LOS ANGELES | Countywide Project Rundown Megathread

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by bobcat

The new Oceanwide Plaza developer says he wants to build a spire and a NYE ball drop like the one in Times Square.

Oh "god" I hope not. Let NY "traditions" stay in NY.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by bobcat

The new Oceanwide Plaza developer says he wants to build a spire and a NYE ball drop like the one in Times Square.

https://indianewengland.com/indian-ameri...andmark-to-showcase-india-ians-interview

This sounds like a lot of bullshit tbh. Makes me a lot less convinced it's gonna be finished. Some guy buying Oceanwide as a vanity project to name after himself does not sound convincing.

[scania]

All I can do is laugh at some of the clowns on this forum. If it’s something negative on DTLA, they are in full support of being negative. If it’s something positive, the envy, hate, anger, etc is in full force. Lol

[caligrad]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

This sounds like a lot of bullshit tbh. Makes me a lot less convinced it's gonna be finished. Some guy buying Oceanwide as a vanity project to name after himself does not sound convincing.

I mean. Not to get political or anything but Narcist, especially the rich kind, like to name everything they "Build" and do after themselves. So a guy buying this as a vanity project to name it after himself/culture I would say actually gives me more hope it will be finished lol.

That being said "I fought 90 suitors for this project"......90???? last i heard it was like 3. Where did 90 come from? And how horrible is the permitting process that 90 developers/investors would rather buy i half completed project than to just build from the ground up ? I'd be like a kid in a candy store if those 90 developers proposed 90 projects downtown instead.

[scania]

Originally Posted by caligrad

I mean. Not to get political or anything but Narcist, especially the rich kind, like to name everything they "Build" and do after themselves. So a guy buying this as a vanity project to name it after himself/culture I would say actually gives me more hope it will be finished lol.

That being said "I fought 90 suitors for this project"......90???? last i heard it was like 3. Where did 90 come from? And how horrible is the permitting process that 90 developers/investors would rather buy i half completed project than to just build from the ground up ? I'd be like a kid in a candy store if those 90 developers proposed 90 projects downtown instead.

Well from my friend that’s in real estate ….early on there was 27….90???? Who knows.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by bobcat

The new Oceanwide Plaza developer says he wants to build a spire and a NYE ball drop like the one in Times Square.

https://indianewengland.com/indian-ameri...andmark-to-showcase-india-ians-interview

Asked why he wanted to acquire the landmark property, Chaudhary replied: “I have to put Indian flag. Honest to God.” He added: “You’ll be there for 300 years. It’s called KPC Square. And I’ll put India flag.” Describing his vision for the project, he said it would include a landmark spire and a signature New Year’s Eve attraction with a ball drop like the one at Times Square in New York. He also said the complex would feature one of the world’s largest wraparound LED displays.

Good the LED screens will remain a part of the reactivated proj...I was worried they'd be value engineered out of it. Not sure how the steel framework of the 3 existing toiwers will be adjusted to include a spire.

I had only a vague sense of who the new owner was....but it makes sense an out of towner or even non native would be more ambitious in developing dtla.

Oceanwide broke ground because of funding from chinese sources...I recall the devlpr saying the opportunity to redo an older area of a major city like LA no longer existed in China's biggest cities. Others projs in dtla have been supported by companies based in Canada or Japan....or, of course, on the east coast.

It took a former new yorker to take abandoned bldgs on Spring St & convert them to housing. I recall Tom Gilmore over 20 yrs ago saying he couldn't believe the way that locals allowed dtla to be abandoned the way it was. Manhattan gets a lot of devlpt funding from ppl in NYC who know one another....or they say, I'll scratch your back if you scratch mines. In comparison, too many movers & shakers based in LA have for decades been walking away from dtla.

however, the Olympia towers proj next to the 110 freeway has been sponsored by LA based ppl, but they obviously haven't been able to get funding. That's another case of where devlprs in certain other cities like NYC have the advantage of having a long time working relationship with ppl in the banking & investment industry.


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This isn't new devlpt per se, but like the oceanwide proj, reports of properties seeing a new lease on life are very welcome. In certain ways, they're even better than totally brand new. Classic older properties in LA have long bothered me if they're allowed to fall apart & eventually torn down & lost to history...


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further west too, but a bit north of wilshire blvd...

