LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[Mojeda101]

Concerning the Ace Hotel, are they planning to paint the whole building?

[LA21st]

Where is the pic of the last midrise? I like it.

[RuFFy]

Originally Posted by ziggy331

I really hope that this Korean Air project doesn't end up being some dull tall box, like the second option from the left. It's a supertall and will carry some sort of iconic status in our skyline so I hope it's a building w character. I wonder why they didn't just use the same design as the original taller tower?

I might be wrong but I think the design of the taller skyscraper first introduced is the 7th one from the left. I'd like to see that tower built too, but like you we'll have to see how this plays out.. IF if plays out.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I went downtown today. I was incredibly tired, so sorry about the quality of the pictures, but I'm sure they will be at least of some worth.

I appreciate your photos, & there's no need to apologize for them...they look quite good to me. I notice colemonkee also often says his pics aren't the best quality possible, but to me they're always a welcome part of this thread. Photos help keep it alive....otherwise it becomes sort of when ppl are debating about future changes that probably won't happen for another 1000 yrs, like expanding the size of the new civic ctr park. I feel like we might just as well talk about what we're gonna do after we win the $100 million lotto.

or talking about the choice of design of the new tower of the grand wilshire hotel.... ....cuz it means they're much further away from actually breaking ground than what otherwise would have been the case if the devlpr stuck with the original plans. Similar to when the long stalled new bldg for the federal courthouse at 1st & broadway was finally reactivated, but the 1st set of plans had to be tossed out----cuz they were too $$$----& a new group of architects brought in to start all over again. so more delay, after delay, after delay.

so....

I notice that in this post in the city discussions forum about dtla, there is a pic that made me do a double take, cuz I at first thought it was taken a loong time ago, cuz the skyline looks so tiny in it, & not helping matters, the foreground looks quite rundown &

this is another reason why I'm so when dealing with all the delays, after delays, after delays...


waynewhuang/Flickr

[LA/OCman]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Where is the pic of the last midrise? I like it.

5th and Main. It is the New Genesis Apartments with retail below. Target market is low to very low income residents.

[SoCalKid]

Hey guys, I've been reading this post without actually participating for a while, but decided I should join. Does anyone know what parts of Downtown allow high-rise development? For example, could one develop a 30 story building in the Arts District? Or the Historic Core?

[colemonkee]

Not sure if I agree with your police work here, Illithid Dude. This building is 75% stucco. If you look at the double door on the ground level (just to the left of the dude jaywalking), you can see a posting for a liquor license. That's where Great Balls - the brick and mortar version of the Great Balls On Tires truck - will eventually live. As a huge fan of the truck, I'm really looking forward to this one.

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

That building with the name I forget turned out better then expected. No stucco. Minimal, striking yellow highlights. I rather like it.

[alki]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I went downtown today. I was incredibly tired, so sorry about the quality of the pictures, but I'm sure they will be at least of some worth.



That building with the name I forget turned out better then expected. No stucco. Minimal, striking yellow highlights. I rather like it.



Here is another angle.

I like the bldg........clean design lines......very urban looking.

[alki]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesDreamin

i agree... people seriously need to step out of their comfort zone.. if everything looks modern then our skyline will be boring... have a variety of architecture everywhere,

Dreamin, I keep forgetting to mention this you. Forever 21...I think that's one of your fav retailers........just opened a new store in DT Seattle a few months ago. I think its one of their first stores in the metro area but I am not sure about that. The opening made me realize that stores like F 21 are likely to be setting up shop in DTLA soon. Why? Because the demos are very similar between DT Seattle and DTLA........both have about 60K residents and about the same # of office/general workers.

Once the boutiques that Brigham posts about get a DT foothold I think chains like F 21 will be soon to follow. However, I think new dept stores are a ways into the future........like ten years or more.

The interesting question......what will be the new retail core for DTLA? Upper Broadway near the fashion merchandise mart? Lower Broadway? 7th Street? Spring St? Somewhere else?

[alki]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I went downtown today. I was incredibly tired, so sorry about the quality of the pictures, but I'm sure they will be at least of some worth.

