LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

It was the chairman of Korean Air who said that, but alas he is not the architect.

It's not clear from the article because it's not a direct quote. It could have been a parenthetical expression inserted by the writer. As I stated before, they're still working on the design so how could they be sure.

[Illithid Dude]

LA Downtown News has published their annual list of new development. Nothing too exciting, except the developers of the 35 story apartment building say that they have financing and will break ground by August. So... yup. Read away.

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/developmen...b47cbae-a381-11e1-9a56-001a4bcf887a.html

[Mojeda101]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

LA Downtown News has published their annual list of new development. Nothing too exciting, except the developers of the 35 story apartment building say that they have financing and will break ground by August. So... yup. Read away.

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/developmen...b47cbae-a381-11e1-9a56-001a4bcf887a.html

Which building are you referring to?

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by Mojeda101

Which building are you referring to?

Though I hope it gets a redesign before August. I find it exceedingly ugly as it is now.

[Mojeda101]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Though I hope it gets a redesign before August. I find it exceedingly ugly as it is now.

Ohh...You said 35 stories. That is 32.

[Kingofthehill]

I haven't uploaded my crappy iphone photos yet, but One Santa Fe is U/C with grading work, and the future Cafe Figaro development space at Broadway/6th is undergoing interior demolition. Coupled with the Vermont/Wilshire project, Wilshire/La Brea, Burton Way project (of which I saw recently while at a Norwegian Constitutional Day celebration w/ my gf), the new development on Wilshire in City West, etc. Good times for LA!

[OneMetropolis]

Originally Posted by citywatch

Thanks, mojeda, for helping keeping this thread interesting & alive! I didn't expect much on a sunday evening, but it's forumers like you who actually are in dt, or who certainly live or work there----& better yet, who also bring along cams----who make this thread worth visiting.

your last pic is the more important one to keep in mind. the reason? Ppl staying in the marriott & ritz carlton have a perfect view of all those parking lots & old bldgs. And then we wonder why so many visitors to LA, or at least dtla, have a reaction to the city?

I've read so many 'experts' on urbanism saying LA live isn't architecturally perfect or appropriate, or that it's not accessible to the surrounding hood, or whatever. But when there's still all that north of it-----yet to be cleared out & cleaned up yrs & yrs & yrs after the fact-----fussing over new devlpt not fitting some ideal makes me think of a person getting into a car with a flat tire & worrying that its upholstery is vinyl instead of leather.

Lol citywatch post's never get old. I knew you were so going to comment on that photo that mojeda101 put up.

[colemonkee]

Just an FYI, the "update" on the Onni Tower (the 32 story tower on 9th and Olive) is literally word for word what was written by the Downtown News back when this tower was first announced back in March. So I'm not sure how much of an update it really is. The tower is in the plan check phase, which is pretty far along in the development process, but if you read the article, they have financing lined up to start construction, but don't have financing to fund the entire tower.

Not to be a wet blanket, but well, this blanket is a little damp...

[alki]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

The only thing that worries me about the Wilshire Grand proposal is the 400,000 square feet of offices. Can the market really support that much new space? I mean, DT already has 18% office vacancy, and is struggling to get rid of that. I'm worried that anything more will destroy the market. Also, just saying, they now expect completion to be January 2017, though the start date is still the same. I guess it is because the building will be bigger?

Five years to demolish an old bldg and build a new one? Sorry but I think they are dragging out the whole process........hoping there will be a better market for both offices and hotel by 2017.

Better check to see how successful Korean Air is as an airline.

[Kingofthehill]

Korean Air is firmly in the middle as far as big, international airlines go. There are many better, and many worse than Korean Air. They have a modern fleet and extensive network, along with an improving onboard product; however, the airline has been hit by a series of economic losses.

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by alki

Five years to demolish an old bldg and build a new one? .

Well you'd expect it would take a bit longer since they had to scrap their original plans and start once again from scratch.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Just an FYI, the "update" on the Onni Tower (the 32 story tower on 9th and Olive) is literally word for word what was written by the Downtown News back when this tower was first announced back in March. So I'm not sure how much of an update it really is.

I hope some of the listings are outdated since they claim ppl still aren't able to move into the brockman (iow, its inside spaces are not finally fully prepped?!), & the interior of the former Concerto tower still is being worked on for future occupants. however, they also say that today is when groundbreaking will occur for the large apt bldg across from the convention ctr, so I hope that info is accurate & timely.

They also mention that work on the clark hotel is pretty much finished. But if the exterior is as rundown today as it was not long ago, then the writer of the article needs to ask himself "huh"?!

After the lessons of the glass tower proj proposed for the lot across from the eleven condo bldg, in which the devlpr a few yrs ago kept saying he'd break ground shortly, & then nothing would happen----& the site today still is nothing but a parking lot----I think it's better to assume any proj is iffy til actual heavy equipment, materials and workers show up.

when the new hotel on olympic across from LA live is dependent on funding from something as unusual----or as much a stretch----as $$ from ppl allowed to immigrate here if they put money into such projs, that shows how devlprs still have to scramble to get their bldgs beyond the dream stage.