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[Illithid Dude]

BTW, small news, but it seems that this project on Hollywood and Cherokee has broken ground.



https://la.urbanize.city/post/cim-group-plans-146-apartments-hollywood-cherokee

[Easy]

The Mirabel high rise which is planned a block west of the new D line La Brea station took a step forward this past week by releasing its final EIR. I liked that Caltrans' comment asked them to reduce parking. They weren't super receptive to the idea but at least said that they'd potentially consider it.

https://planning.lacity.gov/development-services/eir/mirabel-transit-priority-project-1

[JDRCRASH]

Another underutilized landmark that might come back to life:

https://secretlosangeles.com/westlake-th...aign=lax&utm_content=202608051718fb_post

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by Easy

The Mirabel high rise which is planned a block west of the new D line La Brea station took a step forward this past week by releasing its final EIR. I liked that Caltrans' comment asked them to reduce parking. They weren't super receptive to the idea but at least said that they'd potentially consider it.

https://planning.lacity.gov/development-services/eir/mirabel-transit-priority-project-1

One of my favorite projects. Would be over the moon if it happens.

[craigs]

A cousin and her husband came from Boston to LA for a wedding a couple of weeks ago. They didn't tell me where they were staying, and I was bummed when I found out they were staying at the Loews in Hollywood. They told me at dinner here in the Valley that they planned to do the Walk of Fame very early the following morning. I cringed inside. But I didn't want to spoil anything for them. I hope it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. That whole area desperately needs new projects like Hollywood/Cherokee.

[TxinLosFeliz]

Haha. When I have out of town guests who think they want a full day in Hollywood I tell them, "happy to take you. you won't want a full day but it is worth seeing. Plan for something later."

[Illithid Dude]

I think LA is a hard city to appreciate as a tourist. There is no central core like Chicago that you can wander around and get a strong sense of the city. The different attractions are so spread out. The best parts of LA are often beneath the surface and inaccessible to those who don't have strong social connections here. I'm thankful I was able to grow up here and discover the city organically, as visiting on a trip and attempting to digest this city under those circumstances sounds like a nightmare.

[craigs]

Agreed. LA is a fantastic place to live, but not so great to visit. As noted, we have plenty of attractions, but getting from one to another is a hassle. For people accustomed to having everything centralized, it's suboptimal.

[kittyhawk28]

Originally Posted by Easy

The Mirabel high rise which is planned a block west of the new D line La Brea station took a step forward this past week by releasing its final EIR. I liked that Caltrans' comment asked them to reduce parking. They weren't super receptive to the idea but at least said that they'd potentially consider it.

https://planning.lacity.gov/development-services/eir/mirabel-transit-priority-project-1

If this project, together with the planned 46 story 5350 Wilshire skyscraper, Onni's 67 story twin towers planned in Miracle Mile announced 2 months ago, and AEGs recently proposed 49 story hotel in DTLA announced in December, as well as resumption of Oceanwide Plaza construction and its 3 skyscrapers, LA could soon have 8 skyscrapers under construction again. Very exciting times, maybe the city is finally emerging from the long shadow of the pandemic.

[craigs]

Anecdotally, I find myself in downtown Burbank quite often these days, especially to see a movie or when I'm entertaining company from out of town. It's not very large, but it's packed to the gills with places to drink and eat.

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Beautiful downtown Burbank isn’t a punchline. The city is booming while downtown L.A. struggles


The pedestrian mall on Palm Avenue in downtown Burbank. (David Butow / For The Times)

Roger Vincent
Los Angeles Times
August 7, 2026

A Burbank landlord trying to land a trendy ice cream shop tenant got a critical assist from the city that helped seal the deal. When a Van Leeuwen Ice Cream representative came to look at his space in the center of downtown Burbank in April, a senior city official was there to help woo the brand, said Kurt Kaufman of West Coast Investors, which owns the property. “She said, ‘Look, guys, we aren’t the city of L.A. We can make things happen,’” he recalled. “They were able to open in quite record speed.” Van Leeuwen had expected to have to wait until next year, but was able to open its doors in time for peak ice cream season, summer, in part because of the city’s help.

While downtown Los Angeles is languishing, Burbank is booming. Its secret formula, the city says, is embracing businesses, helping the homeless and keeping streets clean, to make downtown a go-to destination for more shoppers, diners and commuters. “You have to be vigilant with your maintenance, with your homeless outreach, with outreach to businesses, with your marketing and PR,” said Community Development Director Patrick Prescott. “It’s just constant vigilance.”

Much has changed since “Beautiful Downtown Burbank” was a running joke on midcentury TV shows such as “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
It still has Bob’s Big Boy, the last restaurant of a once-large chain known for its chubby mascot, and Milt & Edie’s, a quirky pink-awninged 24-hour tailor and dry cleaner dating to the 1980s. Young city staffers don’t remember Carson or Bob Hope, whose name was taken off the local airport in 2017, but they are helping build a new identity for the unassuming but world-famous enclave, home to major studios Warner Bros. Discovery and Walt Disney. The new name of the airport, Hollywood Burbank Airport, points to the bigger branding Burbank is aiming for. The airport is getting a new $1.3-billion terminal set to open in October.
. . . .

