LOS ANGELES | Central City Project Rundown 5.0

[mhays]

Originally Posted by alki

Ironically, the page you linked to shows one rental apt bldg proposed for DT. Its parking parking/unit ratio will be .84 per unit.......not quite the .9 I cited but considerably higher than the .5/.6 you cited.

But that's not what's at issue here. You seem incapable of understanding that we don't agree on most issues. Therefore, in the future, I will no longer respond to any of your posts. If you continue to follow me to other forums like you have today, I will PM SSP administration to see if there is anything they can do.

That would be amusing. Because rebuttals must be about stalking you!

Since you're falsifying an argument and insulting Seattle in the process, yes, I'll rebut it. Not for you, because that's pointless, but to correct the record.

In addition to the example you mention, there's the twin project with the 420/330 ratio on First Hill, the 400/315 and 196/145 for Belltown on Monday, the 244/96 in SLU a week before that, or the 58/0 for West Seattle and 199/144 in Ballard in the current issue. That assumes zero parking for the commercial tenants in those buildings of course.

As for 0.5 ratios, try 2116 4th, which has 175 for 341 units and 143 hotel rooms or thereabouts, or 3rd & Cedar which has about 300/150.

The point, in addition to defending Seattle, is that low ratios aren't very groundbreaking even if you're not NY or SF.

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I just updated the post with the actual slides from Melendrez' presentation. You can see for yourself what their concept for the 7th Street bridge identity element looks like now:

The "Downtown Los Angeles" sign is lame, but maybe just "DTLA" would be ok. Similar to the LAX sign.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by alki

Its too bad they're gone but I never understood how Laemmle was able to stay open. The most people I ever saw in the theater at any one time was maybe 15-20 people.......and that would be on a Sat nite. Their rent had to have been subsidized. Wasn't a new theater complex supposed to open in the AD?

Alamo Drafthouse Opening up at The Bloc! It'll be great having that chain this side of Texas.

[brudy]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Alamo Drafthouse Opening up at The Bloc! It'll be great having that chain this side of Texas.

Yeah, that will be a good addition but they show mainly mainstream movies, not much independent or foreign.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by brudy

Yeah, that will be a good addition but they show mainly mainstream movies, not much independent or foreign.

Do they? That's a bummer. I was under the impression that they showed mostly arthouse films.

[bobcat]

^The one downtown is supposed to show a mix.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-fi-ct-alamo-theater-20140813-story.html

Originally Posted by LA Times

Alamo Drafthouse Downtown will feature a mix of new releases, independent and repertory films, foreign movies, as well as Alamo's signature special programming events.

[alki]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Alamo Drafthouse Opening up at The Bloc! It'll be great having that chain this side of Texas.

I thought Alamo or some other theater chain was going into the AD as well. Did that fall through?

[alki]

deleted

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by alki

I thought Alamo or some other theater chain was going into the AD as well. Did that fall through?

There were reports that the Alamo was looking to land over on Main St. before them being at The Bloc was announced.

[brudy]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Do they? That's a bummer. I was under the impression that they showed mostly arthouse films.

Yeah, that's what I thought until I went to their site and looked at what was showing...

[ConstructDTLA]

Just now

Metropolis by Hunter, on Flickr

Wilshire Grand by Hunter, on Flickr

Wilshire Grand by Hunter, on Flickr

Wilshire Grand by Hunter, on Flickr

Wilshire Grand by Hunter, on Flickr

Wilshire Grand by Hunter, on Flickr

Fig @ 7th & The Bloc by Hunter, on Flickr

The Bloc by Hunter, on Flickr

8th & Grand / Whole Foods by Hunter, on Flickr

8th & Grand / Whole Foods by Hunter, on Flickr

LEVEL LA from 8th & Grand by Hunter, on Flickr

Commercial Exchange / Freehand Hostel by Hunter, on Flickr

8th & Grand / Whole Foods by Hunter, on Flickr

8th & Olive Tower by Hunter, on Flickr

May Company / Broadway Trade Center by Hunter, on Flickr

LEVEL LA / Onni 9th & Olive by Hunter, on Flickr

LEVEL LA / Onni 9th & Olive by Hunter, on Flickr

LEVEL LA / Onni 9th & Olive by Hunter, on Flickr

LEVEL LA / Onni 9th & Olive by Hunter, on Flickr

LEVEL LA / Onni 9th & Olive by Hunter, on Flickr

LEVEL LA / Onni 9th & Olive by Hunter, on Flickr

LEVEL LA / Onni 9th & Olive by Hunter, on Flickr

8th & Olive from 9th & olive by Hunter, on Flickr

Trinity / Embassy Hotel / Wilshire Grand by Hunter, on Flickr

[black_crow]

Originally Posted by Beverly Hills Nimby

It reminds me of the Sofitel across from Beverly Center:


UGLY!!!!

No, I like it.

It looks like the KaDeWe in Berlin. (biggest shopping-center of Europe)

[StethJeff]

For those who follow the other forums or are out of town a lot, what other cities have approximately the same level of activity as LA right now? I always hear about Seattle and Miami being busy but have no first-hand knowledge. Hunter's excellent and exhaustive update is sorta overwhelming, in a good way obviously.

