LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Travanx, welcome! good to hear that there are some new things coming up!

Its funny, when i joined this forum in 2004 there were 0 downtown residents that were active on this board, now there must be at least 6 or 7 of us.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by BrighamYen

The rendering is disappointing only because the ground floor is another blank wall without the possibility of really interacting with Vero across the street. However, it's still better than the ivies growing on the dirt hill right now if I'm not mistaken about the current state of the lot.

I wish they would have included even one or two retail spaces on the corners...

I agree with your sentiments. The best thing that could be said about this one is that it fills up another gap on Wilshire. Also nice to see that Good Samaratin is being expanded and modernized...if I ever keel over, this is probably where they'd bring me!

[travanx]

I am pretty sure I haven't read anything about them. That aren't exactly amazing or exciting, but they aren't tiny little 20 units condos.

Before I took over my old company when my 2 partners left we were working with a developer down here. We had to drop their projects because they were the worst ever at paying and expected us to break our backs for free on this stuff.

One fronted 8th and Francis between Vermont and Westmoreland that was on 5 lots. Before we dropped that one it was a 68 foot building, 85 units, 105 underground parking spots.

The other was on Santee St and Washington Blvd. that at phase one was going to be 6 stories. With a possible 4 or 5 phases total depending if they could buy the neighboring land or not with approval through CRA. The site was being designed with connecting in the future.

Like I said this developer was giving the run around the entire time we were working on these projects and expecting way too much for free. There were some other plans I have seen, but I can't figure out where I put them. And like I said I don't remember reading about these anywhere before.

And I can't forget a Master's class at UCSB asking us for help to design a sustainable park for Harlem Street with the end result of trying to partner with DLANC to build this. I was at the time trying to attend the DLANC meetings. That group had some really cool stuff going on at the time. Real trying to green the city, none of this lets drive hybrid cars so now we can have batteries and still depend on oil garbage.

As soon as I remember more or come across some more plans I will post.

BTW I will be trying to update my blog after it got hacked, so I will be starting over with random pictures taken through out the city on my daily runs. http://bwengr.com/blog Currently I am having fun watching them move the equipment all over the place for filming the Batman movie.

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Whoa whoa whoa whoa. You know of unannounced projects? What are, they, pray tell? Any high-rises? How likely are they to happen?

[travanx]

Thanks we are recently engaged and kind of moved here on a whim. We both figured why not live somewhere kind of different since there are no kids just yet in the picture. The rent is crazy, but it still seems like something cool to look back on. We might even stay here another year. Though I don't think this area is really setup to start a family still. I think once they remove the crazy homeless population the city will really start to shine.

Though I must say that no one is paranoid to come and visit us, which is nice. Even with all the zombies walking around at night time. I am looking at setting up a webcam out the window which is above Flower and 11th St. and stream it live from my blog. We are the unit one away from the blinking red lights, so it's a pretty amazing view of LA Live. I just don't know what camera to buy yet. Any ideas?

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Travanx, welcome! good to hear that there are some new things coming up!

Its funny, when i joined this forum in 2004 there were 0 downtown residents that were active on this board, now there must be at least 6 or 7 of us.

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

The best thing that could be said about this one is that it fills up another gap on Wilshire.

I'm glad that Good Sam is finally doing something with that lot. It is a hospital after all, so as far as presenting a pedestrian-oriented face to Wilshire, I would think the only kind of walk-in type of activity they could have included was for outpatient offices, a pharmacy, an urgent care waiting room... those sorts of things; or maybe a D.J. Bibingkahan for those Filipina nurses.

I assume, then, that this development will get rid of the old George R. Shatto House retaining wall, not that I'll lament it. Here it is circa 1892, back when this stretch of Wilshire was called Orange Street:

LAPL

Google Street View

[JDRCRASH]

Welcome to the SSP forum, travanx!

Thanks for the link to the GSH expansion, Chris! I'll add it to page 1.

[ocman]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I agree with your sentiments. The best thing that could be said about this one is that it fills up another gap on Wilshire. Also nice to see that Good Samaratin is being expanded and modernized...if I ever keel over, this is probably where they'd bring me!

From the looks of it, I think it may discourage pedestrian activity. It's another project that not only add little to downtown activity, but acts as another barrier that downtown has to overcome.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by ocman

From the looks of it, I think it may discourage pedestrian activity. It's another project that not only add little to downtown activity, but acts as another barrier that downtown has to overcome.

Just saying, isn't it technically in City West? I don't think that is downtown.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by BrighamYen

The rendering is disappointing only because the ground floor is another blank wall without the possibility of really interacting with Vero across the street. However, it's still better than the ivies growing on the dirt hill right now if I'm not mistaken about the current state of the lot.

I wish they would have included even one or two retail spaces on the corners...

hopefully they realize that later on and in the future will renovate to include retail or some sort of business like a bank or something along the sides ^.^

[LA/OCman]

Originally Posted by travanx

Thanks we are recently engaged and kind of moved here on a whim. We both figured why not live somewhere kind of different since there are no kids just yet in the picture. The rent is crazy, but it still seems like something cool to look back on. We might even stay here another year. Though I don't think this area is really setup to start a family still. I think once they remove the crazy homeless population the city will really start to shine.

