LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 4.0 - Page 440

inSaeculaSaeculorum · #**8781** Posted **Jul 10, 2013, 9:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

As much as I think we need to stop catering to cars and take back space for pedestrians and cyclists, I disagree with removing street parking. That's the whole complete streets concept: to make space in our corridors for bikes, transits, pedestrians, and yes- cars too. We already have performance parking in Downtown LA where the prices at the meters rise and falls based on the time of day. That's pretty damn progressive. We don't need to go removing street parking on Broadway altogether.

I would definitely trade the curb parking in those blueprints for a cycle track. How did they not incorporate a bike lane into this design? (Although I recall an earlier version of this plan did have one but I may have imagined that)

DistrictDirt · #**8782** Posted **Jul 10, 2013, 9:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by inSaeculaSaeculorum

I would definitely trade the curb parking in those blueprints for a cycle track. How did they not incorporate a bike lane into this design? (Although I recall an earlier version of this plan did have one but I may have imagined that)

The reason is that there is already a north/south couplet just east of Broadway: the Spring street bike lane goes south and the Main street bike lane goes north. In a perfect world there'd be bike lanes on every street, but given that Spring and Main are only a couple hundred yards away, I don't think its a big deal.

alki · #**8783** Posted **Jul 10, 2013, 11:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by brudy

The streetcar positioning is interesting. Other cities have light rail mixed with traffic, but it's a little strange to share the only lane. I would have preferred giving the streetcar its own lane and gone down to two lanes for cars. They sure are trying to jam a lot onto that street...

And eliminate the street parking. I think they are trying to meet the needs of too many constituencies.

ziggy331 · #**8784** Posted **Jul 10, 2013, 11:16 PM**

Wilshire Grand progress:

8th and Hope on my walk home last night:

I'm really excited about Hope street. With (hopefully) retail punched out along Macy's Plaza and with the CIM project moving forward, this will be a very solid urban street from South Park up to the library.

202_Cyclist · #**8785** Posted **Jul 10, 2013, 11:30 PM**

Nice to see the Nissan Leaf in the bottom photo.

DistrictDirt · #**8786** Posted **Jul 10, 2013, 11:37 PM**

I walked by One Santa Fe yesterday and was surprised how far along they are.

Also, I passed by the Barker Block and saw that Phase II is well under way now. Sorry for the crappy angle on the photo...I had just finished 3 hours of walking around DTLA snapping candids and I was pretty tired by that point.

inSaeculaSaeculorum · #**8787** Posted **Jul 10, 2013, 11:55 PM**

thanks for the photo updates, guys. the arts district is the coolest part of downtown for me. its distance from more well known downtown activity keeps it under the radar and i hope things stay that way.

LA/OCman · #**8788** Posted **Jul 10, 2013, 11:59 PM**

The Barker Block will probably sell out fast. A lot is happening in Arts District. Brigham has some great pics of the new Urban Radish on his blog. It looks like a great addition to the area.

http://brighamyen.com/2013/07/09/urban-radish-specialty-grocery-store-now-open-in-downtown-la/

brudy · #**8789** Posted **Jul 11, 2013, 1:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by inSaeculaSaeculorum

thanks for the photo updates, guys. the arts district is the coolest part of downtown for me. its distance from more well known downtown activity keeps it under the radar and i hope things stay that way.

Tell that to the B&T at Wurstkuche every weekend. :-) It's not that under the radar...

alki · #**8790** Posted **Jul 11, 2013, 5:19 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I walked by One Santa Fe yesterday and was surprised how far along they are.

Also, I passed by the Barker Block and saw that Phase II is well under way now. Sorry for the crappy angle on the photo...I had just finished 3 hours of walking around DTLA snapping candids and I was pretty tired by that point.

I like the Barker bldg and I know you all are real excited about One Santa Fe but I am distrustful of any bldg that long and horizontal.

Nice photos btw.

StethJeff · #**8791** Posted **Jul 11, 2013, 5:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by alki

I like the Barker bldg and I know you all are real excited about One Santa Fe but I am distrustful of any bldg that long and horizontal.