[alki]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

For those who follow the other forums or are out of town a lot, what other cities have approximately the same level of activity as LA right now? I always hear about Seattle and Miami being busy but have no first-hand knowledge. Hunter's excellent and exhaustive update is sorta overwhelming, in a good way obviously.

Add SF, Austin, Atlanta, Denver and NYC to the mix.

[202_Cyclist]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

For those who follow the other forums or are out of town a lot, what other cities have approximately the same level of activity as LA right now? I always hear about Seattle and Miami being busy but have no first-hand knowledge. Hunter's excellent and exhaustive update is sorta overwhelming, in a good way obviously.

DC still has a tremendous amount of development-- an overwhelming amount.

[ConstructDTLA]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

For those who follow the other forums or are out of town a lot, what other cities have approximately the same level of activity as LA right now? I always hear about Seattle and Miami being busy but have no first-hand knowledge. Hunter's excellent and exhaustive update is sorta overwhelming, in a good way obviously.

Thanks!

I didn't even shoot 1/2 of it....

A handful of other U.S. cities have this level of development. Like us it's all being driven by vacant Chinese buyers. Its exciting to see more buildings added to DTLA (and the other cities), but frightening to think about how they'll be empty (minus the hotels).

But lets all ignore that like we have this entire thread and think about how cool all these cranes look!

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

For those who follow the other forums or are out of town a lot, what other cities have approximately the same level of activity as LA right now? I always hear about Seattle and Miami being busy but have no first-hand knowledge. Hunter's excellent and exhaustive update is sorta overwhelming, in a good way obviously.

For quality and quantity, obviously NYC is tops (and not just Manhattan); Toronto and Seattle are next, with Chicago and SF not too far behind. Check out the design for Seattle's Rainier Square Tower.

A lot of cities have more going on in their respective downtowns than LA does currently. For as much activity as there is in DTLA, it just doesn't feel like it's "booming" quite yet. Too many 7-story shitboxes and not enough classy 500+ footers, the Wilshire Grand and Metropolis being perhaps the only projects with blue-chip design.

[dtla818]

Nice pics Hunter! I'm really liking that wraparound cover on the Onni building. I took a few pictures in a car today of some of the other projects.

This is looking south on Flower at both the Fig Central sight and 1200. S Figueroa. It looked like 1200 already had a pretty deep hole and they just recently started. This will look like a totally different picture in a few years.IMG_7462 by J. D., on Flickr

1000 S. Grand is coming along nicely. I'm not sure how I feel about this one yet. It's ok.
IMG_7468 by J. D., on Flickr

Lastly, here's Olympic and Olive with Hanover South Park right behind it. Looks like it's almost topped out.
IMG_7469 by J. D., on Flickr

When I drove past the Broadway Palace south building, it looks like they are just about at street level with a lot of their work. We should see it rising above street level pretty soon. The north building is still a big hole in the ground.

[Bikemike]

Originally Posted by StethJeff

For those who follow the other forums or are out of town a lot, what other cities have approximately the same level of activity as LA right now? I always hear about Seattle and Miami being busy but have no first-hand knowledge. Hunter's excellent and exhaustive update is sorta overwhelming, in a good way obviously.

Look at Miami's under construction subforum. It makes LA's boom seem like a small town's boom. Miami seems to have dozens of REAL skyscrapers (and not midget 30 story towers like LA's) under construction simultaneously. They have plenty of the stubby towers as well. And check out their "proposed" subforum. 50-70 story towers in projects twice the size of Metropolis!! I counted EIGHT skyscrapers in a single project alone!

I think in terms of highrises (omitting the 7-story "shitboxes" LA loves to build), LA is still behind NY, Miami, SF, Chicago, Houston, and Seattle.

[Bikemike]

Originally Posted by brudy

If by younger urban-minded people you mean the bro douchebags and cloned women in identical short black dresses lining up at Mrs. Fish on the weekends, then you can have it.

For such an arrogant know it all post, you don't really know anything about who is moving to cities: For example, http://www.businessinsider.com/millions-of-seniors-are-moving-to-cities-2013-6 and http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2013/08/05/1a21c1b2-fba7-11e2-a369-d1954abcb7e3_story.html

I can post links to articles too:
http://www.newsweek.com/why-cities-hold-more-pull-millennials-cloud-317735

And mine suggests millenials are the driving force behind urbanization. How many baby boomers do you live amongst in downtown? I've been living in downtown LA for a few years now and I can hardly find a single baby boomer among the many new residents that increasingly call this neighborhood home (And it's super easy to tell newcomers from SRO occupants, trust me)

But my original post was directed at Docjalby. Who is he to think he speaks for all the people moving downtown? I do agree with some posters here that it may be difficult to completely give up the car in LA at least for longer distance trips, or groceries. But like others here, I was making the point that parking should be de-coupled and turned into a purely economic decision by the developer. Let the market decide. The cost of development, the housing shortage, and the NIMBY problem all stem from parking requirements which in-turn stem directly from lack of efficient transit options. LA probably can't go car-free, but at least it should go car-lite.

The housing market is so tight that even without the luxury of indulgent parking ratios, new units will have no problem finding buyers on their own. Zoning need not be involved in mandating and inducing artificial demand for cars. This is what Docjalby does not understand. He is being as regressive as a NIMBY.