LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0 - Page 98

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**1941** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 7:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by latennisguy

Which is why I get so offended when people say that Broadway should turn into another freakin' mall!

yuck yuck. IMO the only thing Broadway needs is a good scrub down. top to bottom.

And may I add that we need the retail to stay open later so that the street doesn’t roll up and go to sleep at 6 pm.

Also, I was wondering, now that downtown has the new zoning ordinance (the one that allows smaller units), when will we see the first proposal that makes use of this new ordinance? These new projects should help increase the density of downtown.

JDRCRASH · #**1942** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 7:37 PM**

^ ^ ^

Probably not that much, at least for the rest of THIS year.
But when 2008 rolls along, then the high-rise market begins to pick up speed again.....we'll likely see more proposals.

In fact I wouldn't be suprised if some Developers that are building and proposing these current projects are contemplating whether or not they should redesign they're units to help pay for the projects.

alikaalex · #**1943** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 7:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DowntownCharlieBrown

And may I add that we need the retail to stay open later so that the street doesn’t roll up and go to sleep at 6 pm.

I agree. Most DT retail still closes too early. Perhaps the existing Broadway retailers don't think their clientele would be likely to shop at their stores after 6pm. Discount clothing and electronic stores are common along Broadway; I know I tend to shop for clothing and electronics during the day on the weekends. Maybe the market for extended-hours discount retail isn't there right now?

alikaalex · #**1944** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

In fact I wouldn't be suprised if some Developers that are building and proposing these current projects are contemplating whether or not they should redesign they're units to help pay for the projects.

I was thinking the same thing. If faced with downscaling the size of units in a residential project versus having a project that doesn't pencil, a developer might choose the former.

JDRCRASH · #**1945** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 7:51 PM**

City offers a hand to business
L.A. officials reach out, seek improved relations
BY RICK ORLOV ,Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 09/20/2007 11:27:51 PM PDT

Battling the stigma of being unfriendly to business, Los Angeles officials pledged Thursday to step up tax-reform efforts, develop policies to boost growth, and seek to draw up a comprehensive economic plan for the city.

The emphasis comes just two days after a study found that neighboring cities are siphoning off Los Angeles business with better incentives and policies.

"We need to have a partnership if we are going to succeed," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told more than 400 business leaders who converged at City Hall in an annual Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce event.

And City Controller Laura Chick called for an overall citywide economic policy to enable businesses to more easily develop and plan for their future.

"We should not have economic development on a project-by-project mentality," Chick said. "We need a thoughtful economic plan that deals with housing and transportation, as well as measure and report on what we are doing on a best practices policy."

Business leaders have long complained that Los Angeles policies, regulations and even customer service make it difficult to operate in the city.

A Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. study showed this week that Los Angeles is losing business to Glendale, Burbank and the Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys because its policies discourage businesses from locating in the city.

Villaraigosa said he has worked to promote development throughout the city to create more housing and more jobs, and has worked to promote the city's trade, tourism, entertainment and manufacturing industries.

"Look at the l.a. live project," Villaraigosa said of the entertainment-sports-retail project under construction downtown. "That was dead in the water when I became mayor and now it is about to open and we will be getting a Convention Center hotel.

"I said when I became mayor that I wanted the crane to be the official bird of Los Angeles and you see them everywhere."

A special panel established by Villaraigosa is scheduled to release a report in November on specific business policy recommendations it proposes.

On Thursday, the lack of consistent city policy was cited by several business leaders.

Bill Allen, chief executive of the LAEDC, said there have been instances in which City Council members have blocked developments simply because of potential community opposition.

"The council person said this was my district, this is not my vision and no one would overrule him," said , who did not identify the official.

"I could give you other examples where council members stopped development. We need all the council members to come together and say we need to capture these opportunities."

Brendan Huffman of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association agreed.

"It would be helpful if the council addressed things together rather than council district by council district," Huffman said.

City Council President Eric Garcetti said business leaders need to be in constant touch with city officials.

