LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by craigs

An ambitious plan to redevelop a cold storage facility on the border between the Arts District and Skid Row continues to move forward.

If projs like that could be fast tracked & the economy certain enough to guarantee their success, I'd welcome hearing about them as soon as possible.

But right now they often end up being promises that take forever to pan out. Look at the oceanwide proj on Fig. It took a long time to break ground and it's taking forever for work to be completed on it.

I'm still waiting for the apt tower to be built at the corner of 4th & Hill, just a bit south of grand central mkt. The demo permits to tear down the taco house #1 stand on that property were issued over a yr ago. But so far, nothing.

As I was fast forwarding through this vid & thought of vids of areas in NYC shot over the past several months, although foot traffic is heavier in manhattan, the number of vacant stores & graffiti all over the place appear worse in NYC than they do in dtla....


• Video Link


Beyond how dtla compares with other places, including nearby locations like samo, venice, playa del rey or old town pasadena, dtla today is better than it was yrs ago. It wasn't the distant past when dtla wasn't pulling its fair share of the weight.

[nmkef]

Oceanwide is really not a good example at all lol. It had a very unique financing plan that got rekt by China's overseas investment crackdown, and then double rekt by the Chinese real estate developer slump (partially driven by covid too). Not to say many other success or failure stores are also unique in their own ways, but it's just not helpful to generalize it.

Plenty of great buildup stories with Moxy hotel (12th and Fig) and The Grand too. Moxy stated in some community meetings just a couple weeks ago that they'll be opening in the fall, and I believe portions of The Grand will be opening in summer.

And for my semi-regular oceanwide non-update update: the project has been dead silent without even crane movements for months, but Oceanwide Holdings has scheduled their annual meeting for 3/29 so perhaps we'll get some info about whatever their latest funding attempts have been. Look to see the report posted up here: http://www.oceanwide.hk/html/investor_report.php

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by nmkef

Oceanwide is really not a good example at all lol.

But this one is.....it has been proposed for several yrs, by a US based company, a demo permit was even issued last yr for a small taco stand sitting on the land for decades, & it involves housing....which is doing fairly ok in today's market. The proj even includes subsidized modest income apts, which should have guaranteed it would be well under construction before 2021, 2022.


change.org

https://downtownla.com/building/4th-hill-beacon-tower

[craigs]

So the argument is that, because not all projects proposed have been constructed, what? That citywatch isn't excited to hear about any more new proposals? Okay. Whatever.

[scania]

Originally Posted by craigs

so the argument is that, because not all projects proposed have been constructed, what? That citywatch isn't excited to hear about any more new proposals? Okay. Whatever.

agreed!!!

[SLO]

Originally Posted by craigs

So the argument is that, because not all projects proposed have been constructed, what? That citywatch isn't excited to hear about any more new proposals? Okay. Whatever.

There’s no argument. All projects and proposals are good regardless of individual critiques.

[bhunsberger]

Calm down y’all. I do however challenge citywatch to not compare/mention other cities in a thread about DTLA..

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by Easy

Agreed. To be fair though there used to be a building there, not an empty lot. Go back a couple years on google street view and it’s there. 2019 maybe.

If it’s me, I’m thinking that could easily happen before I buy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the unit prices were deflated because of it. But some of the people that bought there may have had no idea that the existing building might get demolished and replaced with a taller building. Sucks for them, but I can see why they might not be happy.

Yes, when you buy in an urban area, you have to bake in the possibility of an empty lot next to yours being developed, so no I don't feel bad for them.

[black_crow]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

Yes, when you buy in an urban area, you have to bake in the possibility of an empty lot next to yours being developed, so no I don't feel bad for them.

I can understand their frustration but I agree. I don't feel too bad for them. Otherwise there wouldn't be any new development. NIMBY, is literally an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard".

A good amount of people will always oppose new housing developments near their homes. And granted.. they worry about traffic congestions, overcrowded schools, more crime, and lowered property values.

That's why we have all those environmental impact reports and a long permitting process. It isn't that easy to speed that up.

I take every new project with a "grain of salt" as well. Not because I don't wont it to happen... but because things here take time, well, and time changes a lot of things (ambition/financial aspects/demand).

[nmkef]

Minor update on another South Park project
https://urbanize.city/la/post/morrison-hotel-project-targets-2024-completion-date

Draft EIR has a construction timeframe of 2022-2024. Would be great if they can work that quick but seems dubious.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

Yes, when you buy in an urban area, you have to bake in the possibility of an empty lot next to yours being developed, so no I don't feel bad for them.

Did you not read the part about the lot not being empty until a couple years ago? Not saying that anyone should feel bad or support them. I’m just saying that I understand that this will not be an improvement to their view.

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by Easy

Did you not read the part about the lot not being empty until a couple years ago? Not saying that anyone should feel bad or support them. I’m just saying that I understand that this will not be an improvement to their view.

Correct. It was a shuttered building that already had plans to be redeveloped at the time that they purchased their units. So that's just poor research on their part.