AND ID, if you took those photos with your cell, I want to know what cell you're using. They're excellent.

[colemonkee]

Originally Posted by SoCalKid

Hey guys, I've been reading this post without actually participating for a while, but decided I should join. Does anyone know what parts of Downtown allow high-rise development? For example, could one develop a 30 story building in the Arts District? Or the Historic Core?

Welcome to the forum, SoCalKid. The short answer to this question is yes, you can build a 30-story building in the Arts District or the Historic Core. In fact, during the boom, there were a pair of 50-story towers planned for the Arts District and at least two 30-something story towers planned in the Historic Core.

Most properties in downtown are zoned for highrise development of some nature, or can have their zoning amended through the entitlement process to allow for highrise development. That entitlement process, however, is lengthy and expensive, and many developers think unreasonably so. There was an effort a while back to change those processes, but I don't think anything concrete has come of it yet.

[citywatch]

I was watching the olympics today & realize more than ever that it's not rocket science what needs to be done to improve LA. Discussions often focus on the details of rapid transit, parking podiums, trolley cars, parks, retail on the 1st floor of apt bldgs, cars vs ppl walking, bldgs being too short, stores being too burban, bldgs being too walled off or having too much stucco. but in broader terms, the central issue is the city needs to be changed so that ppl don't keep bumping into areas that are .

I've been watching knbc news everyday since last wk, since they've set up a remote location at LA live that promotes the station's coverage of the olympic games. Just think of what the hood was like over 28 yrs ago when it hosted the games in 1984. omg....... ppl from throughout the world must have visited LA for the Olympics & felt like this....... I've read that LA got the games cuz no other city was competing for them back in the late 1970s. That would explain things....

speaking of major sporting events, the hood...or the city in general...will never play host to another super bowl unless the following is built....




^ a recent update on things like that comes straight from what can be called the horse's mouth, the website owned by the same ppl who run the super bowl.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by alki

Dreamin, I keep forgetting to mention this you. Forever 21...I think that's one of your fav retailers........just opened a new store in DT Seattle a few months ago. I think its one of their first stores in the metro area but I am not sure about that. The opening made me realize that stores like F 21 are likely to be setting up shop in DTLA soon. Why? Because the demos are very similar between DT Seattle and DTLA........both have about 60K residents and about the same # of office/general workers.

Once the boutiques that Brigham posts about get a DT foothold I think chains like F 21 will be soon to follow. However, I think new dept stores are a ways into the future........like ten years or more.

The interesting question......what will be the new retail core for DTLA? Upper Broadway near the fashion merchandise mart? Lower Broadway? 7th Street? Spring St? Somewhere else?

Would be nice to see upper part of broadway or all of broadway and few surrounding areas to be the new retail center... just as it was before. who knows where though

[JDRCRASH]

Welcome to SSP SoCalKid!

Originally Posted by citywatch

otherwise it becomes sort of when ppl are debating about future changes that probably won't happen for another 1000 yrs, like expanding the size of the new civic ctr park.

Absolutely absurd. Take take away a zero off that number. And if things keep going the way they are, take another zero off. That's right, give it 10 years if the current momentum accelerates.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Not sure if I agree with your police work here, Illithid Dude. This building is 75% stucco.

Actually, all that white stuff isn't stucco, but instead paneling of some unknown, non-stucco material. Metal, maybe?

Originally Posted by colemonkee

In fact, during the boom, there were a pair of 50-story towers planned for the Arts District

Really? I've never heard of this. Any renders of the 50 story towers?

[Valyrian Steel]

Originally Posted by citywatch

I was watching the olympics today & realize more than ever that it's not rocket science what needs to be done to improve LA. Discussions often focus on the details of rapid transit, parking podiums, trolley cars, parks, retail on the 1st floor of apt bldgs, cars vs ppl walking, bldgs being too short, stores being too burban, bldgs being too walled off or having too much stucco. but in broader terms, the central issue is the city needs to be changed so that ppl don't keep bumping into areas that are . .

