LOS ANGELES | Central City Project Rundown 5.0

[Muji]

Well, things are going to get more exciting soon with the Wilshire Grand tower. I hope this isn't old news, but I noticed today that the core is now moving above the ground floor.

[blackcat23]

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/06/high-rise-towers-may-sprout-next-to.html

If any of you have ever wondered what's supposed to happen with the giant piece of land across the street from Chinatown Station, we now have an answer:



Name of the project is College Station. Owner is EVOQ Properties, architects is VTBS. Two potential development programs here. Both feature an eight-story/80 live-work unit building and a four-story/100-unit senior living facility above ground floor retail/restaurant/market space.

The difference hinges on a third portion of the development, located at the corner of Spring and College Streets. Option one calls for two 20-story residential towers, containing 500 apartments over 20k sq ft of retail (see below)



Option two is less ambitious, instead opting for four low-rise buildings. Five stories each, creating a total of 339 units and 7,500 sq ft of retail.



Project to be built in three phases, starting in 2016 and ending in 2018. Lots of pictures in the link above.

[Valyrian Steel]

I'll take option one. K thanks.

[caligrad]

^^^ I second that notion eclipse. Option one please and thank you. But with that area in desperate need of some TLC since its an isolated dead zone, I can honestly say I will be happy with either option....but please....option one please and thanks.

[colemonkee]

This is EVOQ, or rather, Richard Mureullo's company, who doesn't have the best track record of completing projects (though they did get Watermarke Tower out of the ground). This would be huge for the area, which has one of my favorite breakfast spots in Nick's a block away. The 500 total units in the highrise version would inject much more life into the area. But either one would be pretty awesome compared to what's there.

[Muji]

I would prefer option one as well (though I doubt anyone on this forum wouldn't). If they do those towers right, they'll make for a great view for passengers on the Gold Line. In any case, I'm thrilled that the developers have the good sense to break up that huge lot into three blocks, which automatically adds so much more potential for a dynamic streetscape.

[alki]

Originally Posted by Muji

I would prefer option one as well (though I doubt anyone on this forum wouldn't). If they do those towers right, they'll make for a great view for passengers on the Gold Line. In any case, I'm thrilled that the developers have the good sense to break up that huge lot into three blocks, which automatically adds so much more potential for a dynamic streetscape.

Does anyone know what are the uses of the bldgs adjacent to the site.....the ones that are showing in blackcat's photos?

[StethJeff]

Option #3 is a Little Tokyo-style sea of 7-story 🞵🞵🞵🞵 boxes. Let's get real here, this is the fringe of not even DTLA, but Chinatown itself. Especially when things like "senior living" get tossed around, I can't imagine this being anything better or more exciting than the forgettable 3-letter disappointments like Jia, Ava. Hoping for better though.

[caligrad]

^^^ Yeah Steth.... I see this becoming a giant 7 story box that consumes the entire block.


Another thing that is interesting is that the artist tries to hide that the buildings are sitting on podiums. HA! almost fooled me at first glance but second glance its clear to see.

The first option consists of roughly 680 units of some kind total and 1,054 parking spaces. the second option, if I did the math right, will consist of 533 units of some kind and will have 851 parking spaces. some parking will be subterranean, not understanding why it cant all be squeezed down there, and the rest will be podium......Hating life.

[ConstructDTLA]

View


View towards Little Tokyo. Showing the notorious TCA projects.


Lots of 15+ story infill needed.


8th/Hope completed project, and parking structure construction (to the right).


Olympic towards the new Marriot (which is very nice inside). I watched the lights scintillating last night, it was very cool.


Olympic/Grand


Dirt down at Pico/Olive


Metropolis shooting up.


Hole in ground. Zara tells me sales have been far below what they expected. "Corporate expected Grove-like figures." Lol. It seems the over-hyping of LA by NYtimes and other media outlets is fooling even large companies. Zara will hit those figures, it just won't be until 2018+


Arcade building so far. You can just smell the luxuries.


Broadway mall, as well as the ongoing restoration next to The Judson apartments (they're doing a great job so far).


Meanwhile directly across the street; homeless, homeless, and more homeless. Increasing by the day.


At least Google's documenting the homeless.


Park 5th really getting up there.


Wilshire Grand still a bore.


Japanese owners of the entire block of parking lots along Fig still have no plans to sell or develop.


iHope looks great by LA standards. I wish I could move in!


8th/Grand from above


8th/Grand hinting that it will one day rise above street level.


Parking lot city, looking towards FIDM at 9th/Grand.


9th/Olive


9th/Olive podium.




Night view of 9th/Olive from 7th/Broadway.


