LOS ANGELES | METRO Project Rundown 2.0 (non-downtown)

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Why even bring the Promenade in to this? No one was talking about the Promenade, and I've never heard anyone say that DT SaMo is anything BUT walkable. The Promenade is just one street.

And, for the record, I, who lived in SaMo for almost my entire life, would go past the 405 on a daily basis.

Exactly. Santa Monica is eminently accessible by transit as well, with frequent bus service, and it will only become more accessible when the Expo line is completed in 2017-2018.

[WonderlandPark]

Slow progress on Dream Hotel Hollywood.

[LA/OCman]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Exactly. Santa Monica is eminently accessible by transit as well, with frequent bus service, and it will only become more accessible when the Expo line is completed in 2017-2018.

The Expo Line is slated to be completed in 2015 to Santa Monica…much sooner than you stated above.

[blackcat23]

Originally Posted by caligrad

In news from Long Beach, I was driving downtown last night and the 18 and 33 story towers are already digging low for the parking garages, its moving fast, most of the heavy equipment needed is already onsite. wish I knew how to upload pictures on here

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/long-beachs-newest-tower-now-pushing.html

[mhays]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

Lets put this in perspective:

Sunset Bronson Studios Project - 14 stories - 1,600 parking spaces

Wilshire Grand Tower - 73 stories - 1,100 parking spaces

Height has nothing to do with it. Office workers used to take about 250 sf each and now average closer to 200. If you have 315,000 sf, you might have 1,575 workers. No idea about the production building.

But urban buildings generally have a lot fewer parking spaces. In a downtown environment (no idea about LA specifically) you might have a few hundred spaces, and a secondary node maybe over 500. But 1,600 is pure suburban.

[202_Cyclist]

Blackcat23-- thank you for posting the Long Beach photos. Long Beach is one of the most underrated cities in Southern California.

[Eightball]

Great design!

[Quixote]

I honestly forget about Long Beach's existence from time to time. It's quite underrated and brimming with potential.

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by Quixote

I honestly forget about Long Beach's existence from time to time. It's quite underrated and brimming with potential.

Couldn't agree more. Before having to move there, I'd only been to Long Beach once or twice in my life as a kid to go to the Queen Mary. The problem is that it's too far from everywhere else and sort of exists on an island in the sense that it's completely surrounded by places you'd have no business ever going to. Great place though. Still needs some work but I've always had that feeling that it's just barely on the cusp of becoming something BIG. A little more transit connectivity and investment and it'll take off like DTLA or Abbot Kinney.

[Flavius Josephus]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

Couldn't agree more. Before having to move there, I'd only been to Long Beach once or twice in my life as a kid to go to the Queen Mary. The problem is that it's too far from everywhere else and sort of exists on an island in the sense that it's completely surrounded by places you'd have no business ever going to. Great place though. Still needs some work but I've always had that feeling that it's just barely on the cusp of becoming something BIG. A little more transit connectivity and investment and it'll take off like DTLA or Abbot Kinney.

Long Beach has better transit than Venice, with the Blue Line and a robust municipal bus network. Its biggest challenges are probably the fact that it has a tiny downtown surround by suburbia, port-related pollution, and proximity to impoverished neighborhoods reducing its commuter potential. But it looks like they're making real progress in improving DTLB with these projects and others in the pipeline.

I think LB's politics are more conducive to development too - it reminds me of Santa Monica a bit, but without the aggressive NIMBYism. Plus, a LB renaissance might finally get some investors interested in improving the surrounding inland neighborhoods, some of which haven't seen any real private investment since just after WWII and others that really haven't recovered since they went downhill in the 70s and 80s.

[blackcat23]

http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.com/2014/09/fancy-senior-housing-complex-breaks.html

This is a 199-unit senior housing complex that just broke ground in Playa Vista. Designed by Gensler, developed by the Los Angeles Jewish Home.

[edluva]

Originally Posted by Flavius Josephus

Long Beach has better transit than Venice, with the Blue Line and a robust municipal bus network. Its biggest challenges are probably the fact that it has a tiny downtown surround by suburbia, port-related pollution, and proximity to impoverished neighborhoods reducing its commuter potential. But it looks like they're making real progress in improving DTLB with these projects and others in the pipeline.

the problem with DTLB is it's simply not very desireable like Santa monica or DTLA, because it lacks the transit, walkability, and historic architecture of DTLA and it lacks the creativity/education/money of santa monica/venice.

long beach has several detractors holding it back - it's relatively isolated ("an island" in the ghetto), it's surrounded by a polluted harbor region, and its urban design is horrible (the waters of shoreline village are completely segregated from the rest of the city). But most of all (without getting all racial about things ) DTLB is considered "ghetto". that fact alone answers all of your other concerns re: lack of investment and lack of gentrification.

[Jaycruz]

Did we visit the same Long Beach Edulva????? Downtown was far from ghetto in my opinion. I actually found it very desirable and regretted not looking into the area when I moved from the east coast. I found it easily walkable and the transit was great in the downtown area. The free shuttles are amazing. and they all connect to the blue line. And long beach buses were on rotation like clock work from what I saw.

[StethJeff]

Long Beach has a decent share of historic buildings and is very walkable in several areas. Can't say I agree with everything you're saying, ed.