So you dont like the way the city looks? What else is new? Actually, focusing on most of the other issues you named, among other things, are what will ultimately make the city more attractive. Crappy looking areas aren't going to change because some guy is worried about what non-LA natives are thinking when they visit.

[Illithid Dude]

Also, I brought a bunch of friends downtown the other day, none of which had actually been downtown before. While walking around, I decided to ask if the empty lots bothered them. They were confused by my question, so I elaborated, and asked if all the parking lots, the gaps in the street wall, affected their perception of downtown. They said no. Citywatch, I think you can rest easy - most visitors, as it turns out, don't really care about a few gaps here and there. To them, it is more about the cohesive whole. Despite the parking lots, my friends all said they loved downtown, and want to go back.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by citywatch

I've been watching knbc news everyday since last wk, since they've set up a remote location at LA live that promotes the station's coverage of the olympic games. Just think of what the hood was like over 28 yrs ago when it hosted the games in 1984. omg....... ppl from throughout the world must have visited LA for the Olympics & felt like this....... I've read that LA got the games cuz no other city was competing for them back in the late 1970s. That would explain things....

Via wikipedia: No one was lining up to host in 84 because the 76 games were a huge financial flop that resulted in Montreal being in debt well into the 21st century. Didn't help that less countries that normal participated. Regardless of the ugly surface parking lots, LA was outstanding as a host city. We netted $200 million, making the 84 games by far the most financially successful in history. Great year for basketball too; first time Michael Jordan showed everyone that he was going to be very, very good.

Originally Posted by citywatch

I was watching the olympics today & realize more than ever that it's not rocket science what needs to be done to improve LA. Discussions often focus on the details of rapid transit, parking podiums, trolley cars, parks, retail on the 1st floor of apt bldgs, cars vs ppl walking, bldgs being too short, stores being too burban, bldgs being too walled off or having too much stucco. but in broader terms, the central issue is the city needs to be changed so that ppl don't keep bumping into areas that are .

speaking of major sporting events, the hood...or the city in general...will never play host to another super bowl unless the following is built....




^ a recent update on things like that comes straight from what can be called the horse's mouth, the website owned by the same ppl who run the super bowl.

I agree with you on most of this. I completely understand that walkability, retail, transit, density, etc. are all integral parts of the urban experience that cannot be ignored. But getting Farmers Field built is the quickest path to getting those surface lots around LA Live developed. Once the stadium/NFL are a done deal, everything else will start falling into place. It's not as organic as the alternative of letting them fill in over time, but it gets the job done all the same.

[RuFFy]

Originally Posted by Pink Floyd

So you dont like the way the city looks? What else is new? Actually, focusing on most of the other issues you named, among other things, are what will ultimately make the city more attractive. Crappy looking areas aren't going to change because some guy is worried about what non-LA natives are thinking when they visit.

Also, it might quell CityWatch's fears to know that while US folk aren't fond of the west coast.. the international community is. Not just that, for as broken down as LA is, per CityWatch, it was able to host the 23rd Olympiad and produce record profits because of it's extensive existing sporting infrastructure. It might be noteworthy to mention that if LA were to hold the Olympics again, it'd likely be in almost all new venues that have been built since 1984. There are very few cities on the planet that hold that distinction. And the record profits were held by only one city, twice.

[pesto]

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2012/08/dodgers_janet_marie_smith.php

Multiple articles out there on the Dodgers new development guru. This looks like a clear sign that the Dodgers are going very big-time in the Ravine.

I have great hopes here because Smith actually has talent as an urbanist and businessperson. She notes that developments around a ballpark need to be able to stand on their own as far as generating demand, not rely on the ballpark for their success. This point has escaped other developers who pitch the idea that sticking two losers together will make each of them winners. In fact, the general rule is that "winners feed off each other; losers cannibalize each other".

Smith has focused on mixed use, walkability, urban amenities. Given her prior work (Candem Yards, Fenway) and Walter's money and leadership, there could be some great developments and neighborhoods filling the 350 acres or so at their disposal.