LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0

[Quixote]

The University Gateway project looks to be nearing completion, with much of the scaffolding having been removed. A handsome addition to a neighborhood that really needed it. I hope we see more developments like this up and down Figueroa. Maybe once Expo arrives?

[ocman]

Originally Posted by pesto

ed: legitimate point. It's not 3rd St. and hopefully it's not Tijuana or 42nd St. around 1975. But is it "medical" marijuana, hostess dancing and liquor stores? Or Gap, Timberland and Ann Taylor? Or Math Learning Center, bistros and ballet lessons?

I'd like Hamlet, Punk Rock, A Doll's House, and Spring Awakening. Make the street live up to its name. I don't see that happening. But theatre in LA needs at least a node of activity.

[Hubris]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

The University Gateway project looks to be nearing completion, with much of the scaffolding having been removed. A handsome addition to a neighborhood that really needed it. I hope we see more developments like this up and down Figueroa. Maybe once Expo arrives?

Construction cam at www.livegw.com (click on "Daily Photos").

[tommaso]

Please, some kind of photo updates of any activity in downtown Los Angeles! Believe it or not, New Yorkers care about what's going on in L.A. You might be on the Pacific and we might be on the Atlantic, but we care about your city. And, I get really excited just looking at the new developments in the great city of Los Angeles and reading about the progress that's being made!

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Whyyyy thank you! Yes, I agree, someone please post some pics of Downtown LA development activity!

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by tommaso

Please, some kind of photo updates of any activity in downtown Los Angeles! Believe it or not, New Yorkers care about what's going on in L.A. You might be on the Pacific and we might be on the Atlantic, but we care about your city. And, I get really excited just looking at the new developments in the great city of Los Angeles and reading about the progress that's being made!

Same here; I may not be from NY, but I want to see the New WTC finished, too.

[Kingofthehill]

Originally Posted by tommaso

Please, some kind of photo updates of any activity in downtown Los Angeles! Believe it or not, New Yorkers care about what's going on in L.A. You might be on the Pacific and we might be on the Atlantic, but we care about your city. And, I get really excited just looking at the new developments in the great city of Los Angeles and reading about the progress that's being made!

Thing is, there's nothing really going on. And the lack of real-time, on the ground updates can generally be attributed to the lack of people on here who actually live in (DT)LA.

It seems like...everybody who reads this thread *isn't* from LA, and instead are from some suburb or far-away city? Where 'da real Angelinos at?

[edluva]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

Thing is, there's nothing really going on. And the lack of real-time, on the ground updates can generally be attributed to the lack of people on here who actually live in (DT)LA.

It seems like...everybody who reads this thread *isn't* from LA, and instead are from some suburb or far-away city? Where 'da real Angelinos at?

"real angelinos" who speak english and know something about their city don't exist.

[KEVINcredible1226]

Hey guys!
I was looking or new projects in Downtown and found this......

DODGER STADIUM IMPROVEMENTS


There has been no movement on the multi-phase, $500 million renovation of the Dodger Stadium grounds, said Mike Rogers of HKS Architects, Inc., which is leading the project’s design team along with architecture firm Johnson Fain. The project has not been entitled yet. Opening for the renovation, expected to unfold during the off seasons, has been announced for opening day of the 2012 baseball season. Plans call for an upgraded, landscaped entrance; a new promenade called Dodger Way with restaurants, shops and a Dodger Museum; a landscaped plaza beyond center field; an outdoor walkway around the stadium’s perimeter; two new garages to replace some surface-level lots; and an outdoor plaza with a 360-degree view of the city. At losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com. B1

Hopefully it comes to life

http://www.cartifact.com/webmaps/dtnews/
this one site also shows future projects or constructions in Downtown....its great, it also says there's a renovation going to happen to the Aon Center, can someone follow up on that, it shows it on the map.

