LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0

[MapGoulet]

Originally Posted by Tanster

when exactly does it open??

I heard mid-July from a rep at Lee Homes. I would think take any estimate at this point and add 2 weeks. So I figure end of July at this point.

[colemonkee]

^ Really? I wonder why they would start stocking food on the shelves over 2 weeks before they open. Granted, these are probably non-perishable items, but when I drove by last night, even the freezers looked to be turned on.

[k3d]

I noticed a new small Ralph's sign above the parking entrance on Hope. There is also a small staircase the comes up from the parking by the front entrance.
I wonder if all Ralph's parking is underground and the lot on 9th/Hope is for Market residents? There are also two elevators just inside the front door.

[fridayinla]

^Well, you know they're going to wait for a grand, publicized opening date, which will probably be given to the media 1-2 weeks in advance. I hope they're ahead of schedule though.

[k3d]

LA Live / Nokia Theater update posted at http://la.curbed.com/

New pictures and renderings in the Gallery at
http://www.nokiatheatrela.com/index.php

I didn't know they were going to make the street between Staples and Nokia Theater pedestrian only. Will they also have retail along that area?

[fridayinla]

Originally Posted by k3d

LA Live / Nokia Theater update posted at http://la.curbed.com/

New pictures and renderings in the Gallery at
http://www.nokiatheatrela.com/index.php

I didn't know they were going to make the street between Staples and Nokia Theater pedestrian only. Will they also have retail along that area?

Nokia Theater images from the above link:

[citywatch]

^ That's the first glimpse I've ever seen of what the interiors of the Nokia will look like. And good to hear that the Ralphs has been stocked in a way that suggests it should open not too long from now.

As for how much business it will do? I can only go on things like the reported continuing hesitancy of Trader Joes to enter the hood. Then again, I know some major restauranteurs were equally cautious about DT not too long ago, then built a location there, &, bam!, saw that branch do some of the best volume in their company. So, fridayinla & colemonkee, the next interesting chapter in the hood's tranformation will take place over the next several months. I'm talking about tracking early response to the Ralphs & the number of customers it draws in per day, per wk. When it comes to that, I hope you & others living in the hood will keep everyone up on the latest.

However, to be honest, over the yrs I've been in some of the ralph's in the burbs of OC & the SFV, in places like Simi Valley, & seen surprisingly few customers, even during prime hrs of the day. Still, I'd guess the most lucrative potential customer of a grocery store is the mother with a lot of kids, & DT still is made up largely of singles & couples, many of them likelier to eat out instead of eat at home.

BTW, re the postings not long ago about what makes a city good or bad, or whether DTLA is getting too many lowrises, or has too many wood framed bldgs, I just went through a set of photos of SF from ColDayMan, & what stands out are: (1) many of the sidewalks or plazas aren't exactly packed with pedestrians (& I've noticed that in other photo essays of SF posted at SSP), & (2) there definitely are quite a few lowrise hoods in a city that's still been highly praised for its urbanism for yrs & yrs.

That's says both good & bad things about DTLA, cuz on one hand, it means the hood's sidewalks probably always will be kind of quiet, since SF by comparison is no slouch in the category of urbanism. And if DT is looked down on compared with what many ppl think of SF, then DTLA must really need a lot of work. What I mean is, yea, those pics of SF do show an environment that's very nice & all, but not necessarily so great to justify all the ooohs, ahhhs & hype that ppl (like tourists) have given it through the yrs. Which just goes to show that DTLA, by contrast, must have so many deadzones (&, unfortunately, it still does---tho it's getting better) that it automatically gets knocked down several notches in the minds of many of those same ppl.

[jlrobe]

The LA live description is quite in depth and encouraging!!

Here is the paraphrased description of LA live via http://www.nokiatheatrela.com/lalive.php

STAPLES CENTER
L.A. LIVE is anchored by STAPLES Center, the world's most successful arena.
In its relatively short history, STAPLES Center has also become the premier venue for musical performances, family entertainment, televised award shows and many major events in the region.

NOKIA Theatre l.a. live
The 235,00 square foot, 7,100-seat venue will host 125 music, family, dance and comedy acts, award shows, televised productions and short running Broadway theater events annually.