"Sometimes it's not the regulations we have, but it is staying out of the way of business," Garcetti said.

Garcetti said the city is attempting to change its image, and he cited reductions in the gross-receipts tax and other tax reforms that have been implemented.

"Six years ago, we couldn't point to that," Garcetti said. "In a city as large as Los Angeles, change comes slowly, but I think what you are seeing now is a sea change."

Garcetti said he also has undertaken an effort to make the council more aware of business issues by creating a new committee - Jobs, Business Growth and Tax Reform - to spearhead changes.

Among the changes is reducing the bureaucratic red tape for businesses.

Garcetti noted a bakery that wants to open in his district - but the owners had to go through 21 separate steps.

"That needs to change," Garcetti said. "I want to see us go from 21 to one in what is required to open in Los Angeles."

Gary Toebben, chief executive of the chamber, said he was hopeful city leaders would act on business leaders' concerns.

But chamber President David Fleming said the city needs significant change to make up for the loss of business.

"Los Angeles is the lowest in per-capita sales-tax revenue of any city in the county," Fleming said. "We need to have a balanced approach to bring in the revenue the city needs to thrive.

"That means a strong voice for business as well as for labor."

Improved job skills among young people and offering training programs at major construction programs - including Los Angeles International Airport - also are needed.

"It all starts with a job," Fleming said. "We, at the chamber, are not here as ideologues. We are pragmatists who want to see the city succeed."

Allen [email protected]

(213) 978-0390
_____________
....I think Antonio maybe trying to bounce back after that scandal with Telemundo, don't you guys?

LAofAnaheim · #**1946** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 9:04 PM**

In defense of Antonio...he has done well for development. He has helped to promote downtown projects, and understands for more development along transit lines. He hasn't accused projects of being "too dense" or "what about parking?" crap like that. I would say he's done a lot of good for the city.

RAlossi · #**1947** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 9:37 PM**

I'm starting to lose faith in Villaraigosa. I don't give a crap about his personal life (others may think differently), but his follow-through rate has been abysmal.

Example: Million Trees LA. Great, great, great plan to plant a million trees over several years in the city. In reality, there hasn't been much movement on that front in a while. Even the site (milliontreesla.org) hasn't been updated in a long while.

Example: Raising trash collection fees to fund police recruitment. Great idea. However, the police force has been stuck at around 9,500 officers for a LONG time. I understand that recruitment is tough and that the retirement rate for officers is up. But we really need more officers, and now that we have the funding...

I think his opposition to the port container fee plan was off. He wouldn't support the plan unless the money could go to replace two bridges in the port area. The state and federal government should pick up the tab for those, and the port container fee should go to improving the Alameda Corridor and reducing pollution in the region.

There are several other examples I might mention, but it'll have to wait till later.

RAlossi · #**1948** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 10:33 PM**

Taken today, LAPD headquarters on the fifth and sixth floors...

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**1949** Posted **Sep 21, 2007, 11:34 PM**

Wow, this thing is on the move now. I was thinking that I haven’t seen a picture of this out of the ground yet, so I went back through the posts. See colemonkee’s post #1619 on 8/26, and yes it wasn’t out of the ground a month ago.

citywatch · #**1950** Posted **Sep 22, 2007, 5:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

Why does it seem as if every new development in LA is getting either a Cold Stone Creamery, Coffee Bean, Pastagina, Robek's Juice, UPS Store, Starbucks, or a Subway? It's this heavy commercialization commonly found in American cities nowadays, especially LA, that really detracts from a city's overall urban experience and the authenticity of its character.

I was worried that the following was going to happen to businesses in the hood once the new Ralphs was completed. However, I didn't wanna look too closely & hoped I was being too pessimistic.

Now I know some of the new restaurants in DT have opened their doors & ended up with some of the best sales in their chain. But I also know that the hood still has lots of spaces that either are vacant or probably don't get alot of $$ in business per day. And I'm not even referring to stores or restaurants that are----or will be----located in the hood where foot traffic is small to non existent (for instance, around Glo or the 1100 tower up on wilshire, or the store spaces in new apt bldgs like the medici or orsini).