[nmkef]

The same HOAs appealed and lost on the previous project too, which included a rooftop bar/restaurant as part of the plan. Not sure why they think they'll go anywhere on this one...

[MAC123]

Originally Posted by nmkef

The same HOAs appealed and lost on the previous project too, which included a rooftop bar/restaurant as part of the plan. Not sure why they think they'll go anywhere on this one...

Ooh. Does LA have a rooftop bar culture as well? I know NYC its really popular but I didn't know LA had it. (though thinking about it now I probably should have expected it.)

[nmkef]

100%. Just in downtown there's a solid list, then a bunch scattered amongst mid-city/Hollywood area

Cara Cara, 11th & Broadway (Proper Hotel)
Cabra, 11th & Broadway (Hoxton Hotel)
Upstairs at the Ace Hotel, Olympic & Broadway
Broken Shaker, 8th & Olive (Freehand Hotel)
The Rooftop at The Wayfarer Hotel, 8th & Flower
Spire 73, Wilshire & Fig (Wilshire Grand Center)
Perch, 5th & Hill
LA Cha Cha Cha, 3rd & Traction (in arts district)

If we're lucky we'll someday get someone to open up something at where The Standard hotel was. Nomad Hotel on 7th is also technically still on their website so there's a chance...

[MAC123]

^Nice I'll hopefully go check them out one day when I'm in the area.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by nmkef

100%. Just in downtown there's a solid list, then a bunch scattered amongst mid-city/Hollywood area

Cara Cara, 11th & Broadway (Proper Hotel)
Cabra, 11th & Broadway (Hoxton Hotel)
Upstairs at the Ace Hotel, Olympic & Broadway
Broken Shaker, 8th & Olive (Freehand Hotel)
The Rooftop at The Wayfarer Hotel, 8th & Flower
Spire 73, Wilshire & Fig (Wilshire Grand Center)
Perch, 5th & Hill
LA Cha Cha Cha, 3rd & Traction (in arts district)

If we're lucky we'll someday get someone to open up something at where The Standard hotel was. Nomad Hotel on 7th is also technically still on their website so there's a chance...

Add in almost every residential conversion of a historic building too although obviously not open to the public. I love it

[LAisthePlace]

Saw on the Construct.LA instagram that a crane is now coming to the Arts District's first proper tower

Massive step forward for that part of Downtown and cannot wait to see it rise.

https://urbanize.city/la/post/life-signs-stalled-arts-district-tower

[craigs]

Originally Posted by nmkef

Minor update on another South Park project
https://urbanize.city/la/post/morrison-hotel-project-targets-2024-completion-date

Draft EIR has a construction timeframe of 2022-2024. Would be great if they can work that quick but seems dubious.

Thanks for posting the photos! Here's the article:

Morrison Hotel project targets 2024 completion date
Relevant Group wants to restore the 108-year-old building

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
March 14, 2022

After more than six years in the planning stages, a proposal to revive and expand the historic Morrison Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles continues to inch forward.

Last week, the Planning Department published a draft environmental impact report for the Morrison Project, which calls for restoring the more than century-old building at Pico Boulevard and Hope Street as the centerpiece of a new high-rise hotel and residential complex. Relevant Group, the developer behind the project, intends to convert the longtime SRO apartment building back into a hotel and then construct a new 15-story, 190-foot-tall expansion to the east, creating a hotel with a total of 444 guest rooms. Additionally, plans call for the construction of a 25-story, 325-foot-tall high-rise on a site located directly north of the Morrison featuring 136 residential units atop ground-floor retail and restaurant space. Parking for 222 vehicles would be located in three levels below the new construction.

SHoP Architects is designing the mixed-use complex, which would place a large courtyard at the center of the property's Hope Street frontage. That space would be activated by 15,500 square feet of shops, restaurants, galleries, and museum space in the surrounding buildings, with new event space and amenities on the floors above. Landscaped outdoor decks are also proposed the podium and roof levels of the new buildings.

The Morrison itself, built in 1914 and made famous by the album cover of a 1970s album of the same name by The Doors, would see historic features restored under the project.

Per a timeline included with the environmental study, construction of the Morrison project is expected to occur over a roughly 36-month period starting in 2022 and concluding in 2024.

Relevant Group, which made its name with a series of hotel projects in Hollywood, has more recently turned its sights to Downtown, where the company is planning a series of modular apartment towers.

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Here's the Doors' album cover referenced in the article, from wikipedia:

[caligrad]

Originally Posted by LAisthePlace

Saw on the Construct.LA instagram that a crane is now coming to the Arts District's first proper tower

Massive step forward for that part of Downtown and cannot wait to see it rise.

https://urbanize.city/la/post/life-signs-stalled-arts-district-tower

Was in the area. Can confirm that the base of the crane has already been installed. I have a feeling this one is going to rise pretty quick.

Hopefully Onni starts their DTLA projects soon, including the one in the arts district. Their tower in Long Beach topped out last month and the exterior seems to be 95% complete.