CLUB NOKIA
Club NOKIA will host 150 concerts annually - concerts that are currently booked in non-AEG controlled venues in Los Angeles through AEG's live music division, Goldenvoice.

NOKIA PLAZA
the 40,000 square foot open air plaza, capable of hosting special events, community gatherings, cultural festivals and live performances will be located in the very heart of L.A. LIVE. The plaza space has been designed with flexibility as well as state-of-the-art "plug-and-play" technology to accommodate broadcast events, large celebrations, festivals, outdoor concerts and other live programming. The ability to close 11th street/Chick Hearn Court during non-peak hours is another major amenity serving L.A. LIVE as it connects STAPLES Center and provides a pedestrian friendly campus as well as excellent logistics for red carpet arrivals for guests attending events taking place at any of the venues.

STUDIOS
A 110,000 square foot showcase studio will be home to SportsCenter and a number of live shows and original programming broadcast on ESPN and its affiliate networks including ABC Sports. An additional broadcasting center is planned to accommodate national and local entertainment coverage, sports, news and music broadcasts.

RESTAURANTS
L.A. LIVE will be open for lunch and dinner, offering outdoor dining to take advantage of Los Angeles' pleasing climate.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar will occupy approximately 7,250 square feet on the bustling corner of Olympic and Figueroa Boulevards. Just south is The Farm of Beverly Hills, a 7,000 square foot American restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and an array of fresh bakery items.

Los Angeles' legendary Conga Room will relocate from its mid-Wilshire location and occupy approximately 13,000 square feet of second floor space. Since it's opening in 1998, the Conga Room has become the premiere intimate performance venue for top name Latin, World & alternative music. Featuring live entertainment Thursday through Saturday nights, the nightclub will also host special events, a television broadcast with live, weekday Latin music programming and daily radio broadcasts. The new Conga Room is owned by a group of high profile celebrities and entertainment executives including Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez and Paul Rodriguez.

Los Angeles' nightlife guru, Sam Nazarian of SBE Entertainment (Hyde Lounge, Prey, Privilege and Area), brings his sushi and robata bar concept, Katsuya to L.A. LIVE. Designed by Phillipe Starke, the ultra-hip 7,600 square foot, ground floor space will be utilized as the main dining room and a cocktail lounge will share the area.

Long Beach-based Yard House offers a wide menu of American food, excellent service and over 100 different beers from around the world and will feature a large outdoor dining terrace.

New York-based Rosa Mexicano brings a fine dining concept of traditional and nouvelle Mexican food within a contemporary David Rockwell design. Known for their pomegranate margaritas, guacamole freshly prepared tableside, and indoor water wall,

Los Angeles' own culinary icon, Wolfgang Puck will bring an exciting new California cuisine concept of fresh seafood, salads and steaks concept to L.A. LIVE in a 7,500 square foot location. The space, centrally located on NOKIA Plaza, will also be used for private parties and special events.

Several quick service restaurants are planned for L.A. LIVE as well.

Bowling
Hollywood's own Lucky Strike will occupy approximately 24,000 feet on the second floor offering a café and bar, plus billiard tables, dart and private function rooms in addition to 18 state-of-the-art bowling lanes.

Cinemas and Premiere House
The West coast flagship for Regal Cinemas will be built at L.A. LIVE including a new 140,000 square feet of state-of-the-art cinema with 14 screens and 3,800 seats including an 800-seat house suitable for the industry's most glamorous movie premieres. With close proximity to the convention center and the headquarters hotel meeting and ballroom spaces, it is also expected that the theaters will be utilized during the day for corporate presentations and break out space.

Corporate Office Space
L.A. LIVE will become the 25,000 square foot executive headquarters for AEG
Herbalife will relocate its executive offices to 60,000 square feet at L.A. LIVE's Nokia Plaza.
Holme Roberts & Owen, an international law firm with offices in London, Munich, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado and Utah, will lease 25,000 square feet of office space within L.A. LIVE

Museum
The Recording Academy (NARAS) and AEG are together developing The GRAMMY Museum, the permanent home for the GRAMMY Awards. Slated to open in October 2008 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary year of the GRAMMY Awards, the one-of-a-kind museum experience will be the cornerstone of the exciting L.A. LIVE development and is expected to draw over 300,000 visitors annually.