7+FIG RENOVATION


Plans for the second phase of the renovation of the outdoor shopping center should be complete by the end of September, said Bert Dezzuti, senior vice president for owner Brookfield Properties. In the meantime, no details are being released. The mall already underwent upgrades including repainting the old 1980s color motif. The $3 million project also placed more indigenous plants and new furniture in the plaza and throughout the space at Seventh and Figueroa streets. Last year, placee of the anchor tenants, a Macy’s, closed, leaving a large space in the mall open. Dezzuti said Brookfield is looking for an anchor tenant. Brookfield Properties purchased 7+Fig and an adjacent high-rise in 2006. B7

Is this where The Target or costco is going to be placed???

This map also shows that LA Central is still alive because this map was made Sept, 2009.

Well this is the site i found all this info on.....

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2009/11/25/development/doc4ab414f406159014607212.txt

Thanks!

[colemonkee]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

Thing is, there's nothing really going on. And the lack of real-time, on the ground updates can generally be attributed to the lack of people on here who actually live in (DT)LA.

I live downtown, but my camera is currently back with Canon being fixed. Might take another 4-6 weeks. When I get it back, I'll try to find some time to take some pictures.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by tommaso

Please, some kind of photo updates of any activity in downtown Los Angeles!

Sorry that I can't be of some assistance. The current recession, which I understand has now struck even the big new skyscraper capital of Dubai in the middle east, has put a big damper on things & I don't think most ppl expect major new projs----in DTLA or elsewhere----to break ground for yrs to come. so we're caught in a major holding pattern, & when that will change is anyone's guess.

But to try to give at least a little bit of pictorial life to this thread, I'll glom onto links mentioned by hubris & pics posted by dktshb in the "my city photos" forum.

One thing worth mentioning about this new apt proj across from USC is that it's right next door to the shrine auditorium, which prior to the devlpt of LA live & the new Nokia theater is where many award shows on TV were held. I'm sure the arrival of the nokia has meant the Shrine has lost the rental fees it once depended on. Ironic too now that a big part of the immediate hood is in better shape for VIPs & others. This location previously sat for yrs & yrs & yrs as an auto dealership & some old small bldgs & parking lots. IOW, mainly a big deadzone. so this fills in one more major gap in the hood around USC:





I notice most ppl who post pics to the general photo forums aren't as interested in capturing images of new devlpt. So not shown, but right across the street from this old bldg, is the new medallion apt proj, which I did see yesterday. If ppl know what this part of the hood was like just a few yrs ago, they'd be amazed at the transformation, inc a formerly mostly abandoned bldg now all dressed up for the holidays:


dktshb


I also drove by yesterday the new movie theater on olympic blvd, which has been mostly slammed for its architecture. Its design is pretty cheesy. But what stood out to me was the great need to fill in the land across the street, inc a tire store that's now moved out & some other deadzones all around there. I'd think cleaning that up is even more important since guests in the new hotel, inc a fancy ritz carlton, probably won't be too impressed looking out over the huge gaps across the way from this:


dktshb

The hood has come a long way. But when I'm there I often come away with the feeling that after seeing one gap filled in & cleaned up, all of a sudden 10 more gaps become noticeable to me. And when those 10 gaps or deadzones are taken care of, 50 more gaps suddenly become noticeable. It's sort of like opening a never ending series of chinese boxes, with one box containing a smaller box, which in turn contains an even smaller box, & so on & so forth.

But it makes me realize how ppl (inc me) who weren't too happy with the hood over 5 to 15 or more yrs ago really would wave the white flag of surrender if we had to return to the past & relive it all over again. IOW, I don't have that kind of patience anymore, so may the bad ol days rest in peace & never return.

[Kingofthehill]

There's lots of infill nearing completion all over the city. Not just in DTLA, but in places like Koreatown; that area bounded by Sawtelle to the west, Bundy to the east, Olympic to the south and Santa Monica Blvd to the north; the parts of Hollywood east of La Brea; along with various parts of NoHo.

