LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by jamesinclair

Cant believe LA is sitll allowing such tiny sidewalks in walkable areas

Or the painting of the yellow street dividers over the crosswalks. I've seen pictures from the 60s and they even did it back then. This is not okay, as it gives drivers the impression that they can block the crosswalk. A quick and easy solution would be to implement zebra-style crosswalks.

The city of LA is totally clueless when it comes to urban design. The satellite cities (namely Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Long Beach) are getting it right.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Breaking news............ 8th and hope has been fenced off!

[IMG][/IMG]

also, some anecdotal evidence that the commercial leasing market is turning rapidly in downtown LA... saw units in 7 different buildings today, from high rises to smaller historic properties and ALL of them are leasing up fast. Lots of creative offices being built, lots of momentum, and i really think we are heading for a major downtown boom.

[Illithid Dude]

Yay! I've always liked 8th and Hope, as it fills in one of the few remaining empty lots in its area, creating a cohesive, urbane feeling. Go downtown! Next stop, Park Tower? (please?)

[Easy]

Great news! Thanks LASF!

[Mojeda101]

Awesome! Now all we need is the Onni tower and the ball is rolling!

Heading over to Downtown tomorrow to grab a few shots of the current projects under construction, so expect updates sometime tomorrow in the evening concerning Wilshire Grand, Courtyard Marriott, Grand Park, the new spring street park, and the Vermont. I'll stop by 8th and Hope I suppose to see if anything has changed since today. Any other spots I should head for that anyone wants to know about?

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by Mojeda101

Awesome! Now all we need is the Onni tower and the ball is rolling!

Heading over to Downtown tomorrow to grab a few shots of the current projects under construction, so expect updates sometime tomorrow in the evening concerning Wilshire Grand, Courtyard Marriott, Grand Park, the new spring street park, and the Vermont. I'll stop by 8th and Hope I suppose to see if anything has changed since today. Any other spots I should head for that anyone wants to know about?

Spring street park, Ace Hotel, see if they have started exterior on both Figero and Clark Hotel, the Broad, uhhh.... The adaptive reuse office space on Figeroa. Gosh, downtown has so much going on right now. It's fantastic.

[a9l8e7n]

Whats the status on the Omni Tower (9th and olive)...Last I heard it was slated to break ground in the summer but obviously the summer has past. And new word?

[blackcat23]

Animated versions of the 6th street viaduct replacement proposals.

http://www.youtube.com/user/6thStViaductProject?feature=watch

[Kingofthehill]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Spring street park, Ace Hotel, see if they have started exterior on both Figero and Clark Hotel, the Broad, uhhh.... The adaptive reuse office space on Figeroa. Gosh, downtown has so much going on right now. It's fantastic.

I agree. This is a great time for DTLA! (Even if compared to European cities, DTLA, along with all American cities, feels hopelessly broken, fragmented, and autocentric). I am especially stoked for the Ace Hotel

[RuFFy]

On the video's the AECOM concept looks the best. Only the Parsons video seems to take into consideration a possible LA River restoration.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Yay! I've always liked 8th and Hope, as it fills in one of the few remaining empty lots in its area, creating a cohesive, urbane feeling. Go downtown! Next stop, Park Tower? (please?)

Park Tower needs to happen. I'm sorry but this building is just right for DTLA. Especially in South Park.

I mean look at it. Isn't it just lovely?


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a268/mojeda101/parktower2wg3uw7.jpg

But I'm very excited about iHope. While not a groundbreaking design by any means, it's a good, quality infill project that will add even more life into South Park. Very exciting times we live in right now in LA.

I think it's time for the seizure smiley --->

[blackcat23]

Always was a big fan of Park Tower, even if it is a giant box. Nice green coloring and I really like the honeycomb pattern on the sides.

Very attractive at street level, and does a good job of obscuring the parking structure.

[LosAngelesDreamin]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

Park Tower needs to happen. I'm sorry but this building is just right for DTLA. Especially in South Park.