[ChrisLA]

Originally Posted by craigs

Anecdotally, I find myself in downtown Burbank quite often these days, especially to see a movie or when I'm entertaining company from out of town. It's not very large, but it's packed to the gills with places to drink and eat.

Burbank is closer to those of us in the east valley, but I find downtown Burbank not that exciting as downtown Glendale and rather go a little farther. My wife prefer Burbank but most of the time I get my way and convince her to see it my way. I’m hoping in my lifetime the northern section of Van Nuys Blvd come back to life, it definitely has the bones and I can see it being something like an Old Town Pasadena.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by kittyhawk28

If this project, together with the planned 46 story 5350 Wilshire skyscraper, Onni's 67 story twin towers planned in Miracle Mile announced 2 months ago, and AEGs recently proposed 49 story hotel in DTLA announced in December, as well as resumption of Oceanwide Plaza construction and its 3 skyscrapers, LA could soon have 8 skyscrapers under construction again. Very exciting times, maybe the city is finally emerging from the long shadow of the pandemic.

The various Wilshire projects are still in proposal stages, so it'll be a while yet before they begin construction.

Originally Posted by ChrisLA

Burbank is closer to those of us in the east valley, but I find downtown Burbank not that exciting as downtown Glendale and rather go a little farther. My wife prefer Burbank but most of the time I get my way and convince her to see it my way. I’m hoping in my lifetime the northern section of Van Nuys Blvd come back to life, it definitely has the bones and I can see it being something like an Old Town Pasadena.

Glendale is absolutely much more lively than Burbank, if only because of the Americana / Galleria / non drive-through In N Out trifecta. The only real reason I have to go to downtown Burbank is the AMC 16.

[LA21st]

I worked in downtown Burbank during 2021. Even then it held pretty strong.
Not sure why this is news. Burbank in general has always been pretty healthy.

It's been one ot the more active suburbs in the country in my experience for at least 13 years now.
It's not Glendale or Pasadena but its pretty good.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by craigs

A cousin and her husband came from Boston to LA for a wedding a couple of weeks ago. They didn't tell me where they were staying, and I was bummed when I found out they were staying at the Loews in Hollywood. They told me at dinner here in the Valley that they planned to do the Walk of Fame very early the following morning. I cringed inside. But I didn't want to spoil anything for them. I hope it wasn't as bad as I feared it would be. That whole area desperately needs new projects like Hollywood/Cherokee.

Los Angeles is not the typical tourist city; it's a very choose-your-own-adventure kind of place. LA is more about experiences, vs. going through a checklist of landmarks to see when you get here... though I guess it does have some well-known neighborhoods and suburbs. And that's the thing; again, LA is more about experiences.

Decades ago, in my teens, I had a Canadian penpal from Edmonton. We kept in touch into our early 20s. Anyway, when we were both 20, he decided to come to LA for a week. He had a blast. His thing, though, was studio tours; he was really into film and TV history. He stayed at a hotel in Santa Monica and took the bus everywhere (this was back in 1990). He did studio tours at Paramount, the Burbank Studios, and Universal. I met up with him a few times and we hung out, and I remember him being disappointed that he couldn't buy a beer (drinking age in Canada is 18). We even saw a movie together, "Hunt for Red October" at an old single-screen movie theater in Santa Monica, I forgot what it was called, but it no longer exists. And what I liked about the theater was that it was old and slightly run-down, it hadn't been "restored," so it felt more "authentic" and historic to me. And he thought it was great seeing a movie in an old theater in an area traditionally known as a movie-making town, haha!

Flash-forward to the late 2010s, and my partner and I took our Dutch friend around LA. He had a blast too; his thing was museums and architecture, and he's not into pop culture. He really enjoyed the Hollyhock House. We also made it a point to take him to restaurants we really like; we figured a lot of the places we like to eat at don't exist in Utrecht, hehe. The one "touristy" thing we did was take him to the Griffith Observatory, which he liked. We also took him to Micky's in WeHo, and we had a "fun" time there too, haha! He actually asked one of the go-go boys if they did private shows.

Nowadays, watching Youtube vlogs, it's "interesting" and disappointing to see what people say about LA when visiting, or what they wanna see when they get here. It's either about old reality shows from the first 2 decades of this century (Germans wanting to visit tattoo parlors they saw on some tattoo show I never heard of), or stupid shit like first-time LA visitors going to Erewhon, In-N-Out, and/or Pink's. If a supermarket and fast-food places are all you wanna see, no wonder they're disappointed... I guess it says something about what kind of people they are too.