LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[colemonkee]

And USC has plans to make the area much more urban, which it is slowly becoming. Remember the long-term plans to raze University Village and turn it into a mixed-use urban village.

[tommaso]

Thanks for the props everybody I was at LA Live/Staples tonight! I'm Mister All-Star Game! My love for tonight's version of L.A. knows no bounds I'm down with this type of atmosphere. Every day of the week is a bit of a stretch, but I know once we get Farmer's Field in gear it will be on and cracking in L.A. day and night, no doubt about it! I mean, it's good times forever in L.A. Live, Staples, Farmer's Field, Convention Center, South Park land! There's money there, there's people, diverse and attractive, well beyond the fake people we're not interested in.

And yes, finally, I can say I feel, really feel 100% a part of L.A. Wow, man. Real Angelenos all in one place at the same time, this is what that city life is all about. You want to be a part of it and be about it, tonight was one of those very special opportunities to shine with the city and I'm blessed to have been a source of energy and life in this great L.A. crowd! Good night to you all from L.A. baby!!!

Oh yeah, and I was dreaming about those 5 hotels AEG's gonna build right there and mad restaurants lined up and down Fig across the street from Staples. My Lord, this will be not like any Disneyland you've ever been to because this section of the city is diverse and it's as real as it gets because it attracts people with real lives who are hard working and passionate about our city and our pro teams and other stuff too. It's coming together down there, that's the truth. It's already great and it's gonna be more special than we ever expected. Mayor was on TV today talking about Farmers Field. YES. That's a real city. We're getting it done. That makes me proud and that's what matters in life Finally, L.A. is becoming what I knew it was and certainly could be. I saw so many people lined up on that train platform one block from Staples Center. That made me happy!!!

[tommaso]

Here. This is off the AEG website. Handy info.

http://www.aegworldwide.com/about/newsdetail/1876

The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE Closes First Escrows

February 15, 2011 09:00 AM

L.A.'s Most Anticipated Residential Tower Comes Alive

2/15/11 (Los Angeles, CA) - Completing developer AEG's original vision to revitalize Downtown Los Angeles with the world-class sports and entertainment district, The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE today closed its first escrow and officially opened its doors to homeowners.

Despite challenging times for the real estate industry and a tougher economic climate, The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE has experienced tremendous sales success, with more than 60 percent of its 224 residences in escrow. And with AEG's plans to further enhance the L.A. LIVE campus by building an NFL stadium, The Residences are well-poised to continue this trend.

"Our buyers believe in this one-of-a-kind project and are committed to the exciting future of Downtown Los Angeles," said Laurie Miskuski, director of sales and marketing, AEG. "With The Residences' world-class offerings and talk of future additions to the surrounding campus, there's a tremendous energy at L.A. LIVE, and our homeowners feel that this is the right place to be."

Generating $18 million in new annual tax revenues and creating more than 25,000 jobs, L.A. LIVE has received acclaim from city and industry leaders for its integral role in the renaissance of Downtown Los Angeles' socioeconomic landscape. And within the past six months, The Residences and L.A. LIVE have garnered several industry awards and accolades, recognizing both for enhancing the way Southern Californians live and travel, including the Urban Land Institute's "Global Award for Excellence," the Luxury Real Estate's "Best New Community," and most recently, the Americas Lodging Investment Summit's "2010 Development of the Year" award.

"Today marks another milestone in the development of L.A. LIVE and the further revitalization of a true and vibrant downtown sports and entertainment district," said Timothy J. Leiweke, president & CEO of AEG, developers of The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE. "With L.A. LIVE-based events such as the NBA All Star Weekend, Sunday's GRAMMY Awards, the excitement at STAPLES Center with the Lakers, Kings and Clippers seasons in full swing as well as the schedule of concerts, the interest in owning a Ritz-Carlton Residence at L.A. LIVE has never been higher."

[tommaso]

What's the latest news on this?

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by tommaso

What's the latest news on this?

Final approval in either March or May (I forget). Then demolition on the Wilshire Grand begins in December and takes about a year.

[DJM19]

I would agree with him on USC's choice of architecture. It is pretty uninspired for a place that has an architecture program.

[LAofAnaheim]

There's a difference between being critical of projects and being a "debbie downer" on Los Angeles. Sure some projects need significant re-work (Palmer) and some of us complain of high parking requirements (Sodha, LAofAnaheim), but a lot of us still appreciate how Los Angeles is moving forward.