[edluva]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

Long Beach has a decent share of historic buildings and is very walkable in several areas. Can't say I agree with everything you're saying, ed.

as an architect you have to at least acknowledge the glaringly problematic disconnect between the LB shoreline and the rest of DTLB. that has been a topic of discussion for the ages among city planners. Additionally DTLB's historic buildings are not nearly enough and in sufficient quality and consistency to draw gentrification on its own merits the way DTLAs have. you must not be serious in your attempt to paint the two places with any amount of similar deference. If gentrification does occur on a large scale it will be for value first, not because it's a stand-in for Manhattan's East Village

and 90% of my post concurs with flavius' btw, i'm definitely not alone in feeling this way about LB. I'm not a country clubber by any means, but I have heard many people refer to DTLB as "ghetto", and not in the endearing way york blvd or highland park are. the opinion is far more widespread than you admit and let me just say, DTLB in its current condition will never be a major draw to anyone but blue collar locals from the IE or immediate areas. While I think that drawing numbers is great regardless of what kind of numbers, it still must be said (because people are making it a goal) that LBC is on a whole different planet than DTLA, Samo/Venice, Pasadena, etc. regarding the demographics of its patrons and residents, and therefore, a whole different planet regarding available investment and gentrification. hence my original point.

but don't let some guy on SSP convince you of that. the level of investment in LB redevelopment and gentrification speaks for itself

[The Illusive Man]

Good for Long Beach. I'm glad to see the area improving. It's definitely underrated and has a lot of potential.

I don't get to go out there often, but when I do, I've always enjoyed it.

[caligrad]

Originally Posted by edluva

as an architect you have to at least acknowledge the glaringly problematic disconnect between the LB shoreline and the rest of DTLB. that has been a topic of discussion for the ages among city planners. Additionally DTLB's historic buildings are not nearly enough and in sufficient quality and consistency to draw gentrification on its own merits the way DTLAs have. you must not be serious in your attempt to paint the two places with any amount of similar deference. If gentrification does occur on a large scale it will be for value first, not because it's a stand-in for Manhattan's East Village

and 90% of my post concurs with flavius' btw, i'm definitely not alone in feeling this way about LB. I'm not a country clubber by any means, but I have heard many people refer to DTLB as "ghetto", and not in the endearing way york blvd or highland park are. the opinion is far more widespread than you admit and let me just say, DTLB in its current condition will never be a major draw to anyone but blue collar locals from the IE or immediate areas. While I think that drawing numbers is great regardless of what kind of numbers, it still must be said (because people are making it a goal) that LBC is on a whole different planet than DTLA, Samo/Venice, Pasadena, etc. regarding the demographics of its patrons and residents, and therefore, a whole different planet regarding available investment and gentrification. hence my original point.

but don't let some guy on SSP convince you of that. the level of investment in LB redevelopment and gentrification speaks for itself

LMAO ! 🞵🞵🞵. Dude. your going from thread to thread spreading misinformation. Downtown is going through a HEAVY gentrification right now as we speak. 🞵🞵🞵. I hate people who spread misinformation. Many of the old downtown buildings are being rezoned and reborn into condos and mixed use developments. The biggest vacant building that sat in the middle of downtown, the press telegram building, that was built in the early 1900s was just converted into Condos and lofts ! the long beach arts district was a dump a mere 5 years ago and now its the center of the city revitalization program with storefront shops, stores and restaurants. And what disconnect from the Long Beach shoreline and downtown ? Downtown literally runs up right next to the beach ??? and I hope your not talking about the tourist trap that is shoreline village. Not even the locals waste their time going there.

Long Beach blvd, north of 7th street which has been considered one of the toughest neighborhoods in the city is going through a very nice revitalization, a 10 story Senior housing complex was just built and is at full capacity, the entire stretch of long beach blvd from 7th to willow has construction cranes and bulldozers with new construction taking over, mind you its happening in the toughest neighborhood in the city which crime is down to one of its lowest point, im seeing people from outside of the area coming in that you wouldn't expect in some areas, west Long Beach is at its cleanest in decades and is still improving ! 🞵🞵🞵 the only thing stopping long beach from becoming santa monica is the LA river dumping onto the beach and the proximity to the port. other than that if Long Beach was feeling frisky and brought back the REAL Pike. Long Beach would give the western LA beaches a run for their money.

[JDRCRASH]

Indeed, I sometimes wonder would Long Beach would be like if the city somehow was able to build a complete replica of the old Pike and pier, like where Marina Green Park and Queensway Bay are right now.

Based on the old noirish photos i've seen of the place, it was right up there with the Santa Monica pier and Coney Island.

[Flavius Josephus]

Originally Posted by edluva

i want what you're smoking

Beach-related hyperbole aside, Long Beach's openness to development is what may well allow it to compete with the Westside as a vibrant neighborhood. SaMo is nice if you already live there, but its rabid anti-growth politics mean that it is essentially off-limits to everyone who is not very rich (or moved into a rent-controlled place 30 years ago and will never move out).

Sure, being next to a megaport and its associated pollution isn't good. But in a housing market as constrained as SoCal's, if you build a bunch of housing in an increasingly walkable area with moderately good transit near some stores, bars, and restaurants, people will live there and a vibrant urban lifestyle will spring up. There are hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people in the AV and IE who would love to have an urban lifestyle closer to LA if only they could afford it. If Long Beach understands this and increases supply while Santa Monica fights to keep new people out, perhaps some day in a decade or two we'll be talking about how all the Post-Millennials are moving to the trendy south.

[202_Cyclist]

People are able to live along the ocean in Long Beach for significantly less than they could in Orange Co. or elsewhere in Southern California.

Yes, the port is a source of pollution but the Port of LA/LB is also spending hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars, to reduce the pollution from the trucks and ships servicing the port, including providing energy to the ships when they dock so they don't have to run their diesel engines.