LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[Mojeda101]

What a striking addition to the skyline. Why on earth was it not chosen?! I count roughly 19 floors. Could have been the cost and limited budget. There must be something we can do.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by Chef Boyardee

This doesn't make sense. The budget for this project is $320 mil. It's always stayed that way. All the competing firms were working on their designs with that figure in mind. So all of them, even that one by yazdani studio are presumably under $320 mil.

Since Jeff Denham and crew's preference was that the GSA spend $0 and sell the land off, they were never going to support the project. Going with a less ostentatious design provides him with less political ammo at the next Transportation committee hearing, though. Even if the SOM and Yazdani designs cost exactly the same amount of money, one looks a lot cheaper.

Given the amount of heat the GSA has been taking from Denham about spending over the past year (the courthouse, the expensive events, etc.), they're likely being cautious. Since he's the head of the subcommittee overseeing public buildings, what he thinks about this kind of stuff does matter.

[Chef Boyardee]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

Since Jeff Denham and crew's preference was that the GSA spend $0 and sell the land off, they were never going to support the project. Going with a less ostentatious design provides him with less political ammo at the next Transportation committee hearing, though. Even if the SOM and Yazdani designs cost exactly the same amount of money, one looks a lot cheaper.

Given the amount of heat the GSA has been taking from Denham about spending over the past year (the courthouse, the expensive events, etc.), they're likely being cautious. Since he's the head of the subcommittee overseeing public buildings, what he thinks about this kind of stuff does matter.

I still don't see it. What matters to them is the money. As long as it's not over budget, i don't think he or anyone else care whether the building "looks" like it should cost more than $320 mil. A much more likely scenario is that the yazdani design was way over their budget.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by Chef Boyardee

I still don't see it. What matters to them is the money. As long as it's not over budget, i don't think he or anyone else care whether the building "looks" like it should cost more than $320 mil. A much more likely scenario is that the yazdani design was way over their budget.

This is the last bit I'm going to say on the subject, since its only tangentially related to the Downtown development thread. Denham doesn't want the courthouse built, period. They could figure out a way to build it $100 million under budget, and he'd still be against it. He has made unloading excess federal properties his signature issue since taking office in 2010, and has gotten attention for his criticism of GSA expenditures. A courthouse to be built by the GSA on a federally owned vacant lot is an obvious target for him.

The GSA has gotten some deservedly bad press this year. It really wouldn't surprise me if they have opted to spend more thriftily to avoid extra criticism. The SOM design certainly looks cheaper.

[Chef Boyardee]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

This is the last bit I'm going to say on the subject, since its only tangentially related to the Downtown development thread. Denham doesn't want the courthouse built, period. They could figure out a way to build it $100 million under budget, and he'd still be against it. He has made unloading excess federal properties his signature issue since taking office in 2010, and has gotten attention for his criticism of GSA expenditures. A courthouse to be built by the GSA on a federally owned vacant lot is an obvious target for him.

The GSA has gotten some deservedly bad press this year. It really wouldn't surprise me if they have opted to spend more thriftily to avoid extra criticism. The SOM design certainly looks cheaper.

Now you're talking. If their budget actually went down from what it was initially, then i can see why they went with the 70's cube.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by Chef Boyardee

I still don't see it. What matters to them is the money. As long as it's not over budget, i don't think he or anyone else care whether the building "looks" like it should cost more than $320 mil. A much more likely scenario is that the yazdani design was way over their budget.

Perhaps SOM's proposal was so dramatically under budget that it had to be chosen? Costing $200 mil instead of $300 mil, for example. Shame, too, because I really love this design.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Here's what the new courthouse COULD have looked like:

Curbed LA

I think that design is than the one they've selected. But the 3rd version is so much better than the other 2. It looks like it would have been taller & far sleeker than the boring box that instead will be built at 1st & broadway. I usually don't get in a tizzy about projs not being taller....maybe it's a guy thing with you guys....but I always expected the new courthouse to be more of a skyscraper than what instead looks like a burban version of a major tower.

This is disappointing cuz the proj has been delayed for several yrs, & the site where the courthouse will rise on has been a major gap in the hood for far too long. so it would have been nice if the idea of 'good things come to those who wait' held true in this instance.

btw, apts are being leased rather quickly in the brockman bldg, so the owner appears to be getting tenants signing up at a nice clip. Such projs display a more reliable type of reaction, since condo sales a few yrs ago may have been good due to not just ppl moving to dt, but cuz of investors trying to make a quick buck. The reaction of renters in 2012 is important to devlprs who are eying the market for new apt projs. So I hope the new owner of the angelena proj next door to the brockman won't be as likely to tap dance til they decide to break ground.

if the new apt tower next to the broad museum actually begins construction shortly....next wk....that means the tower at 9th & olive will be the other new proj waiting for formal confirmation that it too is underway, &, again, the angelena proj at 8th & grand.