The GRAMMY Museum will introduce artists of all musical genres, unveil the creative process, teach the art and science of recorded music, examine its rich history, demonstrate its evolution, and celebrate the pinnacle of the music industry's success - the annual GRAMMY awards telecast. Guests will experience music from a never before seen insider perspective that only The GRAMMY Museum, with the support of The Recording Academy, can deliver.

Located on four levels at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street, the 33,400 square foot museum will bring guests through a unique, interactive journey and educational opportunity unlike any other. A rooftop event terrace for over 450 guests will host private functions and fundraising galas and will enjoy spectacular views of downtown.

The GRAMMY Museum will introduce artists of all musical genres, unveil the creative process, teach the art and science of recorded music, examine its rich history, demonstrate its evolution, and celebrate the pinnacle of the music industry's success, The GRAMMY Award telecast. Guests will experience music from a never-before-seen insider perspective that only The GRAMMY Museum, with the support of The Recording Academy, can deliver.

HOTELS
Designed by Gensler, the 1,001 guest room, 1,150,000 square foot Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotel soaring over 54 stories in the sky will serve as the focal point of the entire district and a venerable beacon for the South Park neighborhood. Operated as two separate entities under The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott brands, the hotel will serve both the convention, group meeting and tourist market on its competitively priced main floors, as well as offering five-star accommodations on its upper levels for headline performers, visiting sports teams and executives doing business at L.A. LIVE and downtown. Guests of the hotel will enjoy spectacular views of the Westside, South Bay, ocean and downtown skyline. The hotel will also include substantial meeting, ballroom and amenity space, planned in excess of 84,000 square feet including the largest ballroom in Southern California with capability of serving 3,000 seated guests. The tower will also include 224 luxury Ritz Residence condominiums on its uppermost floors, enjoying optimal views and amenities such as valet, concierge, maid and food services provided by The Ritz-Carlton.

Up to 400 additional guest rooms are planed as part of a second "boutique" hotel in a later phase of development.

The second phase will open in October of 2008 with the ESPN offices and studio, the ESPN zone, the restaurants, the Grammy museum, Club NOKIA, The Conga Room, Lucky Strike, the broadcast studio and the corporate office space.

The third phase will complete the project in late 2009 with the opening of the JW Marriott, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Residences, ballrooms and Regal Cinemas.

PARKING
Approximately 3,500 new parking spaces will be added to the existing parking supply servicing STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The district-wide parking management strategy will involve shared parking among many demand generators and will build upon the successfully operating parking program at STAPLES Center to distribute peak parking demand throughout L.A. LIVE while providing ample close-in parking to serve tenant and customer needs. Employee parking will be located at remote facilities within a few block walk or shuttle ride.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
L.A LIVE is well served by public transportation systems including the MTA Blue Line Station at Pico and Flower Streets, the MTA Red Line Subway at 7th and Figueroa, the LA Dot Downtown DASH shuttle service and numerous MTA regional and local bus routes. L.A. LIVE is also centrally located within the regional freeway system with seven major interchanges on the nearby 110 and 10 freeways and on a grid of major arterial streets with excellent inbound traffic capacity during the high traffic volume peak periods. The district will feature wide sidewalks, rich landscaping and attractive hardscape features aimed at connecting various venues while also providing linkages to adjacent residential and commercial areas and public transit.

[jlrobe]

Originally Posted by citywatch

^ That's the first glimpse I've ever seen of what the interiors of the Nokia will look like. And good to hear that the Ralphs has been stocked in a way that suggests it should open not too long from now.

As for how much business it will do? I can only go on things like the reported continuing hesitancy of Trader Joes to enter the hood. Then again, I know some major restauranteurs were equally cautious about DT not too long ago, then built a location there, &, bam!, saw that branch do some of the best volume in their company. So, fridayinla & colemonkee, the next interesting chapter in the hood's tranformation will take place over the next several months. I'm talking about tracking early response to the Ralphs & the number of customers it draws in per day, per wk. When it comes to that, I hope you & others living in the hood will keep everyone up on the latest.