Think about Los Angeles 20 years ago today in 1990. There was no Metro rail (Blue Line opened in July 1990). Hollywood was "no mans land" after 6 pm. Downtown LA was a 9 - 5 work zone only. Spring Street and Main Street was still part of skid row (Adaptive Reuse passed in 1999), South Park was full of parking lots, Santa Monica 3rd street was still a car thoroughfare and lack of retail outside of the Mall, Old Town Pasadena was just beginning it's revitalization but still catered heavily to the car, Venice beach was considered "South Central LA", South Central LA itself was dangerous (people outside of South Central did not speak of Hyde Park, Leimart Park, Crenshaw District in high regard compared to today), the revitalization of Pine Avenue in Long Beach hadn't started.....

Now, 20 years today. We have a burgeoning nightlife in Hollywood, Downtown LA, Pasadena Old Town, Santa Monica main street/3rd street, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Culver City, Old Bank District, East Hollywood Bicycle Kitchen, Koreatown, etc... We have 79 miles of local rail and the largest commuter rail system in the US with Metrolink (520 miles). South Park is THE sports entertainment district in Los Angeles with Staples Center and Nokia Theater, etc..

Now, that's progress. So, yes, you can criticize projects here and there (i.e. Palmer), but man, Los Angeles has done very well over the last 20 years. Very well. If you want to continuously s*** on Los Angeles, I think you need to see that progress in other cities was nowhere near as high as LA. Remember, other cities focus on their downtown cores. Los Angeles has to deal with many districts so the development/improvement is spread moreso throughout the county than the city itself.

[pesto]

I agree that SC's architecture is probably better thought of as solid and consistent rather than innovative. But that isn't surprising considering their focus is on student housing, hiring quality faculty, investing in labs and technical equipment, neighbrohood improvement and funding scholarships.

In general, for the last several decades universities haven't spent much on architecture (I exclude Arab or other countries that can do whatever they want or are desperate for attention). Ditto for hospitals, research institutes, etc. They quite rightly believe that it's what's inside that counts.

And SC has got it inside. It will probably pass UC Berkeley in US New's list of best undergraduate programs this year, leaving it ahead of every university of comparable size except, perhaps, Cornell (the other Ivy's and top colleges are much smaller in undergrad enrollment). That would include UCLA, Michigan, Virginia, and all the other large schools.

The grad schools are typically solid and the arts schools collectively are pretty much unequaled by general universities. Not much to be ashamed of.

Incidentally, I saw a survey that listed 8 of the Pac 12 schools among the top 100 universities in the WORLD. Far more than any conference other than the Ivies.

[tommaso]

Originally Posted by LAofAnaheim

There's a difference between being critical of projects and being a "debbie downer" on Los Angeles. Sure some projects need significant re-work (Palmer) and some of us complain of high parking requirements (Sodha, LAofAnaheim), but a lot of us still appreciate how Los Angeles is moving forward.

Think about Los Angeles 20 years ago today in 1990. There was no Metro rail (Blue Line opened in July 1990). Hollywood was "no mans land" after 6 pm. Downtown LA was a 9 - 5 work zone only. Spring Street and Main Street was still part of skid row (Adaptive Reuse passed in 1999), South Park was full of parking lots, Santa Monica 3rd street was still a car thoroughfare and lack of retail outside of the Mall, Old Town Pasadena was just beginning it's revitalization but still catered heavily to the car, Venice beach was considered "South Central LA", South Central LA itself was dangerous (people outside of South Central did not speak of Hyde Park, Leimart Park, Crenshaw District in high regard compared to today), the revitalization of Pine Avenue in Long Beach hadn't started.....

Now, 20 years today. We have a burgeoning nightlife in Hollywood, Downtown LA, Pasadena Old Town, Santa Monica main street/3rd street, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Culver City, Old Bank District, East Hollywood Bicycle Kitchen, Koreatown, etc... We have 79 miles of local rail and the largest commuter rail system in the US with Metrolink (520 miles). South Park is THE sports entertainment district in Los Angeles with Staples Center and Nokia Theater, etc..

Now, that's progress. So, yes, you can criticize projects here and there (i.e. Palmer), but man, Los Angeles has done very well over the last 20 years. Very well. If you want to continuously s*** on Los Angeles, I think you need to see that progress in other cities was nowhere near as high as LA. Remember, other cities focus on their downtown cores. Los Angeles has to deal with many districts so the development/improvement is spread moreso throughout the county than the city itself.

This is truly one of the best written posts I have ever read on skyscraperpage ever! Content wise, it is thorough and highlights some of the most significant and valuable construction projects that we have produced here in L.A. over the past quarter century. Why not dream a little and see the progress happen all around us here. It's really coming together!