I always see them when riding my bike past the said areas. They're usually tucked on some side street and tend to be 4-6 stories in height and in various faux-Tuscan/Mediterranean/"villa" styles. One just finished up st Hoover/Olympic. That said, out of fear for souring our city's densification efforts, they're too ugly for me to take a picture of them :

uninspired, banal trash like this:










Oh, and that USC/Fig Crossing building...yuck! Only does LA have such low standards for new-build construction. Nonetheless, it's better than whatever was there before. I'm fine with LA building a critical mass of these throw-aways, because, despite all of their ugliness, they foster and facilitate dense, urban nabes, and can encourage walkability. Sometimes the sea of subterranean parking can be a killer, though.

[Quixote]

^ The Mediterranean/Tuscan style buildings can look pretty good if executed properly.

[Kingofthehill]

Taken today:

[Hubris]

The USC Gateway building looks a little better in person, but is a tad monotonous. I'm sure it will look much better once completed (and complemented by landscaping and streetscaping).

I was in that area over the weekend and grabbed a bite to eat at The Lab. That little stretch of Fig next to USC is rather pleasant, what with the brick facades and ample greenery.

[JDRCRASH]

Well I (finally) had a chance to go down to Regal Cinemas 14 on Saturday to see 2012, and I have to say, I was surprised at how much pedestrian traffic was there.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by Hubris

The USC Gateway building looks a little better in person, but is a tad monotonous. I'm sure it will look much better once completed (and complemented by landscaping and streetscaping).

I was in that area over the weekend and grabbed a bite to eat at The Lab. That little stretch of Fig next to USC is rather pleasant, what with the brick facades and ample greenery.

It only looks monotonous because of its grand scale. Otherwise, I like how it blends in with the Galen Center and the rest of the USC campus.

I cannot wait for Expo to arrive. There will be a station literally one block away from University Gateway. That station ensures that the Felix car dealership across the street will be developed.

[Hubris]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

It only looks monotonous because of its grand scale. Otherwise, I like how it blends in with the Galen Center and the rest of the USC campus.

Yes, that's exactly it; it's the same design for the length of an entire block on Fig. The landscaping and streetscaping should hopefully break it up a bit.

I like that the developer went with a design that fits the USC motif.

[RuFFy]

The big minus of developing the Felix dealership is that it'd erase the skyline view through the Galen Centers atrium windows if it's more than a story or two tall. Not that I mind, but I think that was the point of those windows.

[colemonkee]

From the Los Angeles Business Journal:

Grand Avenue Said to Skirt Dubai Woes
By DANIEL MILLER
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

Related Cos., the developer of the $2.7 billion Grand Avenue project, said Monday that the financial troubles of a Dubai investor will have no impact on the long-delayed venture.

Istithmar World, a subsidiary of struggling Dubai World, invested $100 million in early 2008 in the massive, mixed-use project planned for vacant land and park space near Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Joanna Rose, a spokeswoman for the New York developer, did not comment on whether Related had received the entire investment. But she confirmed in an e-mail that at least a portion had been received and spent.

“We have been in regular contact with Istithmar and don’t expect the current situation to have any effect on their commitment to the Grand,” the e-mail stated.

The world financial markets were shook up last week when the Dubai government announced that Dubai World, a holding company operated by the emirate, would suspend some of its debt payments.

Markets recovered somewhat Monday when Dubai World detailed that it was looking to restructure only half its $59 billion in obligations. Also, Dubai World said Istithmar World and two other subsidiaries would honor all debts because the companies “are on a stable financial footing,” according to Bloomberg News.

Still, the financial troubles of Dubai World raised questions whether Istithmar World, its investment arm, would honor all of its financial commitments.

The Grand Avenue project has been stalled for several years as Related, the developer of New York’s Time Warner Center, failed to secure additional financing. The company had until February to begin construction and must pay a penalty of $250,000 to Los Angeles County for every month it is delayed.

Rose said Related has completed and funded “all of the construction drawings and pre-development work necessary to be in a position to begin construction when the capital markets return.”

The project’s $1 billion first phase will include a Mandarin Oriental Hotel, shops, apartments and condos. A new park also would be constructed, extending from the Music Center to City Hall.