However, to be honest, over the yrs I've been in some of the ralph's in the burbs of OC & the SFV, in places like Simi Valley, & seen surprisingly few customers, even during prime hrs of the day. Still, I'd guess the most lucrative potential customer of a grocery store is the mother with a lot of kids, & DT still is made up largely of singles & couples, many of them likelier to eat out instead of eat at home.

BTW, re the postings not long ago about what makes a city good or bad, or whether DTLA is getting too many lowrises, or has too many wood framed bldgs, I just went through a set of photos of SF from ColDayMan, & what stands out are: (1) many of the sidewalks or plazas aren't exactly packed with pedestrians (& I've noticed that in other photo essays of SF posted at SSP), & (2) there definitely are quite a few lowrise hoods in a city that's still been highly praised for its urbanism for yrs & yrs.

That's says both good & bad things about DTLA, cuz on one hand, it means the hood's sidewalks probably always will be kind of quiet, since SF by comparison is no slouch in the category of urbanism. And if DT is looked down on compared with what many ppl think of SF, then DTLA must really need a lot of work. What I mean is, yea, those pics of SF do show an environment that's very nice & all, but not necessarily so great to justify all the ooohs, ahhhs & hype that ppl (like tourists) have given it through the yrs. Which just goes to show that DTLA, by contrast, must have so many deadzones (&, unfortunately, it still does---tho it's getting better) that it automatically gets knocked down several notches in the minds of many of those same ppl.

ACtually I have lived in SF and the Bay Area all of my life and I love tha arae, A LOT, but most people talk it up WAY too much. they make horrible assumptions about SF. SF is wonderful and urban, but all the streets are not bustling with toursits, although a few always are! There are neighborhoods full of very old people and they are somewhat run down. There are bad restaurants in SF and it is full of chains, especially downtown. SF does have its share of shopping centers and malls (3 major ones). Many people DO drive in that town. SF historically did not have many super tall buildings. Not all sidewalks in SF are super wide. That being said I LOVE SF and it is a wonderful place, but it is not utopia. Granted LA has many problems that SF does not, but LA should be enjoyed in its own right.

DTLA shouldnt be constantly compared to anyplace yet. It is a very young neighborhood and needs time to develop. I like the clubs in DTLA more than I like many of the clubs in SF, and DTLA nightlife is growing very fast!! SF is old, compact, and has vistas that LA will never have and thus it has a charm LA will never get. DTLA is trying to be newer with more entertainment, so SF and LA are not directly competing.

[jlrobe]

It seems that La live is catering to businesses, residents, event planners, tourists, and entertainment industry officials. It might not be the perfect URBAN masterpiece, but it seems to cover all basis and the hotel will at least shape our skyline. Some of the renderings look ugly, and it might not be street friendly along some streets but with wider sidewalks and some street facing businesses, it cant be all that bad.

Doing calculations, it seems that AEG's estimate of 13.5 million visitors per year after 5 years is a very realistic projection given the amount of facilties, programming, and diversity of development.

The real question is will the patronage spill over into downtown streets or will it be contained indoors as always??? I do not know the answer but AEG claims that LA live will interact with its neighborhood. If this is true, then LA live is perfect. The restos, the entertainment, even the theatres are good enough because the truly unique stuff is popping up all over downtown and urbanites and tourists can start at LA live then venture off to the more unique areas.

Can someone draw a map or something so we can see how this interaction and flow can happen? That is the only true missing piece to this otherwise well-balanced development.

Also, the drawings show a wide open plaza but the description claims that a wolfgang puck high concept resto is going to be dead center. How is that possible??? It is an interesting proposal.

Anyhow, these details are great and I think that AEG has more details it is waiting to disclose over time. I cant wait for hardcore advertising to heat up so all southern Californians get plugged in. most people I work with have NO IDEA what LA live is or that such a development is occuring.

[KarLarRec1]

Is anyone else displeased with the interior design of Nokia Theater? It seems very plain and quite outdated, with that blue neon.

I hope it doesn't look like that.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by k3d

LA Live / Nokia Theater update posted at http://la.curbed.com/

New pictures and renderings in the Gallery at
http://www.nokiatheatrela.com/index.php

I didn't know they were going to make the street between Staples and Nokia Theater pedestrian only. Will they also have retail along that area?

That's Chick Hearn Court. I don't know that LA is planning on closing it to traffic. The rendering could be some event at Nokia that requires a temporary street closure. Like the Grammy's or similar.