Downtown's on the cusp of breaking out for a blockbuster breakthrough. All this progress is unfolding right before our own eyes. It's all about the money, the construction loans coming through. This recession is nearing an end and developers are not going to wait forever to make their money.

Watch out for this new era of L.A. city life and a sea of construction cranes to come! It's well on its way. You've got to believe and do your research to understand how much real effort we're putting into improving our city, blood, sweat and tears.

[KevinFromTexas]

Stop trolling each other.

[edluva]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

And USC has plans to make the area much more urban, which it is slowly becoming. Remember the long-term plans to raze University Village and turn it into a mixed-use urban village.

we'll see what comes of it. another faux-mediterranean suburban strip on roids? i have my money on that outcome if usc plays any major part in it (which it will)

[LAofAnaheim]

Originally Posted by edluva

we'll see what comes of it. another faux-mediterranean suburban strip on roids? i have my money on that outcome if usc plays any major part in it (which it will)

What makes you believe that? Again, I proved to you that USC was fed up with Conquest's previous dominance on housing and 100% backed University Partners in order to build one of the best urban projects for USC in a long time...University Village. We have 3 housing projects going up on Figueroa today that will have street facing retail and provide dense housing for the corridor. What makes you believe we'll see a repeat of the fast? The construction today is quite contradictory to before. What's your source?

[JDRCRASH]

Maybe until a new arena is built in Anaheim, perhaps in Las Vegas, the Maloofs will use the Honda Center.
But I find it hard to see another NBA team in the LA area long-term.

Originally Posted by pesto

I guess you listen to everybody's opinions, give their comments some thought to see if there is anything in there that is valid, and move on. If not profound, maybe they're at least entertaining or have a glimmer of truth.

Much of what Edluva says about Los Angeles is probably true. That's not exactly the problem. After all, this city's architecture is below-average compared to other great cities.
It's just that most of the time, his negative rhetoric is exaggerative and overblown, and every now and then, his comments include asinine stereotypes that can offend others.
You can be constructively critical of LA and it's weaknesses. But if that's all you bring to the table, and NEVER highlight upbuilding developments, it can be very unpleasant and ruin the positive atmosphere of the thread.

Originally Posted by edluva

certainly not a school for visionaries, free-thinkers, and progressives. you can already see it in the architecture/planning (eg. galen, lucas).

I highly doubt the quality of a university's architecture/planning alone determines this. I would think the quality of professors/teaching methods and campus services are a large factor as well.

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Stop trolling each other.

Why in the world did my comment earlier get deleted? It was absolutely no different than what others posted.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

After all, this city's architecture is below-average compared to other great cities.

I wouldn't say that at all. We have some of the best pre-war architecture in the country. Century City is full of beautiful sixties and early seventies buildings. Maybe we don't have the greatest modern architecture in the world, but you definitely can't say that we have below average architecture over all.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

Much of what Edluva says about Los Angeles is probably true. That's not exactly the problem. After all, this city's architecture is below-average compared to other great cities.
It's just that most of the time, his negative rhetoric is exaggerative and overblown, and every now and then, his comments include asinine stereotypes that can offend others.
You can be constructively critical of LA and it's weaknesses. But if that's all you bring to the table, and NEVER highlight upbuilding developments, it can be very unpleasant and ruin the positive atmosphere of the thread.

Exactly, couldn't have said it better myself. Are you guys (moderators) listening?

[colemonkee]

^ If comments are off topic, I'll delete them. But if people have opinions about on-topic issues, I'm not going to delete them, even if I don't agree with them. If it bothers you that much, use the ignore feature for edluva.

Speaking of off-topic comments, I moved the Sacramento Kings moving to Anaheim posts over to the LA Metro thread. That conversation should continue in that thread.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

^ If comments are off topic, I'll delete them. But if people have opinions about on-topic issues, I'm not going to delete them, even if I don't agree with them. If it bothers you that much, use the ignore feature for edluva.

Speaking of off-topic comments, I moved the Sacramento Kings moving to Anaheim posts over to the LA Metro thread. That conversation should continue in that thread.

Thanks I will add him to my ignore list, but I second the concern shared by RAlossi about seeing his posts if they are quoted by someone on here.

Speaking of Downtown LA, I took an avid Pasadena fan who moved here from Wisconsin on a very lengthy, in-depth tour of DTLA this past weekend.