Though I must say that no one is paranoid to come and visit us, which is nice. Even with all the zombies walking around at night time. I am looking at setting up a webcam out the window which is above Flower and 11th St. and stream it live from my blog. We are the unit one away from the blinking red lights, so it's a pretty amazing view of LA Live. I just don't know what camera to buy yet. Any ideas?

To me...one of the major obstacles to development are the problems occurring on skid row. I have to say, I am at my wits' end about the reversal of progress. Check out this blog from Andy Bales at the Union Rescue Mission.

http://www.urmblog.org/2011/09/28/setback-but-not-deterred/

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Just saying, isn't it technically in City West? I don't think that is downtown.

Yes, it is in City West. But there are other City West projects in the list already (e.g. 1111 Wilshire) so I figured it was fair game.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

BROADWAY ARTS CENTER

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/10/br...d_keep_artists_livingworking_in_dtla.php

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by LA/OCman

To me...one of the major obstacles to development are the problems occurring on skid row. I have to say, I am at my wits' end about the reversal of progress. Check out this blog from Andy Bales at the Union Rescue Mission.

http://www.urmblog.org/2011/09/28/setback-but-not-deterred/

I don't feel like Skid Row is that great a detriment to gentrification. Yes, it is bad, and yes, there has been a recent spike in homelessness, but said homeless generally tend to keep within the borders of Skid Row. When I eat at Lazy Ox, or Aburiya Toranoko, I always find it interesting that, in spite of being two blocks away from Skid Row, there is no homeless spill over. That being said, the clean up of Skid Row should be a priority for the city, not for development and gentrification reasons, but for humanitarian ones. Frankly, third world countries look nicer then Skid Row, and that isn't even hyperbole.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesDreamin

BROADWAY ARTS CENTER

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/10/br...d_keep_artists_livingworking_in_dtla.php

The people who are developing this project have made some very nice, urban, new development low-income housing in the past. They did something in Brooklyn which was nice, tall, glassy, and won a bunch of architectural awards. If this was repeated in DTLA, I would be more then thrilled. Plus, artists are always a positive to any gentrifying area.

[Illithid Dude]

I think this was one of the options for the Broad adjacent rental tower, Parcel M. Sadly, it was not chosen. Unless I am getting my parcels confused....




(From Patrick Tighe Architecture)

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I think this was one of the options for the Broad adjacent rental tower, Parcel M. Sadly, it was not chosen. Unless I am getting my parcels confused....




(From Patrick Tighe Architecture)

OMG.... i love this one so much more than the one planned on being built =[

[Vangelist]

Whoa, this sounds somewhat too sensitive-to-the-current-demographics/cool to be true. Illithid - who's is building this, and what did they do in Brooklyn?

And what is the " The LA Department of Cultural Affairs" ? I didn't even know we had one! What else have they done?

We need to do all we can to fight that "Soho Effect"

Now that Downtown's gentrifying away, can the neighborhood keep the SoHo Effect in check? The LA Department of Cultural Affairs is working with a whole bunch of city and non-profit groups, plus CalArts and the AIA/LA, to create the Broadway Arts Center, "a mixed-use affordable artists’ housing, performance/exhibition space, educational facility, and creative commercial center" ...
The artists interviewed for the study mostly want live/work spaces, with areas for rehearsals, performances, exhibitions, and classes, plus some kind of green space. Arts organizations want to see a medium-sized performance space (about 350 seats) and are hoping for revitalization of some of the big old Broadway theaters. A lot of people had concerns about safety and noise Downtown.

Originally the DCA was looking at a site on Broadway between Sixth and Seventh, by the Los Angeles Theater. The plan was "to raze existing, non-historic buildings for a new construction project to serve BAC, and in the process open up back-of-house truck access and create parking for the existing theatre." Since it could be tough to build on that site (and tougher to build big), the study also looked at several other nearby sites. It considered:

--A parking lot on the northwest corner of Main and Sixth Streets
--The Cecil Hotel at 640 S. Main St.
--The Medallion project's Phase 2, on the 300 block of S. Main St.
--The Herman W. Hellman Building at 354 S. Spring St.
--The Broadway Spring Center's Phase 2 at Spring and Fourth
--The Title Insurance and Trust Co. Building on Spring
--The Pershing Square Metro portal site at the southeast corner of Fifth and Hill

[Illithid Dude]

=Vangelist;5433862 Illithid - who's is building this, and what did they do in Brooklyn?

The Schermerhorn in Brooklyn, developed by Artspace Projects Inc.

[pesto]

Wait a minute. Isn't the point of development to improve a city? You start with the homeless and welfare hotels. If a neighborhood starts getting more popular, then artists and others at the economic bottom come in; then young people with jobs; then young professionals, etc. (if you're lucky). Each prices out the other.

If you're very lucky, you get SoHo and one of the nicer living, dining and shopping districts in the country. The artists have been gone so long no one remembers when they were there. Try Brooklyn. Their workspaces are now $3M lofts. Why would we want to avoid this? After all, the artists still have east of Alameda and south to Vernon, Westlake, north of downtown, etc. Vacant warehouse space is not at a premium.

[Vangelist]

Right, let's just push all the artists and original urban pioneers that made the neighborhood what it was before the yuppies moved in OUT to Vernon...let's not keep it afford and economically diverse...

Their workspaces are now $3M lofts. Why would we want to avoid this?


are you serious or is that satire?