This is why the last thing I'm going to be worrying about right now is whether DT has too many chains instead of whether it has a large enough number of customers. The only way to address that is for there to be alot more new condos & apts, not to mention new office bldgs full of workers, added to the hood.

The bldg that the Bishop is located in----the South Pk lofts----is surrounded by deadzones, mainly parking lots. So that, even without the new Ralph's, sure didn't help boost potential business.

Getting rid of the gaps & deadzones, & adding as many new ppl to the hood as possible have to be the primary concern right now. Everything else won't matter if places like Bishop coffee shop find the going too tough.

And I won't even say anything about the effects of the city's super slow permitting process.

Coffee Shop Ground Down By New Ralphs

Bishop's was the toast of downtown loft dwellers but got filtered out after an upscale supermarket opened nearby.

By Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
September 22, 2007

It's a friendly, laid-back place -- a cozy hole in the wall where locals can gather to sip latte and share neighborhood gossip. But the talk Friday at the tiny Bishop coffee shop in downtown Los Angeles was about how gentrification can send a business soaring. And then turn around and slam it straight into the ground.

That's what happened to the Bishop, which closed its doors Friday night -- a victim of its neighborhood's success.

The 300-square-foot shop opened two years ago in a landmark building at 816 S. Grand Ave. that was being converted from a parking garage into 49 trendy lofts. The building's leasing agent, Suze Lewis, was so impressed with the revitalization of the 83-year-old beaux-arts building and the character of newcomers moving in that she rented part of its ground floor and turned it into the coffee shop.

The future seemed bright: More lofts and luxury apartments were opening nearby, and a Ralphs grocery store planned for the neighborhood was certain to draw more people to the area. The long-awaited supermarket opened July 20. And the bottom fell out for Lewis and her shop. "When I walked into Ralphs for the first time, half of me said, 'This is the coolest thing.' The other half of me said, 'Uh-oh,' " she said. "I had no idea they were going to be so upscale."

Besides groceries, the market a block away from her shop had a coffee bar, a sushi bar, a salad bar, a full deli, a sandwich counter and an Asian food bar. Within weeks, the new 50,000-square-foot Fresh Faire outlet had become one of Ralphs' top stores, doing a reported $1 million in business weekly.

Lewis' business immediately dropped by half, to about 100 patrons a day buying a cup of coffee or tea, or a sandwich or a salad. So on Friday she spent the day saying goodbye to the customers who had stayed.

"This place has been amazing. It had become an institution," said Janessa Anderson, a music production company hospitality manager who lives in a loft above the Bishop. "People who came here were like family," Anderson said.

Elaine Liu, a fashion design student whose apartment is across the street from Lewis' shop, said she first met people who have become her closest friends while sitting at the Bishop's small sidewalk tables. "Here you want to sit and talk," Liu said. "Suze was one of the first 'family' members that I met when I moved to L.A."

Nursing his last coffee from Bishop's, Andrew Somerville called the tiny shop -- lined with shelves of used paperback books that Lewis set up as a "trading library" -- his second home. "It just seems a crying shame that a place like this is closing," said Somerville, who lives in Inglewood and works downtown as an environmental noise consultant.

Barista Anthony Swindell, who is one of three Bishop employees, said he saw the end coming the first week Ralphs opened. "I don't have any animosity. I understand the harsh realities of capitalism," he said. "But it's hard to see big business come in and destroy mom-and-pop businesses like this."

Visiting New Yorker Chris Bunatta, a musician and disc jockey who frequently travels here, said tiny shops like Lewis' add much to a city. "A place like this brings soul, and L.A. doesn't have much of that. I'll be very curious to walk back through here three years from now and see what this place has become," Bunatta said.

"But I'm totally in love with Ralphs," he confessed. "It's a high-end experience. L.A.'s got us beat on that."