He had lesser respect for LA but after he went on that tour, he was so impressed with DTLA (going thru all the historic buildings, checking out the grand central market, riding the Angels Flight, bunker hill's manicured spaces, LA Live with the All Star Games, eating dinner in Little Tokyo, etc. etc.) that he actually said that he wouldn't mind moving to DTLA. What a sea change from the "I don't like LA, and thank goodness there's a 'Pasadena'" mentality.

I think it's important that more and more people find admiration, respect, and pride for DTLA because it will do more to unify this large sprawling metro than any satellite city ever could (like Pasadena or Santa Monica). People don't identify with LA, not because they don't live there in the City Proper. They don't identify with LA because there is no center of gravity due to a lack of a strong urban core, and therefore, nothing to be proud of. Who wants to be associated with crap?

A completely revitalized DTLA and Wilshire Blvd being connected by Purple Line will change the culture of LA completely. Angelenos will finally be proud of their city.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LAofAnaheim

Think about Los Angeles 20 years ago today in 1990.

that decade was quite a dark period in the city's history. earthquakes, riots, OJ & a recession that was worse here than elsewhere due in part to the dismantling of the post-cold war defense industry. If I'm not mistaken, the 90s also saw a greater number of ppl (in actual numbers) move to, as one example, NYC than LA.

If i got in caught in a time machine & had to relive those moments all over again---but at the same time I was just as old in that altered reality as I am now in 2011---I'd throw my hands up & say "I give up! my patience can't hold out that long!"

I'll take 2011 any day, anytime, over 1990.

as for "debbie downer," I have to at the forumer in question cuz I recall his pm'ing me one time with some snippy comment about one of my postings. he apparently resented my saying that among LA's biggest failings was fugliness like this:



walkinginla.com

I admit that it's a downer to show things like that. But the essence of a "debbie downer" is such a person won't also mention ways to turn things around. Since this thread started focusing on the USC area, which is towards south central LA, such a person therefore won't feel good about things like this.

I believe our resident "debbie d" was the one who also once made a comment in this forum that beverly hills was bad cuz it looked too much like mission viejo. Or something (or some nonsense) like that.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

he was so impressed with DTLA (going thru all the historic buildings, checking out the grand central market, riding the Angels Flight, bunker hill's manicured spaces, LA Live with the All Star Games, eating dinner in Little Tokyo, etc. etc.) that he actually said that he wouldn't mind moving to DTLA. What a sea change from the "I don't like LA, and thank goodness there's a 'Pasadena'" mentality.

I like hearing things like that. we all gotta remember it wasn't that long ago when the hoods that ppl liked & tended to gravitate towards was Samo to the west & OT Pasadena to the north. there was a big gap in between those two parts of town, referring to the hood otherwise known as dtla. even hollywood wasn't much better off too, & koreatown still was haunted by the sight in 92 of store owners standing on their rooftop with guns, to hold back rioters.

so, again, I'll take 2011 over 1990.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesBeauty

Thanks I will add him to my ignore list, but I second the concern shared by RAlossi about seeing his posts if they are quoted by someone on here.

Speaking of Downtown LA, I took an avid Pasadena fan who moved here from Wisconsin on a very lengthy, in-depth tour of DTLA this past weekend.

He had lesser respect for LA but after he went on that tour, he was so impressed with DTLA (going thru all the historic buildings, checking out the grand central market, riding the Angels Flight, bunker hill's manicured spaces, LA Live with the All Star Games, eating dinner in Little Tokyo, etc. etc.) that he actually said that he wouldn't mind moving to DTLA. What a sea change from the "I don't like LA, and thank goodness there's a 'Pasadena'" mentality.

I think it's important that more and more people find admiration, respect, and pride for DTLA because it will do more to unify this large sprawling metro than any satellite city ever could (like Pasadena or Santa Monica). People don't identify with LA, not because they don't live there in the City Proper. They don't identify with LA because there is no center of gravity due to a lack of a strong urban core, and therefore, nothing to be proud of. Who wants to be associated with crap?

A completely revitalized DTLA and Wilshire Blvd being connected by Purple Line will change the culture of LA completely. Angelenos will finally be proud of their city.

All my friends live in the Santa Monica/Pacific Palasades/Brentwood/Beverly Hills areas, and have similar negative mindsets that your friend originally did. Whenever I bring them Downtown, they are astounded that something nice and livable exists down their. The problem with downtown, right now, is that it doesn't have very good mindshare. The only thing that could really bring the mindshare up is large construction projects that are widely publicized. Then people would think, "Hey, this is downtown. It doesn't even look that bad. I might want to go check that out..." The rest would be history, as they say.