The Wilshire grand proj is similar to the new federal courthouse proj at broadway & 1st, in that both of them have been forced back to the drawing board cuz of problems with money. So the timeline for such projs will be even more drawn out.

but even taking such unexpected delays into consideration, it still will take 5 full yrs for the wilshire grand tower to be completed?! so ppl can estimate that demolition will last until the end of 2014---2 solid yrs---& actual construction will last from early 2015 through the end of 2016? Or demo probably will take less than a yr & half, meaning actual construction will take over 3 yrs?

time flies by quickly, but if the tower won't be finished til early 2017, it seems like there will be many months, or wks & wks & wks, of little to no activity.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

I haven't uploaded my crappy iphone photos yet, but One Santa Fe is U/C with grading work, and the future Cafe Figaro development space at Broadway/6th is undergoing interior demolition.

I've been wondering about that proj across from the sci arts school for the past few months. Last thing mentioned about it here was some time ago. someone said something about the site still showing no activity, or that even though they had gone by it, they still weren't exactly sure what was going on there. so your comment finally answers the one question I've had since then. Pics will be even more helpful! One santa fe is on such a large site & rather huge devlpt, & since it's totally brand new from the ground up, it's more important than most of the other projs in the arts dist, which have been mainly conversions of old bldgs.

[202_Cyclist]

alki:

Five years to demolish an old bldg and build a new one? Sorry but I think they are dragging out the whole process........hoping there will be a better market for both offices and hotel by 2017.

Better check to see how successful Korean Air is as an airline.

This seems like an entirely reasonable schedule to me. Here in DC, it takes 1 1/2 - 2 years to build a ten-story box of a building. Five years to build a 70-story building, when it involves site work and more building design seems like an acceptable time.

Regarding Korean Air, it is a pretty successful airline. It operates out of Seoul-Incheon, a relatively new, modern airport: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jun/24/business/fi-incheon24 . Korean Air operates several A380 aircraft, has an alliance with Delta and other global carriers, and has good connections throught Asia. Carriers such as Korean Air that focus largely on international traffic have been some of the most successful, because they're able to charge higher fares and there is less competition. Korean Air also offers non-stop LAX-Sao Paulo service (http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/05/30/idUS246380+30-May-2008+PRN20080530) which is baesd on extremely rare fifth freedom rights (http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2009-12-07-foreigntravel07_ST_N.htm).

[Illithid Dude]

This broke ground today. Really ugly, but whatever. It's in a far-flung corner of downtown anyways. So, move to construction, I guess.

[bobcat]

A couple of articles for citywatch:

Trendy Downtown LA Attracting Businesses
http://www.nuwireinvestor.com/articles/trendy-downtown-la-attracting-businesses-59257.aspx

California real estate observers are noting a shift from Hollywood to downtown L.A. for residents and scenesters that is in turn driving more interest in commercial real estate in the retail sector. Although residential starts are down, more available amenities are expected to attract more people who want to live downtown.

Downtown LA Rises Up
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304791704577420052061233504.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Office investors are beginning to trickle back into downtown Los Angeles as a rising number of residents, restaurants and glitzy entertainment options bring new zest to the city's once-overlooked core.

[Illithid Dude]

An Environmental Impact Report for a downtown NFL stadium proposed by L.A. Live’s developer, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), is under public review. AEG also plans to expand the L.A. Live complex to include 332,618 sq. ft. of office space, a 269,182-sq.-ft. studio for a national cable television network, a 275-room hotel and a 25-story residential tower.

This is interesting. We know about the hotel, and an office building, but all the rest is new. The office building we know of is supposed to be 400,000 square feet. It looks like AEG wants to build around 600,000 square feet. Moreover, this 25 story residential tower is completely new news.

[colemonkee]

^Meh, I wouldn't take all their numbers at face value. They still have the Korean Air Wilshire Grand replacement as the old two-tower project. So they don't have all their facts entirely accurate, or at least up to date.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

This broke ground today. Really ugly, but whatever. It's in a far-flung corner of downtown anyways.

not sure if the ppl who see things the same way you do must therefore think LA is really, really , or, in an odd way, think it's better than the average person does.

that new apt bldg on Fig won't win any awards from the AIA, but it looks perfectly fine to me. maybe if we were some famous classic city in europe, like a london or paris, it wouldn't be quite as when hearing locals getting very picky over new devlpt not meeting some specific design guideline.

I figure most ppl who go about the city are reacting negatively in far more instances not towards newer devlpt, but towards lot of the fugly, rundown stuff. Or their reaction would be flip flopped from yours, just the opposite of what you think about newer devlpt & what LA was like a long time ago....

Really? If L.A. looked like that, I would be one happy camper. That looked amazing! If that is bad development to you, then I don't know what is good development.

but whether more ppl think the way you do or not, something is very wrong with LA when it makes lots of ppl in general respond this way....

LA stuck on bottom with detroit & oakland?!

Originally Posted by bobcat

A couple of articles for citywatch:

thanks for those links, bobcat, but if you or anyone else has the 2nd article in its entirety, it would be nice to see it posted here, or at least more excerpts from it. However, its opening sentence does make it sound like the situation between dt & other hoods to the west still hasn't changed much for the better...

But the rebound in the office market downtown remains weak compared with the growth of the area's night life and residential population. The rise in office property values continues to lag behind the region's prime office markets in places like West Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills that still are favored by tenants and big investors.

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by citywatch

thanks for those links, bobcat, but if you or anyone else has the 2nd article in its entirety, it would be nice to see it posted here, or at least more excerpts from it. However, its opening sentence does make it sound like the situation between dt & other hoods to the west still hasn't changed much for the better...

I'm not sure about the rules regarding posting entire articles from pay sites so I'll pm you the rest of the article.

WSJ.com tracks your computers so you can't view articles from their site past a certain "trial period," though I still able to able to access the article by deleting their cookies.