LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 3.0

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by Patrick

^Grand Theft Auto IV Advertising!

Yeah, I heard that game's gonna be awesome!

[JDRCRASH]

Man, those are great pictures Westsidelife!

Originally Posted by colemonkee

JDR, Park Fifth looks shorter on some skyline views because it's ground floor is at a much lower elevation than The Grand. The Grand will be considerably shorter in overall height, but it will appear taller because it sits atop Bunker Hill, whereas Park Fifth sits at the foot of that hill.

Maybe thats why the Cal Plaza towers and the Wells Fargo/KPGM Towers appear taller than Park Fifth.

Apparantly they all sit at the very top of Bunker Hill.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

Man, those are great pictures Westsidelife!

Fridayinla deserves all the credit.

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

Fridayinla deserves all the credit.

Yeah good point. Problem is, it doesn't seem like he's on the site that much, so its hard to tell him thankyou for all the hard work and undeserved Photos that he's taken for us.

[JDRCRASH]

Downtown's Draft Design Guidelines: Sorry, Stucco Lovers

Thursday, April 24, 2008, by Rich Alossi




With the Planning Department's elite Urban Design Studio producing some serious results refining Downtown's urban growth standards, the draft plan Design for a Livable Downtown is available for comments and feedback before it's finalized. Bases covered: Sustainability, streetscapes, architectural details, parking, open space, and building materials ("Generally, stucco is not permitted.")

Despite being Downtown's last best hope for affordable public space, the plan lacks any mention of how to better utilize existing alleyways, along the lines of Pasadena's Old Town shopping district. Recommendations instead call for inclusion of paseos (public walkways) to cut through new projects over 300 feet in length. The final document will be submitted to the Planning Commission for adoption to the Central City Community Plan this summer.

[LongBeachUrbanist]

^ Beautiful...so glad we are finally starting to converge on best practices for urban design. I can't believe the car-centric model was allowed to dominate for so long in our center city.

The best thing is that these standards are being implemented by the Planning Department, IOW, they are official policy. Unlike the toothless "recommendations" of the past that were never enforced.

[Echo Park]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

Despite being Downtown's last best hope for affordable public space, the plan lacks any mention of how to better utilize existing alleyways, along the lines of Pasadena's Old Town shopping district. Recommendations instead call for inclusion of paseos (public walkways) to cut through new projects over 300 feet in length.

I think this is what some of the bigger projects in Hollywood are missing, at least looking at the renderings (Hollywood+Vine, 6200). These projects take up massive blocks. Walking from hollywood to sunset is a bit of a drag even though its only 2 blocks. If they had narrow cut throughs lined with retail, it would make Hollywood less linear and more of a spatial pedestrian experience. Also I won't be crying over no more stucco.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

Maybe thats why the Cal Plaza towers and the Wells Fargo/KPGM Towers appear taller than Park Fifth.

Apparantly they all sit at the very top of Bunker Hill.

Anyway..



Lovely. But transit in downtown should also be a major factor in making downtown more livable. You can live in South Park and never set foot in Bunker Hill. Not nice.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

That kind of a city center won't be attained through mega-developments like LA Central. The lots are simply too big, as Echo Park mentions above. Check out the blocks in NYC and Chicago. They're much smaller, allowing for greater density.

[vodila]

Dug around the extensive digital archives @ USC, came across this pic:


Created:
[circa] 1961-06-28

Creator:
[photographer] Wyman

Publisher:
[host] University of Southern California. Libraries

Los Angeles Civic Center Mall, 1961
Photograph of a model of Los Angeles Civic Center Mall. "Los Angeles Examiner; 1; 6-28-61; DBMA Luncheon; Photographer Wyman; Civic Center Mall" -- clipping attached to verso dated "Jun. 29, 1961".





So, half a century later, and here we go again.

[vodila]

Actually, now that I look at the old design, it makes a lot of sense to me. It was obviously designed as a common ingress/egress point for the city and county employees, rather than an urban park; yet another city within a city. Every employee entering/exiting the buildings could almost be watched from the City Hall, in a paranoid sense. I wonder what the feminists of the time had to say about the dominating position of the grand phallic symbol And there should be a hole in the DWP building, for harmony

[DJM19]

LATimes

Dodger Stadium Project Details

You can read the article, but included in the additions is:

"Among the renovations, planned by 2012, would be a dedicated bus lane near the stadium and two parking garages plus additional underground parking."

FINALLY! Took em long enough to find out that parking can stack upward and downward. And a BUS! And the Bus doesnt stop at some remote location, its at a "Transit plaza" next to the stadium. Its a city bus so the owner trying to work with the city on getting a route up there and said that he hopes its only an interim thing for an eventual rail line.

[Echo Park]

The Dodgers staidum renovation looks horrid.

[Quixote]

^ What's there right now is horrid. The place is in desperate need of some form of improvement.

[DJM19]

Originally Posted by Echo Park

The Dodgers staidum renovation looks horrid.

Yeah the design could use some tweaking...it has a very low height, and expands outward quite a lot.

[logandankr]

Got this email today from Park Fifth sales. not really any new news here.

Dear Logandankr,

As we move into the second quarter of 2008, the Park Fifth team has some great news to share with you. Last Thursday, April 17, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) approved our final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and other related elements. This key approval marks a significant milestone for Park Fifth and is one of the final steps we will take this Spring on our way to receiving full approval from the City.

This approval keeps us on track to break ground later this year and we are excited to keep you up to date with the latest developments.

If you weren't able to join us for our Spring Reception earlier this month, we invite you to set up an appointment for a personal tour of the models and sales center. Come experience the elevated lifestyle at Park Fifth for yourself and discover how the unique indoor/outdoor living spaces in your home will let you enjoy life in Southern California like never before.

Sincerely,
Angus McLoone

Director of Sales
(213) 629-0000
[email protected]

[LongBeachUrbanist]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

Lovely. But transit in downtown should also be a major factor in making downtown more livable. You can live in South Park and never set foot in Bunker Hill. Not nice.

The Planning Department doesn't determine transit routes: that would be MTA or LADOT.

[Quixote]

Here's an audio recording of the Civic Park presentation on April 22:

http://www.learcenter.org/html/projects/?cm=grand

[JDRCRASH]

Originally Posted by ThreeHundred

But transit in downtown should also be a major factor in making downtown more livable.

...J/K.

But I agree, widespread access to Public Transportation like subways and light-rail will definately shut up those Anti-Urbanists who say that developments will only create intense congestion on the roads.

[Quixote]

April 26, 2008


From Flickr, by fridayinla

More photos of the LAPD Headquarters here.