Soon

[alki]

Originally Posted by DTLAdenizen

View

You have an interesting knack of capturing very different views of the DT skyline, ones you don't see on postcards. The one up above makes DTLA look almost intensely urban.

Nice photos. Thanks.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by DTLAdenizen

Hole in ground. Zara tells me sales have been far below what they expected. "Corporate expected Grove-like figures."

hahahaha the 🞵🞵🞵🞵

[brudy]

Obviously I'm an option 1 fan for College Station. This is real TOD. I also like that they're going to create new streets within the parcel to enhance the pedestrian aspect. This won't be monolithic, I think. I'd live there in a heartbeat, given train access, the new park, and that you can walk to downtown in 15 minutes.

[brudy]

Originally Posted by Muji

Well, things are going to get more exciting soon with the Wilshire Grand tower. I hope this isn't old news, but I noticed today that the core is now moving above the ground floor.

Yeah, I drove down Wilshire last night and the core or whatever that is on the north eastern corner is above ground. It will be exciting to see that go up, finally.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by blackcat23

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/06/high-rise-towers-may-sprout-next-to.html

If any of you have ever wondered what's supposed to happen with the giant piece of land across the street from Chinatown Station, we now have an answer:



Name of the project is College Station. Owner is EVOQ Properties, architects is VTBS. Two potential development programs here. Both feature an eight-story/80 live-work unit building and a four-story/100-unit senior living facility above ground floor retail/restaurant/market space.

The difference hinges on a third portion of the development, located at the corner of Spring and College Streets. Option one calls for two 20-story residential towers, containing 500 apartments over 20k sq ft of retail (see below)



Option two is less ambitious, instead opting for four low-rise buildings. Five stories each, creating a total of 339 units and 7,500 sq ft of retail.



Lots of pictures in the link above.

This entire area west of Chinatown could be totally redeveloped into a nice neighborhood if developers were to buy up those underused pieces of industrial land. To be honest, I'd be happy with either option.

Thanks to denizen for his pretty pictures and 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 commentary. This thread is nothing if not consistent.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by DTLAdenizen

Zara tells me sales have been far below what they expected. "Corporate expected Grove-like figures." Lol. It seems the over-hyping of LA by NYtimes and other media outlets is fooling even large companies. Zara will hit those figures, it just won't be until 2018+

Meanwhile directly across the street; homeless, homeless, and more homeless. Increasing by the day.

Park 5th really getting up there.

Japanese owners of the entire block of parking lots along Fig still have no plans to sell or develop.

Parking lot city, looking towards FIDM at 9th/Grand.

dtladenizen, you again come through with one of the more interesting & comprehensive array of pics posted to this thread! All your photos also help give full context to what really is or isn't the most pressing issues facing dtla.

The youngsters who post to this thread may like to close their eyes & cover their ears & go 'lalalallalala, I can't hear you, I can't hear you', but there remains some crucial priorities that, because they remain a work in progress...or unresolved....continue to work against the hood.

Zara, on one hand, & a lack of enough companies to fill up all the bldgs in dt on the other hand mean that the 24/7 population still needs to be greatly boosted & that the appeal of dt....such as to all the companies that still cling to hoods further west....needs to be ramped up. The hesitancy of those businesses to move from hoods like century city or woodland hills to dtla is not helped when social problems like rampant homelessness remain closely identified with the hood.

Some of your pics show there still is a lot...a ton....of space in dt that needs to be filled in.....which makes signs of work soon to begin on the metropolis proj even more of a relief & welcome sight.

[LAofAnaheim]

Last night, the small remaining parking lot at 9th/Hope was green-fenced. Today, there is restricted entrance and some mobile construction staging setup. Looks like the 30+ story 888 Hope is about to hit construction in tandem with the parking structure already under construction mid-block.

Also, saw some new green fencing on 9th and Grand south of the Stillwell Hotel. Anybody know what project that may relate to?

[WonderlandPark]

I got beaten to the punch for a dtla update. Still will get out this morning with camera.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

This is EVOQ, or rather, Richard Mureullo's company, who doesn't have the best track record of completing projects (though they did get Watermarke Tower out of the ground). This would be huge for the area, which has one of my favorite breakfast spots in Nick's a block away. The 500 total units in the highrise version would inject much more life into the area. But either one would be pretty awesome compared to what's there.

Very good point. Also worth noting that EVOQ may be up for sale.

[LAofAnaheim]

Originally Posted by WonderlandPark

I got beaten to the punch for a dtla update. Still will get out this morning with camera.

Well, I live above the Panini restaurant.....so I would hope I could break my literal catty corner news faster than all y'all