LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[Quixote]

The original My Figueroa vision was divided into three options: "Good," "Better," and "Best."

"Good"


"Better"


"Best"


So, we're basically getting the least visionary/imaginative/transformative option of the original proposal. Yeah, I'm none too pleased.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by WonderlandPark

The DaVinci is U/C for sure, taken just a few mins ago:

that's one of those sections of dt that is easy to overlook or forget about until or unless one is right there, walking or driving right around there. In its previous condition, it gave a dark, abandoned feeling to the hood. maybe the new apt bldg that's going up there will be kitschy, but I'm sure far fewer ppl will go about dtla cuz of that than what it has been like til now....or mostly weedy, dusty parking lots with one or more hovel bldgs on it.

Originally Posted by HunterK

such a relief to see work finally underway on that bldg, on that stretch of Hill st!! I cannot count the numbers of time thru the yrs when I've passed by there & been totally at the condition of the clark & its negative impact on that part of dt.

more recently, with the addition of something that would have been unthinkable not too many yrs ago....a rooftop restaurant a short hop away from the Clark, & overlooking pershing square....it's now even more important that all the pieces of the puzzle finally....FINALLY!....be connected. I remember a time when anything east of the biltmore...east of olive st & definitely east of hill St.....was like death, esp during the evening hrs.


• Video Link


I hope the owners of the clark hotel have the staying power to open their business & make a go of it. It really will be the 1st decent hotel to open east of olive st....on the east side of dt....in maybe over 60 to 70 yrs? but I'm assuming they'll open before the ace hotel in the old UA theater bldg is completed on broadway several blocks to the south.

I don't count the former new otani hotel, now the doubletree hotel....which opened in the 1970s....since that to me is more a part of the civic ctr & little tokyo....more NE dt instead of eastern dt....& not really a part of the old bank dist, or old financial dist, or the section of dt where the clark hotel is located.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

So, we're basically getting the least visionary/imaginative/transformative option of the original proposal. Yeah, I'm none too pleased.

Did you expect anything different, honestly? For better or worse, this is LA.

At least we're getting a cycletrack for the majority of the length of the project. That's huge. When the city sees how much more it gets used than regular bike lanes (research shows cycletracks typically attract 2.5x more cyclists than regular bike lanes), I think it'll encourage them to implement them in more places.

[brudy]

Originally Posted by Muji

Re MyFig: Build it now! By the way, does anyone know why 11th St is also part of the project? I don't have anything against it but it does seem a bit random to me.

Also in some minor news, Mendocino Farms plans to open their FIGat7th location on April 2, which so far is the best reason I'll have to go there. (source: http://la.eater.com/archives/2013/03/25/mendo_wire.php)

Won't the street car run on 11th? That'd be my best guess. And that's good news about Mendocino. Hopefully they'll stay open later.

[blackcat23]

more recently, with the addition of something that would have been unthinkable not too many yrs ago....a rooftop restaurant a short hop away from the Clark, & overlooking pershing square....it's now even more important that all the pieces of the puzzle finally....FINALLY!....be connected. I remember a time when anything east of the biltmore...east of olive st & definitely east of hill St.....was like death, esp during the evening hrs.

Hasn't Perch been open for a couple of years now?

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

Hasn't Perch been open for a couple of years now?

About 2 years now I think

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

Did you expect anything different, honestly? For better or worse, this is LA.

At least we're getting a cycletrack for the majority of the length of the project. That's huge. When the city sees how much more it gets used than regular bike lanes (research shows cycletracks typically attract 2.5x more cyclists than regular bike lanes), I think it'll encourage them to implement them in more places.

It's not horrible, just underwhelming relative to what was being considered. It's still a marked improvement over the status quo because the moving traffic lanes are far removed from the sidewalks. I just wish the sidewalks themselves were wider.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

http://cdn.cstatic.net/images/gridfs/4f960bdd85216d4e321d5ab5/figueroa_01.jpg

I never realized this rendering was supposed to be across the street from Staples Center.

Considering how heavily used that part of Figueroa is (especially during events/game days) the city was never going to eliminate that many lanes of auto traffic. It was a wonderful vision, but I don't think it was realistic.

On the bright side, if and when something is built on the LA Central lot, they'll probably leave some extra space to widen the sidewalk. Hopefully whatever goes in on the other corner of the 11th/Figueroa intersection will do the same.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

About 2 years now I think

Yeah that sounds right; a little googling indicates that it opened up in August of 2011.

