LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0 - Page 100

citywatch · #**1981** Posted **Sep 24, 2007, 7:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTLA

Is anyone going to the Grand Ave. meeting on Tuesday?

I hope you or some other forumer does show up. Better yet, I hope the speaker says that demolition of the parking structure across from Disney Hall will be happening sooner rather than later. IOW, that work will start around Oct, when it originally was scheduled, instead of December. Groundbreaking is long overdue & needed right now esp since the state office bldg has been torn down, leaving 3 big gaps along 1st St, from Grand all the way east to Broadway.

viewfromaloft.typepad.com

LAmarODom420 · #**1982** Posted **Sep 24, 2007, 7:26 PM**

Artists Organizing Against One Santa Fe
Monday, September 24, 2007, by Dakota

This flyer, decrying the One Santa Fe project, a proposed 429-unit rental building on Santa Fe Avenue, was spotted in the arts district this weekend. Why so mad? "The main thrust of the opposition is that it’s too big for our community," Drew Lesso, a 30-plus-year resident of the arts district tells Curbed. Lesso heads up the 15-member group opposed to the plan; they're collecting signatures on a petition that'll be presented to the next Planning Commission's meeting at City Hall on October 11. Among the group's concerns: Increased shade caused by the building's 70-foot height, none of the units are designated as "artists residences," and the highway is being rededicated, so the neighborhood will lose about 15 feet of Santa Fe Ave. Chiefly, Lesso's group would like to see the number of units halved, and a park built on the remaining land. We asked developer MacGregor Co. for a response; rendering of One Santa Fe after the jump.

God forbid they have shade!

citywatch · #**1983** Posted **Sep 24, 2007, 7:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

Can someone explain the situation with The City House and The Olympic?

I guess no one should be surprised that the devlprs probably are going to flake out. What's worse, it looks like one of them is involved in some type of fraud. Even without this news, when I read that the lease for the Grand Ave club had been extended for a few yrs, I knew nothing would be rising on that site for quite awhile.

If it weren't for the more recent announcement of plans for the parkfifth tower, the failure of the Titan proj really would be making me

fridayinla · #**1984** Posted **Sep 24, 2007, 7:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LAofAnaheim

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

That's the Judson C. Rives Building, another loft conversion:

from Downtown News development update:

Flatiron Development is working on an $11 million renovation of a 10-story former theater and office building at 424 S. Broadway. Work will wrap in October, according to architect and developer David Gray; he said crews are hanging drywall and finishing the historic restoration of the lobby, maintaining its mix of marble and metal vaulted ceilings. The 60-unit adaptive reuse project employs historic tax credits. The 74,000-square-foot development will include a refurbished glass canopy, landscaped rooftop gardens and a jacuzzi. Plans also call for new balconies overlooking Broadway and the building's courtyard. The project has 60 parking spaces and rents will be $1,100 to $3,400.

Additional photos I took this weekend:

citywatch · #**1985** Posted **Sep 24, 2007, 7:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Let's build on LAofAnaheim's great photo update. These were taken today, Sunday, September 23rd. I tried not to repeat any shots.

Since I can't add to any of your or other forumer's pics with my own legwork, I'll just have to lazily insert a link to fridayinla's photo album.

He has a good update shot of a new apt bldg directly west of the fwy, next to 2nd St. If ppl thought Glo's colors were bad or weird, they should love this:

fridayinla

He also has a good set of pics of the new high school for the performing arts located across the fwy from the cathedral.

fridayinla · #**1986** Posted **Sep 24, 2007, 7:56 PM**

A few construction photos I took this weekend to add to LAofAnaheim and Colemonkee's shots. A couple shots are similar to what they posted, but:

LA Live / Nokia Theater & Plaza

Chick Hearn Court getting repaved in foreground:

LA Central Site

Market Lofts Coffee Bean - Opening Soon

717 Ninth

LAPD Headquarters

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**1987** Posted **Sep 24, 2007, 8:38 PM**

I checked out Friday’s Flickr page, and now I see that this vague rendering from the first page of this thread:

Photo Credit: unknown

Is this:
Canvas

Photo Credit: Fridayinla

I can see some hints of a resemblance to the rendering, but…no, not really.

colemonkee · #**1988** Posted **Sep 24, 2007, 8:42 PM**

^You're right, that's Canvas LA, directly across the street from the Vista Hermosa school.

Quote:

Originally Posted by citywatch

He has a good update shot of a new apt bldg directly west of the fwy, next to 2nd St. If ppl thought Glo's colors were bad or weird, they should love this:

I actually like those colors, and I think Glo is less-than-attractive, to be kind.

ladowntowner · #**1989** Posted **Sep 25, 2007, 2:34 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

^You're right, that's Canvas LA, directly across the street from the Vista Hermosa school.

I actually like those colors, and I think Glo is less-than-attractive, to be kind.

I have to agree with you hands down, colemonkee. While I'm not fond of Canvas LA from an architectural standpoint nor of it's color scheme, it's certainly well ahead of Glo.

Glo looks like, what's called in the industry... errr.. uhm... poop.

In every sense of the word...

RAlossi · #**1990** Posted **Sep 25, 2007, 2:53 AM**

Let me be the first to say that the Arts District is turning into the Valley of Downtown.

Oh, I'm gonna get some — for that, I can tell ya right now. It just seems like the role of NIMBY is being played by vocal Arts District dwellers. Luckily for Downtown, a majority of the Arts District doesn't feel that way.