Nice photos btw.

I never quite understood the One Santa Fe obsession on this site either. The fact that its an architecture school and plenty of people here are in the same field?

Muji · #**8792** Posted **Jul 11, 2013, 6:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StethJeff

I never quite understood the One Santa Fe obsession on this site either. The fact that its an architecture school and plenty of people here are in the same field?

Well, architecture aside, it is one of the largest single developments under construction right now (439 units). It also will provide a huge boost in activity for the Arts District, and is surely to become one of the neighborhood's main hotspots, thanks to the addition of retail and public courtyard spaces. Plus, there are plans to build a new Red Line station adjacent to it. What's not to like about that?

DistrictDirt · #**8793** Posted **Jul 11, 2013, 4:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muji

Well, architecture aside, it is one of the largest single developments under construction right now (439 units). It also will provide a huge boost in activity for the Arts District, and is surely to become one of the neighborhood's main hotspots, thanks to the addition of retail and public courtyard spaces. Plus, there are plans to build a new Red Line station adjacent to it. What's not to like about that?

^This. Also, its a Michael Maltzan project.

Mojeda101 · #**8794** Posted **Jul 11, 2013, 6:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muji

Plus, there are plans to build a new Red Line station adjacent to it. What's not to like about that?

I don't really know much about this project, but how exactly would that work? Would it come directly from Union Station or from another Red Line station?

alki · #**8795** Posted **Jul 11, 2013, 6:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StethJeff

I never quite understood the One Santa Fe obsession on this site either. The fact that its an architecture school and plenty of people here are in the same field?

Yeah, no dispute with the function.....just with the design. Looks like a long, low slung factory bldg. Not sure how that will encourage a community in the Arts District.

blackcat23 · #**8796** Posted **Jul 11, 2013, 6:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojeda101

I don't really know much about this project, but how exactly would that work? Would it come directly from Union Station or from another Red Line station?

It would be an extension utilizing existing tracks running between the Red/Purple line maintenance yard and Union Station.

StethJeff · #**8797** Posted **Jul 13, 2013, 12:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackcat23

It would be an extension utilizing existing tracks running between the Red/Purple line maintenance yard and Union Station.

If they were ever gonna extend Red/Purple, I figured it'd be to Piggyback, LAC+USC, and then CSULA.

SoCalKid · #**8798** Posted **Jul 13, 2013, 1:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by StethJeff

If they were ever gonna extend Red/Purple, I figured it'd be to Piggyback, LAC+USC, and then CSULA.

This extension is proposed mainly because it would use existing tracks, which would make it cheap (I think it's estimated to cost something like $70 million). It's also a good way to anticipate the population growth in the arts district, as the gold line stop only really serves those living in the northing portion of the hood.

blackcat23 · #**8799** Posted **Jul 13, 2013, 2:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCalKid

This extension is proposed mainly because it would use existing tracks, which would make it cheap (I think it's estimated to cost something like $70 million). It's also a good way to anticipate the population growth in the arts district, as the gold line stop only really serves those living in the northing portion of the hood.

Possibly even cheaper than that, since the $70 million estimate was for a station at 6th street rather than in between 1st and 4th, which would require a pretty big remodel of the maintenance yard.

The only thing they'd really need to do is build a pedestrian bridge from One Santa Fe and install a PA system/TAP machines/etc.

Quote:

If they were ever gonna extend Red/Purple, I figured it'd be to Piggyback, LAC+USC, and then CSULA.

Basically, convert the El Monte Busway to rail? I think that was the original idea when they built the Harbor Transitway. Link the two, make one contiguous grade separated busway and convert to light rail if the ridership justified it.

The original plans for the Eastside Red Line were to follow Whittier Blvd, like so:

colemonkee · #**8800** Posted **Jul 13, 2013, 2:25 AM**

^ They would still have to build a station platform and all the safety and system requirements that go along with it, so as sad as it is, $70 million doesn't sound too far off. One would think it could be done for less - and it should be able to - but $70 million is probably a reasonable assumption.