^ The comment of the guy from NY is interesting, assuming he's from NYC & not just NY----the state----& been to that town's new Whole foods mkts, one of them in the big Time warner ctr next to Central Pk. However, I think whole foods do tend to be smaller, without the large deli or food counter depts found in the DT ralph's, esp since it's a branch of the fresh faire operation. IOW, the size of the Ralph's on 9th St is more typical of a big burban type of store, whereas space is more compact not just with a whole foods but any mkt paying for a very $$$ psf location in manhattan.

Easy · #**1951** Posted **Sep 22, 2007, 8:42 PM**

Can some one refresh my memory as to what's planned for the land that the orthopaedic hospital sold? Is that the land that's being used for the LA Trade Tech expansion?

LongBeachUrbanist · #**1952** Posted **Sep 22, 2007, 9:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

I agree. If you've been to one Subway/Starbucks/Jamba Juice, then you've been to all. I try to avoid them as much as possible. Besides, mom and pop restraunts and cafes are a million times better than chain stores.

The cure to having too many chains is to have people willing to support the local alternatives.

So next time you're downtown, skip the easy chains, and instead pay a visit to the Yorkshire Grill on Sixth. Or Ardas. Or the Pantry, or Banquette, or Angelique's Cafe.

LongBeachUrbanist · #**1953** Posted **Sep 22, 2007, 9:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by citywatch

Coffee Shop Ground Down By New Ralphs

Bishop's was the toast of downtown loft dwellers but got filtered out after an upscale supermarket opened nearby.

Bishop's was a very sweet little store that served its niche for a short time. I only went in there once (about nine months ago). They had some nice specialty foods and coffee. But they were in a pretty lousy location, not really close to anything (except the bar in the same building).

Bishop's didn't stand a chance once Ralphs moved in. RIP.

Echo Park · #**1954** Posted **Sep 22, 2007, 9:57 PM**

whats the northwest corner of olympic and hope for? i dunno how long they have that green fence around but it looks too messed up to be for construction

bobcat · #**1955** Posted **Sep 22, 2007, 10:05 PM**

It's so easy to blame 'big business' for failures like this, but what the article tells me is that Bishop's had a weak brand and wasn't able to successfully differentiate itself from Ralphs. Its poor location didn't help, either.

The lesson to take from this is that if an independently owned business is going to survive downtown it's going to be because they provide a unique product or service, not because they pull on customers heart strings. One example of a successful business is Ross Cutlery in the Bradbury Building. It's been around since the 30's and still going strong because they sell things things you just can't find in chain stores.

LAofAnaheim · #**1956** Posted **Sep 22, 2007, 10:33 PM**

LAofAnaheim · #**1957** Posted **Sep 22, 2007, 10:38 PM**

Alright, this time with photos:

Concerto development:

717 Ninth:

The new restaurant/lounge opening at Skylofts (the name escapes me)

Goodbye Bishop Cafe

The parking lot contested by South Park Lofts who'd rather have this than a building development:

The Mandel

5th Street Retail between Broadway & Hill (very impressive)

I saw work being done on this building...anybody know what's happening?

Chapman Flats

Union Lofts

Evo

Salon Elleven, helping the street life on 11th.

LA Central all fenced up

LA Live!

Nokia Theater

Hanover Tower (717 Olympic), will help street life on Olympic/Fig

There's public hearings for the removal of trees?? Getting permits in LA are really f'n ridiculous

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**1958** Posted **Sep 23, 2007, 12:00 AM**

Thanks for the photo update LAofAnaheim. I wasn’t able to see the pics in your second post (just red boxes), but I did click on the link in your first post. Really great views of Concerto and 717 Ninth.

Easy · #**1959** Posted **Sep 23, 2007, 12:06 AM**

Photobucket already makes the link for you. Just copy from the IMG Code box under your pictures like this:

Preview post is a good idea as well.

Easy · #**1960** Posted **Sep 23, 2007, 12:09 AM**

Bishops used to have a regular crowd. I'm surprised that the Ralph's would have negatively effected their business. Are they sure that it wasn't the Starbucks in Elleven?