Ground-floor retail is being fought tooth and nail by a -very- vocal NIMBY minority because it will take up parking spaces. New buildings are being fought because they'll cast shadows, the One Santa Fe project which will provide local housing for SCI-Arc students and is being opposed because it will require the narrowing of Santa Fe Avenue, a sparsely traversed street on the back end of Downtown. I travel on Santa Fe Avenue almost every day and I know traffic isn't that bad at all on it.... COME ON! The Arts District is a district of DOWNTOWN LA, not the San Fernando Valley!

You can't protect low rents by trying to derail large projects, plain and simple.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LAmarODom420

Artists Organizing Against One Santa Fe
Monday, September 24, 2007, by Dakota

This flyer, decrying the One Santa Fe project, a proposed 429-unit rental building on Santa Fe Avenue, was spotted in the arts district this weekend. Why so mad? "The main thrust of the opposition is that it’s too big for our community," Drew Lesso, a 30-plus-year resident of the arts district tells Curbed. Lesso heads up the 15-member group opposed to the plan; they're collecting signatures on a petition that'll be presented to the next Planning Commission's meeting at City Hall on October 11.

God forbid they have shade!

RAlossi · #**1991** Posted **Sep 25, 2007, 3:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTLA

Is anyone going to the Grand Ave. meeting on Tuesday?

Do you have any other information about the meeting? I'd like to go, I just don't know what time. I'm assuming it's the Grand Avenue campus and not the Geffen...

EDIT: I did a little searching and found that it's being put on by Zocalo, and it's tomorrow at 7:00 PM. Reservations recommended but not required: http://www.zocalola.org/#sept25

DTLA · #**1992** Posted **Sep 25, 2007, 3:35 AM**

^^^ It's going to be tommorrow at the Museum of Contemporary Art at 7pm. If u go to http://www.zocalola.org it'll show all the info.

LAofAnaheim · #**1993** Posted **Sep 25, 2007, 7:03 AM**

The protestors of One Santa Fe don't realize that if you limit construction, you only limit the supply of housing in downtown, thus driving up property values for those who live here (yippee!, i guess). They don't understand common economics. This is what happens when residents become self-centered and don't think about the community.

DowntownCharlieBrown · #**1994** Posted **Sep 25, 2007, 7:34 AM**

What the protesters don’t realize is that the more residents that move downtown, the more restaurants, shopping, clubs, etc. they will have to pick from (not to mention less deadzones). And then downtown becomes more hip, trendy, and expensive. They are shooting their own foot when they should be aiming to increase the resident population.
So keep on building.

anton · #**1995** Posted **Sep 26, 2007, 3:32 AM**

I heard that the Pinkberry in Little Tokyo is opening TOMORROW!!!

towersla · #**1996** Posted **Sep 26, 2007, 3:52 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAlossi

Do you have any other information about the meeting? I'd like to go, I just don't know what time. I'm assuming it's the Grand Avenue campus and not the Geffen...

EDIT: I did a little searching and found that it's being put on by Zocalo, and it's tomorrow at 7:00 PM. Reservations recommended but not required: http://www.zocalola.org/#sept25

I walked over to check out the latest but alas without a reservation, the place was already full. On a brighter note, a new Subway shop is having its grand opening this evening. There are give-away meals to be had until 10 pm at Promenade Plaza, 1st and Hope! The fountain, long dead, is gushing fresh again thanks to the new management. Residents have spilled out of the store and onto the outdoor areas. The mix of music and laugher is lighting up this corner of downtown tonight!

RAlossi · #**1997** Posted **Sep 26, 2007, 5:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by towersla

I walked over to check out the latest but alas without a reservation, the place was already full.

Sorry you couldn't get in. I added fridayinla's and my names to the standby list at 6:35, though at 6:50 people were still adding and getting in. What time did you get there?

All in all, there isn't too much in the way of news, except that the groundbreaking is confirmed to occur by December 1st.

The panel-style discussion was an interesting format. An Equinox Gym was mentioned (I don't believe I had heard that info before), a 40,000 sq. ft. supermarket was mentioned, restaurant space, Mandarin Oriental confirmed...

No updated renderings, and the only mention of subsequent phases is that the retail for Phase Two (Grand Avenue and 2nd Street, south of the Disney Hall on the open county-owned lots) will meet the street at Grand. They have not hired an architect yet nor for Phase Three.

Jan Perry was very adamant in her opposition to the county-owned buildings on the park block. That was encouraging, but she also mentioned the lack of funding. Apparently for Phase Three, the county has until August of 2008 to let the joint powers authority know of its plans to build or not build a replacement office building on 1st/Olive.

Architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne kind of gave a rehash of his previous editorials in support of and criticizing certain aspects of the design, including mentioning the apparent lack of pedestrian connections to Second Street and Olive Street.

Bill Witte of Related Cos. affirmed his support for making the project connect as much as possible given the site constraints, parking requirements, etc.

One interesting piece of info is that the park designs are still not complete but are "well on their way" (according to Bill Witte) to being complete. Who knows what that means...

colemonkee · #**1998** Posted **Sep 26, 2007, 6:18 AM**

Thanks for the update. On another note, they are testing exterior lighting at the Nokia Theater tonight. It's a bluish-purple on the northwest corner (the back) facing the freeway. It's very close to the blue color that they use to light the exterior of Staples for Laker and Clippers games.

k3d · #**1999** Posted **Sep 26, 2007, 3:43 PM**

More of the tarp is down at Hanover. It looks like more stucco. I guess it's better than the tarp.

LAofAnaheim · #**2000** Posted **Sep 26, 2007, 4:45 PM**

I'm sure Hanover will look good once ready for occupancy. At least we have a nice 26 story tower on the corner of Olympic & Fig, creating an additional vibrant street corner for downtown.