[alki]

Brigham says Whole Foods coming to DTLA:

Rumor Mill: Is Whole Foods Coming to 8th & Grand in Downtown LA?

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Brigham Yen | 20 Comments



Rumor has it that Whole Foods is looking at opening in the new 8th and Grand project (Photo: Carmel Partners)

http://brighamyen.com/2013/03/25/is-whole-foods-coming-to-8th-and-grand-in-downtown-la/#more-9844

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by alki

Brigham says Whole Foods coming to DTLA:

Rumor Mill: Is Whole Foods Coming to 8th & Grand in Downtown LA?

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Brigham Yen | 20 Comments



Rumor has it that Whole Foods is looking at opening in the new 8th and Grand project (Photo: Carmel Partners)

http://brighamyen.com/2013/03/25/is-whole-foods-coming-to-8th-and-grand-in-downtown-la/#more-9844

This got picked up by both Curbed and LAist. Brigham's become as big as LADN.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by brudy

Won't the street car run on 11th? That'd be my best guess. And that's good news about Mendocino. Hopefully they'll stay open later.

they will be open weekends and till 9 on weekdays from what i remember the manager telling me a few months back

[colemonkee]

^ If the demand is there, they'll expand their hours. I'm happy just to see that many of the restaurants in that "Taste" complex are open on Saturdays (Sundays is a different story). The Target creates a fair amount of foot traffic through there, but they're tough to see from the street. The whole complex will be much better served when the Wilshire Grand hotel is finished and reopened. In the meantime, they would be well served pooling their money together to advertise to guests at the Westin Bonaventure on the weekends. I can't count how many times I've been at the 24 Hour Fitness in the underground retail spaces next door, and have had to redirect tourists to 7th street who have wandered down there only to discover 20 closed restaurants.

If this news of Whole Foods is indeed true, it's a game changer for downtown. Not just me personally (as I shop there too much), but as both a draw for current and future residents and something that will undoubtedly shift perceptions of the neighborhood amongst non-downtowners for the better.

[brudy]

Whole Foods doesn't seem to take a lot of chances on locations. They aren't necessarily urban pioneers. If this rumor is true, I think it could be a huge sign to other retailers that downtown is ready for more of that kind of development.

[alki]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

This got picked up by both Curbed and LAist. Brigham's become as big as LADN.

Brigham is definitely in the know and more importantly, he's my only chance of making a meaningful contribution to this forum.

[blackcat23]

There was a cement truck on site at 8th and Grand today. Didn't get a close enough look to see what they were doing.

Trucks were lined up down Olive for the entire block from 8th street to 9th street to haul dirt away from the site. Carmel really keeps up an impressive pace.





Onni isn't keeping up the same pace at 888 Olive, although it looks like this is as deep as they're going to dig. I'm guessing we'll start to see cement going in soon?



The Hill street side of the project isn't quite as far along, though.

[blackcat23]

From the LA City Planning office's bi-weekly case filings, it looks like there a new proposal for a vacant lot near the corner of 6th and Main:

534 S MAIN ST 90013

PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF A
NEW 6-STORY MIXED-USE
BUILDING WITH APPROX. 154,853
SF. OF TOTAL FLOOR AREA,
COMPRISED OF 159 RESIDENTIAL
UNITS WITH APPROX. 23,000 SF.
OF GROUND FLOOR RETAIL

Also a residential building proposed in Westlake, along Wilshire:

1501 W WILSHIRE BLVD 90017

CONSTRUCT NEW MIXED USE
DEVELOPMENT WITH 218
RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT UNITS
WITH UP TO 11% UNITS
DEDICATED TO LOW INCOME
UNITS AND 4,224 SF RETAIL

[brudy]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

From the LA City Planning office's bi-weekly case filings, it looks like there a new proposal for a vacant lot near the corner of 6th and Main:

That would be a great spot for a building. That's right next to LACAN, which could prove interesting. You would literally have the haves and have nots next to each other.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

From the LA City Planning office's bi-weekly case filings, it looks like there a new proposal for a vacant lot near the corner of 6th and Main:

Ugh, I hope not. Six story woodframe looks so strange and out of place in the historic core.

[colemonkee]

^ Agreed. I would rather see something in the 8-10 story range, but that doesn't mean a 6 story building can't be done right. It just happens to be the exception to the rule rather than the norm when they are.