LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by eclipse

Long-Awaited Federal Courthouse Breaks Ground

sure is a relief to see one of the biggest gaps in the northern section of dt being finally.....finally!!!....switched over to an active construction site. now if something could just get done with the other huge gap along 1st street, the one further west across from disney hall, which is where a whole foods store was originally rumored as a possible tenant around 3 or 4 yrs ago.

a less upscale mkt opened a few wks ago in the southern half of dt, & it will be interesting to see how all the competition plays out over the next few yrs.....


• Video Link


I'm guessing the ralphs on 9th st...which has had sort of a monopoly in dt for the past few yrs....is now seeing a bit of a decrease in sales since the target & smart & final opened. What happens when whole foods is completed in 2 yrs....& that store being even nearer to the ralphs than target & smart & final are....will say alot about how much resiliency exists in dt & all its potential shoppers.

[Quixote]

Nobody gave two shits about Angels Knoll Park until it was featured in (500) Days of Summer. Big deal.

[Mojeda101]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Nobody gave two shits about Angels Knoll Park until it was featured in (500) Days of Summer. Big deal.

I hate to admit it, but that is kinda true. That movie gave people a reason to check it out. Even I wasn't aware of the park until that film and I won't lie. I was sorta let down. As was my significant other. The place had more homeless than tourists and there was a homeless man sleeping on the bench featured in the movie -___- Sure as hell changed our opinion on the park in which the movie made it seem so romantic and peaceful. Angel's Flight was the highlight of the trip, lol.

[ConstructDTLA]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Nobody gave two shits about Angels Knoll Park until it was featured in (500) Days of Summer. Big deal.

I still haven't even seen the movie - and I love the park.

Originally Posted by Mojeda101

I hate to admit it, but that is kinda true. That movie gave people a reason to check it out. Even I wasn't aware of the park until that film and I won't lie. I was sorta let down. As was my significant other. The place had more homeless than tourists and there was a homeless man sleeping on the bench featured in the movie -___- Sure as hell changed our opinion on the park in which the movie made it seem so romantic and peaceful. Angel's Flight was the highlight of the trip, lol.

The movie helped the park a lot, just searching the #DTLA hashtag on Instagram brings up hundreds of pics of the bench with the plaque on it. Downtown in general is viewed as cool, hip, romantic, from the outside. Yet when you get here it's filthy and filled with homeless - or worse. That's just the way Downtown is. It was a really great park, it pains a lot of us residents to see them close a perfectly good park to make way for development when there are dozens of surface lots or 1-story shitboxes that should be developed upon first.

[BrandonJXN]

I have never seen 500 Days of Summer and I love Angels Knoll park as well. It really could be a great park. Shame of the condition it's in now though.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by HunterK

The movie helped the park a lot, just searching the #DTLA hashtag on Instagram brings up hundreds of pics of the bench with the plaque on it. Downtown in general is viewed as cool, hip, romantic, from the outside. Yet when you get here it's filthy and filled with homeless - or worse. That's just the way Downtown is. It was a really great park, it pains a lot of us residents to see them close a perfectly good park to make way for development when there are dozens of surface lots or 1-story shitboxes that should be developed upon first.

I believe they said that the park is planned to remain a park, and was just closed until the plot of land was sold.

[ConstructDTLA]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I believe they said that the park is planned to remain a park, and was just closed until the plot of land was sold.

Yes that is what they've said. Though this being LA, you never know what kind of stupid mishap could happen. They could close the park for several years (while trying to sell the land), then say "hey, nobody uses this park, we should get rid of it entirely." It being closed at all is unacceptable and makes me very suspicious.

[Lalaland]

I'm pretty sure that whoever ends up buying angels knoll has plans with it other than keeping it as a park.

[alki]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

^^ I find it hard to get excited about a project that was seemingly announced forever ago and has had basically zero visible progress this entire time. And it still has a year to go!

Hey when you're a mom and pop operation, financing can take time. I also find that moms and pops who are committed usually get the project done.

[112597jorge]

Originally Posted by Lalaland

I'm pretty sure that whoever ends up buying angels knoll has plans with it other than keeping it as a park.

I agree, if someone or a company buys this land, I'm sure they won't keep it a park, why invest in that land if its not going to get you back your money's worth. I'm pretty sure this land gets developed into a residential/hotel tower. Maybe up to 915 feet max. Like the approvals for cal plaza 3 allowed it to rise.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by alki

Hey when you're a mom and pop operation, financing can take time. I also find that moms and pops who are committed usually get the project done.

I'd also expect mom and pop operations to have a little more difficulty navigating LA's cumbersome approvals/permitting process.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

I believe they said that the park is planned to remain a park, and was just closed until the plot of land was sold.

