting areas like little Tokyo or the Arts Dist.

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[LA21st]

Originally Posted by citywatch

^ Subsidized devlpts on the east side of dtla right now are the main signs of life. They give a look of hope, but if they're not well managed....which will be a tough job.....they'll end up hurting areas like little Tokyo or the Arts Dist.

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Dude. Everyone on this forum and social media says house the homeless. When they do it's still negative. It's not sexy but these buildings will help in the long run. Youre just seeing the beginning stages of sort of cleaning up skid row.
Cleaning skid row helps the rest of downtown.

[JSW]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Dude. Everyone on this forum and social media says house the homeless. When they do it's still negative. It's not sexy but these buildings will help in the long run. Youre just seeing the beginning stages of sort of cleaning up skid row.
Cleaning skid row helps the rest of downtown.

I don't want to speak to anyone's motivations on this forum, but looking at the talking points coming from some loud voices on the national stage... there is a growing segment of people not looking to help the homeless, but simply get rid of them by force or through loss of life. That's all I'll say about that.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Dude. Everyone on this forum and social media says house the homeless. When they do it's still negative. It's not sexy but these buildings will help in the long run. Youre just seeing the beginning stages of sort of cleaning up skid row.
Cleaning skid row helps the rest of downtown.

This whole thread is about directing and redirecting your attention only toward the negative and away from the positive.

[citywatch]

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^ would be nice if ppl committed to dtla in general organized a similar program for the land & bldgs throughout dt that have been dormant for yrs or decades....Attn: Chetrit out of NYC, fish or cut bait.

The ribbon cutting and grand opening of Umeya Apartments was a big day for Little Tokyo — and especially for Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), which has spearheaded the affordable housing project since purchasing the Umeya Rice Cake Company factory in 2019.

Umeya sits at the intersection of the Little Tokyo and Skid Row neighborhoods. Its ground floor will house approximately 13,000 square feet of community, commercial and service provider space. LTSC will provide wraparound services to residents as the on-site supportive service provider. The modern-looking highly sustainable LEED-certified building features a landscaped courtyard, playground and in the works are a community-led mural by local Skid Row artist Showzart and an exhibit honoring Umeya as a three-generation, Japanese-American family-owned business.

The speaker who drew the loudest and longest applause was the first Umeya resident, Timothy Mason. Residents began moving in about two months ago. He gave a brief but powerful speech about hope, and not turning our backs on the unhoused, because recovery is possible. He was a testament that affordable housing is providing necessary relief to low-income families and the unhoused population in LA.

^ managing housing can be a tough job....I knew someone who supervised an apt bldg for higher income ppl & the horror stories he'd tell me about some of the tenants he had to deal with shook me up. He was overseeing ppl who had money too....so they had both more & less to lose than a lower income tenant might. Legal troublemakers sniffing everywhere, everyplace, in every type of apt bldg or housing.

I hope the Umeya bldg's funders & owners will be able to make sure nothing gets out of hand.....news reports of nicer hotels in NYC turned over to special govt programs for immigrants being trashed in just a few wks or months.

[scania]

Originally Posted by craigs

This whole thread is about directing and redirecting your attention only toward the negative and away from the positive.

I wish the moderators could put an end to the over bearing negativity of some of the people on here. The other forums aren’t like this…and their forums don’t have half as many positive things going on as we do here in LA. So much envy on this forum of people who clearly don’t live here in DTLA nor LA period.

[SoCalKid]

Donno if that's directed at me but I am an LA developer who lives in the city and has built in DTLA. I just try to share the honest reality I see as a developer. I'm a fan of DTLA and want it to grow, improve, and be successful.

[scania]

Originally Posted by SoCalKid

Donno if that's directed at me but I am an LA developer who lives in the city and has built in DTLA. I just try to share the honest reality I see as a developer. I'm a fan of DTLA and want it to grow, improve, and be successful.

Nope...there's a big difference in constructive criticism. as opposed to the envy trolls that rant and say mostly the same thing in every post. As I said, it's clear they don't live, work, or play in DTLA.

[Calicool]

Originally Posted by scania

Nope...there's a big difference in constructive criticism. as opposed to the envy trolls that rant and say mostly the same thing in every post. As I said, it's clear they don't live, work, or play in DTLA.

Don't engage with miserable, negative people. Peace

[scania]

Originally Posted by Calicool

Don't engage with miserable, negative people. Peace

Great advice taken!!! Thanks!!

[citywatch]

LAist.com, Courtesy LA ART/L.A. Metro

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Backed by strong public support, the Los Angeles Aerial Rapid Transit (LA ART) gondola project reached an important milestone today with Metro's release of a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) that provides additional information to the previously-approved EIR regarding construction mitigation.

The gondola project has garnered overwhelming support from neighborhood supporters from the surrounding communities of El Pueblo, Chinatown, Mission Junction, Solano Canyon, William Meade Homes, who recognize the environmental and transportation benefits of this zero-emission transit solution.

"My neighbors and I are tired of dealing with the effects of Dodger Stadium traffic," said Shirley Zhang, a Chinatown resident. "Not only are our streets congested with cars, but the sometimes-unruly drivers create dangerous conditions for our children. We live off College Street, and my family has to plan our schedules around game days because we have a hard time getting home or leaving during peak hours. We need a solution that will get people off the road to make our neighborhoods cleaner and safer – the gondola is an important part of the solution."

Nearly 15,000 individuals and more than 300 businesses in Chinatown, El Pueblo, and Lincoln Heights have signed up to support the project, and a poll found 72% of Los Angeles County residents support the project. The LA Times editorial board recently wrote an editorial supporting the project, urging local leaders to "let the Dodger gondola take flight!" The project also has support from organized labor, business, and environmental advocates.

The proposed system has a much higher capacity than other forms of public transportation. The EIR shows that within two hours prior to the start of a game or event at Dodger Stadium, more than 10,000 people could be transported to the stadium via the gondola. That's the equivalent of running 77 buses per hour loading to full capacity in 53 seconds.

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An environmental impact report related to the proposed Dodger Stadium gondola project was released this week, and members of the public now are able to provide feedback. The draft supplemental environmental impact report was released Monday, kicking off a 45-day public-comment period.

L.A. Metro released the draft environmental impact report three years ago, before the L.A. Metro Board of Directors approved a final report with conditions in February 2024. The report later was challenged in court by separate lawsuits from the California Endowment and the Los Angeles Park Alliance, which is part of the Stop The Gondola coalition. The California Court of Appeal concluded in May that Metro’s proposals on how it would reduce construction noise from the project were “inadequate.”

The court directed Metro to prepare a supplemental report before taking further steps to approve the project again. That report was released this week.

Ppl of Mexico City look at opponents of aerial cable cars in dtla & goes, "ya gotta be kidding me!"


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[citywatch]

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[LosAngelesSportsFan]

i seriously dont get the opposition to the gondola. Do these people not understand that there are gondola systems all over the world that fly over houses? Have they not been to a ski town before?

The convention center expansion is so key to downtown LA. Thankfully, the council saw it the same way and we can move forward. The DTLA alliance and other bids deserve a ton of credit for advocating for this and pushing it forward. The dtla care package that Mayor Bass is implementing is also super important and lets hope they follow through. The number of mentally ill and drug addicted on the streets is pretty much the worst ive seen in my 17 years of living downtown. Its out of control right now and they need to get a handle on this yesterday.