[KarLarRec1]

^

"The ability to close 11th street/Chick Hearn Court during non-peak hours is another major amenity serving L.A. LIVE as it connects STAPLES Center and provides a pedestrian friendly campus as well as excellent logistics for red carpet arrivals for guests attending events taking place at any of the venues. "

(from above source)

[k3d]

Originally Posted by Tanster

when exactly does it open??

The Roosevelt "blog" states "The corporate office says the (Ralph's) grand opening will be on Friday, July 13"
http://theroosevelt.blogspot.com/2007/06/ralphs-almost-finished-opening-soon.html

[fridayinla]

Originally Posted by KarLarRec1

Is anyone else displeased with the interior design of Nokia Theater? It seems very plain and quite outdated, with that blue neon.

I hope it doesn't look like that.

Agreed. The interior does look bland to me too. Then again, the architecture of the theater overall isn't incredible... mostly utilitarian. I'm not complaining though, LA LIVE is a dream coming true for my hopes of this city.

[fridayinla]

Originally Posted by k3d

The Roosevelt "blog" states "The corporate office says the (Ralph's) grand opening will be on Friday, July 13"
http://theroosevelt.blogspot.com/2007/06/ralphs-almost-finished-opening-soon.html

Are people actually reading that thing?! I'm seeing July 13th and 16th from several different sources, either that Fri or Mon. I'm sure the Downtown News will be all over it soon enough.

[jlrobe]

Originally Posted by KarLarRec1

Is anyone else displeased with the interior design of Nokia Theater? It seems very plain and quite outdated, with that blue neon.

I hope it doesn't look like that.

When I mentioned that some of LA live doesnt look nice I was specifically talking about the interior. I hope it doesnt look like that either. Given the overall programming and design of the area I dont think it will hurt its overall popularity, however it is a shame that the overall design of LA live is a little "pedestrian".

[k3d]

Originally Posted by fridayinla

Are people actually reading that thing?! I'm seeing July 13th and 16th from several different sources, either that Fri or Mon. I'm sure the Downtown News will be all over it soon enough.

Well, I am buying there and any additional information I can find at that thing is useful to me. And now that you mention it, I remember reading some negative comments at another blog displeased with The Roosevelt having a fake blog. I thought instead http://theroosevelt.blogspot.com was a good idea and that it would be nice if each residential building had it's own blog. This would allow residents a place to get information about news and events related to their building, commercial or otherwise. It would give each building more "personality"

[funhaus]

Per today's CurbedLA:

DOWNTOWN - The never-discussed project barely known as LA Central is getting a formal hearing today, reports a reader. Unfortunately we had a conference call with a lawyer who charges by the minute so we couldn't make it. "Just a heads up, the public hearing for the LA Central development (across from Staples--the one that IS getting a Whole Foods, ahem) will be (Friday) at 11:00 in City Hall on the 10th Floor. There will probably be lots of shiney exhibits and probably some people complaining about alcohol. Please go and take pictures or steal an exhibit or something so that I never again have to look at goatse again." [CurbedWire Inbox]

Anybody attend this? Any juicy tidbits to report?

[jlrobe]

Can someone explain to me why DTLA is not penciling out?

How come miami, chicago, vancouver, portland, and seattle continue to develop like crazy despite the economic downturn and rising construction costs while the most promising Downtown (LA) is completely crippled by it!?

How come South Group can continue to develop in portland and turn a profit by selling 450k condos while their future LA projects like Jardin are stalled because in order to pencil out they have to sell them for 850k+? LA is a more important city than Portland, but is "potentially valuable" downtown LA land THAT much more valuable NOW than the most prime land in the entire state of Oregon?

Maybe it isnt land value, but construction costs. If it is dominated by construction costs, then how come Vancouver and Miami havent flinched at all. Are construction costs THAT much higher in LA than Miami?!?

I can buy a condo just two blocks from the L train in a midrise for 600k in Chicago, but that same amount of money barely affords Santee Village. I love LA, but I cant see how skid row should cost the same as Chicago's Loop area?! Why cant skid row pencil out easier than the second best downtown in the Country.

If anyone can shed some light, I would be most grateful. MAybe I am exaggerating or missing the facts.