[Dale]

Any new news on the Onni project ? It was supposed to have started before year's end.

[Mojeda101]

Originally Posted by Dale

Any new news on the Onni project ? It was supposed to have started before year's end.

We still have 11 days to go for until 2013, so anytime between now and then should give us the answer.

[colemonkee]

Regardless of whether Onni starts during the remainder of this year, or sometime in Q1, we'll be in a legitimate building boom once it does, provided that the Related tower on Grand is also underway.

[blackcat23]

It looks like ground breaking for the 9th and Olive tower will not occur before the end of 2012.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...-at-9th-and-olive-streets-184376351.html

LaeRoc Investments is pleased to announce the recent approval of a new 31-story tower at the northeast corner of the intersection of 9th and Olive Streets in downtown Los Angeles, California. The development is expected to contain 283 market-rate residential condominiums and about 9,680 feet of ground-level retail and restaurant space.

Attached to the 31-story tower, currently known as the "Coast Building," there will be a five-story parking garage that faces Hill Street, north of the existing Coast Federal Savings building. The five-story parking garage will have 385 parking spaces, while the parking structure below the residential units will have 284 parking spaces. In total, the new project will contain 669 parking spaces.

A LaeRoc executive recently commented on the new project, saying, "We're very excited to finally be announcing this project at 9th and Olive. Of course, it's been in the works for several months. However, this is the first opportunity that we've had to officially comment on its progress. With the approval papers officially in hand, the project is in the clear. We hope to begin the construction phase in early 2013."

[blackcat23]

On a better note, more good news about the downtown office market.

http://blogdowntown.com/2012/12/7095-nasty-gal-new-vintage-clothing-retailer-to

The clothing company Nasty Gal is expanding it's downtown headquarters from 10,000 square feet to slightly over 50,000 in the Pac Mutual building. This plus the news about Chinatrust Bank earlier this month signals a very positive trend.

[Mojeda101]

Did I miss something recently because I saw the searchlight on the City Hall circling away tonight =] I couldn't grab a good picture but there was definitely a light going in circles above City Hall.

Anyways, what's going on with the Courtyard Marriott? Are they on break? Not a lot of progress. Vermont Towers are going up far faster.

[Valyrian Steel]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

It looks like ground breaking for the 9th and Olive tower will not occur before the end of 2012.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/...-at-9th-and-olive-streets-184376351.html

31 stories? I thought it was 32. Could be just a typo...

[Chef Boyardee]

"We hope to begin the construction phase in early 2013."

Code for "it's not happening anytime soon".

[Easy]

Originally Posted by Chef Boyardee

"We hope to begin the construction phase in early 2013."

Code for "it's not happening anytime soon".

I think that it's code for them hoping to begin construction soon, but a few pieces still need to fall into place.

[DistrictDirt]

Some photos I snapped a few days ago of the Star Apartments project in Skid Row.

Three things I noticed:

1. They are pretty far along into construction already. This one really slipped under our radar until last week.
2. This thing is not on the fringes of Skid Row…its in the heart of Skid Row!
3. Its adaptive reuse! You can see in the photos that the new construction is being integrated into one of those old stucco retail blocks prevalent in this side of downtown.

[DistrictDirt]

Here's a couple shots of the now nearly-completed Eleven Eleven Wilshire project:





A dozen more of these and City West will be transformed.

Incidentally, this project is right across Bixel from Palmer's Pierro crapfest. I wonder if Palmer ever walks by, looks at Eleven Eleven Wilshire, and feels bad about his own projects. He really should. This project is in context with the neighborhood, and actually makes it's neighbors like that Good Samaritan tower at 1127 Wilshire (in the background of the 2nd photo) look better. Palmer's projects look out of place and time, and contribute to the disjointed character of the neighborhood. Don't even get me started on his terrible nearly-invisible retail spaces that no business owner in their right mind would consider leasing.

[DistrictDirt]

I don't think anyone here has mentioned this one yet: The pop-up restaurant Alma (on Broadway, just north of Olympic) which has been open since June has been given a makeover and reopened as a permanent restaurant. I bet they will be very busy once the Ace Hotel opens.

[DJM19]

Love that design for the courthouse. But really hate what looks like a giant parking garage next door. If they made that another office/government building it would be perfect.