I mean look at it. Isn't it just lovely?


http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a268/mojeda101/parktower2wg3uw7.jpg

I completely agree.. and its a pretty good looking tower =]

[Chef Boyardee]

Wilshire Grand update

http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2012/sep/27/wilshire-grand-demolition-start-soon/

[BrandonJXN]

From LA.Curbed.com

In a SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS, the LA City Council has given final approval to the Farmers Field Downtown NFL stadium project (haha, just kidding, they've been deep-throating this thing from the start). The plan, developed by LA Live owners AEG, includes a football stadium and a reconfiguration of the LA Convention Center; construction on the stadium will be contingent on getting an NFL team in LA (the NFL will probably make that decision in March 2013 and LA could get two teams). AEG is financing the project, but the city will help out by issuing a complicated series of bonds. In addition to the regular (unanimous, of course) vote, the City Council apparently also found it necessary to approve "a resolution 'enthusiastically' endorsing Farmers Field and inviting the NFL to visit downtown Los Angeles," reports KPCC. (The mayor still has to sign off, by the way, but he's shown nothing but support on this.) Last year, the state legislature passed a law speeding up all legal challenges to the Farmers; that law is currently being challenged in court. Meanwhile, in yet another fun twist, AEG is up for sale--the most high-profile bidder, entrepreneur Patrick Soon-Shiong, was at the Council meeting today, reports the Daily News. He's said to really believe in this whole football thing.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by Kingofthehill

I agree. This is a great time for DTLA! (Even if compared to European cities, DTLA, along with all American cities, feels hopelessly broken, fragmented, and autocentric). I am especially stoked for the Ace Hotel

You're starting to sound like me when I came back from my year abroad in London. Actually, seeing firsthand how much more livable European cities are than American ones (and wondering what the root causes of the disparity were) was one of the factors that led to my interest in urban planning, and eventually my decision to go back to grad school for my planning degree.

[112597jorge]

Originally Posted by Chef Boyardee

Wilshire Grand update

http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2012/sep/27/wilshire-grand-demolition-start-soon/

did the guy writing this article commit a mistake, or was this tower 80 floors, since LA Times reported as a 70 story tower?

[Just-In-Cali]

Originally Posted by 112597jorge

did the guy writing this article commit a mistake, or was this tower 80 floors, since LA Times reported as a 70 story tower?

A slightly better article from Curbed, with picture. Very positive turn of events.

What You Need to Know About the Wilshire Grand Work
Friday, September 28, 2012, by Neal Broverman

We saw a pic on Wednesday of early demolition work happening at DTLA's Wilshire Grand tower and now we have confirmation that the building is indeed in the throes of the long kiss goodnight. A PR rep for Wilshire Grand, which is coming down to make way for Korean Air's 70-story $1 billion office/hotel skyscraper, gives us the nitty-gritty. Regarding impacts to pedestrian and traffic flow: "Seventh is unaffected, excepted for the small bike lane," Sean Rossall of Cerrell Associates tells us in an email. "On Fig, the parking lane and one lane will be impacted. No lanes will be impacted on Wilshire. On Francisco, it will be turned into a one way street with two lanes." The demolition will be floor by floor (no wrecking balls) and take about a year. Even as the building is coming down, early excavation for the new tower is expected to begin in March or April, Cerrell says. Architect Chris Martin is managing the development through a new venture called Martin Project Management, while his firm AC Martin is handling designs. As recently reported by the Downtown News, part of the tower plans include "high-speed elevators [that] will ferry hotel visitors to a top-floor 'lobby in the sky.'"
· Wilshire Grand Archives [Curbed LA]


http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/09/what_you_need_to_know_about_the_wilshire_grand_work.php

[Quixote]

It still hasn't sunk in yet that Wilshire Grand is happening. Maybe it's because the demolition itself will take 12 months, so actual construction won't start for a while. Demolition work doesn't excite me.

And ditto about Park Tower. I've always digged its pseudo-retro design.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by sings twin

If your ever passing I am really interested in the Marriott Courtyard development. Couple of guys post photos here regularly of the project but the more the better!

sings twin, that is one proj that I actually feel less of a need to see regular photo updates for, cuz it has its own webcam.

the same it true for one of the other important new devlpts in dt, the broad museum on grand ave, since it also has its own webcam too.

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Breaking news............ 8th and hope has been fenced off!

also, some anecdotal evidence that the commercial leasing market is turning rapidly in downtown LA... saw units in 7 different buildings today, from high rises to smaller historic properties and ALL of them are leasing up fast. Lots of creative offices being built, lots of momentum, and i really think we are heading for a major downtown boom.

^ otoh, projs like 8th & hope definitely need photo updates....otherwise those of us who aren't in dt on a regular, frequent basis will be totally in the dark. I'm glad it appears almost ready to break ground, & it's a nice change of pace to see a proposed devlpt that isn't delayed, delayed, delayed & delayed.

I take such improvements more in stride nowadays....a bit more matter of factly....since I now do realize the hood has long needed such changes & then some. So I no longer want to feel & look like the person who's making a big deal about an oldster who's finally learned how to read & write, add & subtract, & ride a bike.