I thought that I read that as well. Obviously the only people that would buy land to keep it a park would be a government entity, like the city of LA. And that would mean that they would either pay top dollar in a competitive bidding process or that they would get the land on the cheap, which would be unfair and possibly illegal.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Mojeda101

The place had more homeless than tourists and there was a homeless man sleeping on the bench featured in the movie -___- Sure as hell changed our opinion on the park in which the movie made it seem so romantic and peaceful.

I hope everyone realizes that the reason the area was fenced off was not due to it being prepared to be sold by the city, but due to complaints about the very problem you describe.

I think of the words said by a mother to her son: "this is why we can't have nice things".

btw, since alot of new housing is under construction in dt, it's important to know how existing apts are filling up. The brockman building appears to be now fully leased, the apex tower....formerly the concerto....is a bit over 80% occupied, while the newer 1111 wilshire bldg has around a 15% vacancy rate right now.

by dtla standards, the number of new apts currently being built....& which should start becoming available around 2015....is quite significant. I hope the synergy of existing housing, combined with all the new improvements throughout the hood, & the new housing itself, will generate so much interest that devlprs won't see such a pause in demand that they become nervous.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by citywatch

by dtla standards, the number of new apts currently being built....& which should start becoming available around 2015....is quite significant. I hope the synergy of existing housing, combined with all the new improvements throughout the hood, & the new housing itself, will generate so much interest that devlprs won't see such a pause in demand that they become nervous.

Now we just need some new condo projects. Can anyone think of any others besides Barker Block Phase II currently in the works? Anyone? Bueller?

[Easy]

Originally Posted by citywatch

I hope everyone realizes that the reason the area was fenced off was not due to it being prepared to be sold by the city, but due to complaints about the very problem you describe.

The park was owned by the CRA and the CRA was dissolved by the state. Their successor agency is required to sell their properties according to the downtown news.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

Now we just need some new condo projects. Can anyone think of any others besides Barker Block Phase II currently in the works? Anyone? Bueller?

I think the Sewing Machine Factory Building on Broadway is condos. Huge, multi-million dollar condos.

[brudy]

Originally Posted by Quixote

Nobody gave two shits about Angels Knoll Park until it was featured in (500) Days of Summer. Big deal.

It's a big deal to me. I live near and walk(ed) my dog here daily. I came here a lot to read and just hang out as well. It's shaded with nice big trees and good views and grass.

You clearly don't live anywhere near here or else you wouldn't write that. It also once again demonstrates the lack of practical understanding from many people on this board who fantasize about skyscrapers but could give a rats ass about actually living here.

[LA/OCman]

http://laist.com/2013/08/09/_some_of_you_may.php

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by brudy

It's a big deal to me. I live near and walk(ed) my dog here daily. I came here a lot to read and just hang out as well. It's shaded with nice big trees and good views and grass.

You clearly don't live anywhere near here or else you wouldn't write that. It also once again demonstrates the lack of practical understanding from many people on this board who fantasize about skyscrapers but could give a rats ass about actually living here.

I can honestly say that I never gave a crap about Angels Knoll and I possibly live closer to there than you do. I love Angels Flight, love the fact that there's a metro stop there, love that GCM is across the street, and love the possibilities of what can be done there. As it stands now though - a patch of dry grass with its own standing army of homeless men - is gross. Don't care for what's currently there.

[citywatch]

Ppl are posting mixed messages on the subject of park space in dt & it being overrun by homeless campers. So some complain....& understandably so....that due to park space in dt being overrun by the homeless, it therefore wasn't a nice place to be, while others are complaining....& understandably so....that while park space is being fenced off to keep out homeless ppl, it also no longer can now be used by anyone at anytime.

Welcome to a catch 22. It's also seems like a no win situation.

btw, easy, the reason why the land next to angel's flight has been closed down to the public isn't cuz it's being sold by the CRA. It has been gated off cuz too many ppl in the hood apparently have been unhappy....& rightly so...about the area becoming swamped with the homeless & drug users. IOW, Angels knoll would have been shut down to the public even if the CRA still were in existence & the city had no need to sell the land.

I feel bad for ppl like brudy, & it's sad that other ppl living in dt like stethjeff or hunterk have their patience with the hood tested on a regular basis. That's why I say that outsiders....including me....can't get a really good sense of dt unless they're living the experience 24/7 like a brudy, stethjeff, hunterk, colemonkee, etc.

I don't want to leave on a note, so I'll include this vid of another part of dt that until recently wasn't a new park but was instead a big fugly parking lot. This space, which was full of ppl a few wks ago for july 4th, originally for yrs & yrs acted like sort of a very front yard for city hall. And in past yrs it would have been totally lifeless...without both ppl & even parked cars....on the major holiday in July.


• Video Link