LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by homebucket

I think downtowns in general are more pleasant when there are buildings of varying heights. Not every street needs to be a wall to wall skyscraper canyon.

I also don't spend too much time wondering what could have been when so many properties in dtla remain parking lots or rundown bldgs...parcels of land that need to be replaced ASAP. Maybe in 50-100 yrs, current newer devlpt of the past 10-20 yrs that doesn't fit the best or tallest design will be understandable.

for instance, I'm still waiting for the long proposed apt tower at the NE corner of 4th & Hill St to be finally underway. The taco house #1 stand that has been there for over 50 yrs still remains standing. Demo permits were authorized for that bldg over a yr ago....but so far, nothing.

As I watch this, I'm even more certain that quality of devlpt & attractiveness are more important than other issues like transit, subways, trains, cars or fwys. LA used to have one of the largest rail systems in the world, but dtla fell apart further & faster than certain cities with subways or trains did.

I think if today's dt had been at its current level over 40, 50 yrs ago, it wouldn't have gone downhill for such a long time. Even when dtla was more of the hub of LA, there weren't a lot of ppl living there....other than pensioners and largely modest income residents in old, mainly rundown apt bldgs.

Dt in 2022 really is a first for the city of LA.


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[a9l8e7n]

I would really love to see a cam there! In any case, thank you for the update @LAisthePlace. Looking forward to more picture updates in the future!

Originally Posted by LAisthePlace

Today's scene from Onni's Olympic + Hill. Looks like most if not all the surface parking lot is torn up. Someone with more knowledge may be able to say what phase comes next, but I'm enjoying neighborhood walks to check it out in real time!

[citywatch]

this bothers me way more than new bldgs in dtla not being taller or new devlpt not having better architecture....





Ppl with feet on the ground in dt itself can give a better, fuller sense of what exactly is going on. But even in the best of times, dtla wasn't famous for having the most bustling sidewalks.....although streets like broadway over 60 yrs ago were closer to being that way.

[nmkef]

Good for him that he managed to catch some empty moments, but that's not representative of the last 6-12mo even lol. Many offices have not come back yet, but since late summer 2021 there's been a significant increase, even moreso in the last 4mo.

[colemonkee]

I also don't think a single day is representative of a larger pattern. Last week I went into my office on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, I was quite literally the only employee in an office meant to hold 150. On Wednesday, there were ~20 people there. While that's far below what the office can hold, that's a HUGE delta between two consecutive days, and only two weeks after our office 'officially' reopened, with no mandates or requirements to come in. I don't doubt office traffic is low - it certainly is compared to 2019 - but I don't think it will remain completly empty like those pictures show.

[bhunsberger]

It’s funny you posted that citywatch, because I thought the opposite. I’ve seen the sidewalks and restaurants busier in the last few weeks than I’ve seen since the beginning of the pandemic. Not everyone is back at the office, let alone back full time. I just hope we don’t have to deal with eternal case spikes and then absurd mitigation measures forever.

[nmkef]

FYI, this small project in South Park broke ground today
1317 S Grand Ave

https://urbanize.city/la/post/downtown-micro-unit-development-targets-november-groundbreaking



Photo from local BID lol



Article cited 18mo construction timeline (was supposed to be Nov 2020 to May 2022)

[DJM19]

That part of downtown has many under-utilized lots that size that could easily replicate that development. I'd like to see a dozen more like this just in that small section of downtown.

[citywatch]

thanks for the pics, updates and eyewitness descriptions above....those are what keeps this forum alive & interesting....the new proj in south pk & work on the former parking lot at Hill & olympic are good to see....my previous post about the photos of dtla in that Twitter acct around 11:30 am today are why I'm very much into the human side of dt, not just its bldg-devlpt side.

Abu Dhbai has super talls & so do other various other cities too....but without the human touch, they may just as well be stumpies built by everyone's favorite dtla apt owner, geoff palmer

the pandemic has shaken me up since the loss of some of the previous momentum of dt has affected businesses like this one....imho this place is at least as important as a 100 story new tower in dt would be....


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the owner of clifton's around 4 months ago talking about the old drop ceilings and leaky plumbing is very interesting....hilarious too.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by LAisthePlace

Today's scene from Onni's Olympic + Hill. Looks like most if not all the surface parking lot is torn up. Someone with more knowledge may be able to say what phase comes next, but I'm enjoying neighborhood walks to check it out in real time!

Thanks for the update. It looks like they've almost finished site prep and will be starting excavation.

The approximate construction schedule listed in their environmental report is listed below. It looks like we'll see vertical construction start by early fall and above ground by the end of 2022 or early 2023.

Site prep - 1 week
Excavation, grading, and foundation - 6 months
Vertical construction - 18 months
Finishing (internal/external) and landscaping - 4 months.

[citywatch]

^ Projs like that are always never a second too soon....along with filling in the gaps, when I watch vids like this one in which someone in residential real estate...& originally from south Africa....shows himself walking around 7th St & the Mitsui, Brookfield projs & the metropolis devlpt, I can tell he may be less up on what's going on in dtla than ppl in this forum are. He doesn't point out either the apt tower from Mitsui or the one from brookfield, but instead walks right past them....does he realize they're even rising apt towers?

Sidewalks could be busier....after covid, stores & restaurants in dt do need a big boost. When I watch his strolling around a small part of dt, the last thing on my mind is whether its bldgs are tall enough. What is on my mind, however, is when he talks about the bad parts of the area....he's thinking of things like skid row while I'm also thinking of all the parking lots that need to be filled in & the old small warehouses that need replacement.

If those gaps are replaced by really tall bldgs, so much the better. If they're replaced by really great architecture too, even better. But just fill in the gaps please.


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[citywatch]

This video maker doesn't give any info that isn't already known to most ppl keeping track of new devlpt in dtla, but he gives a sense of how oceanwide looks from closer up & the properties around it. I hope it isn't being jinxed by the controversy or negative publicity around it.


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EDIT: I just watched this vid & it's sort of the other half of that Twitter post I inserted on the other pg, the one that showed how lifeless dtla was around noon....but look at another city, the one with more supertalls than anywhere else in the US. But that loses its punch when other things are not in great shape.

DTLA, however, is a good example of an urban hood that fell faster & further than any major cities' core has ever seen occur....so hope springs eternal....if dtla can be revived, any place can be too.

But when a city's weather isn't mild, the cost of living isn't ideal & finding reasonable priced housing is harder now than it was over 2 yrs ago, something has to give. This vid struck me harder too because another youtuber who has made a name for himself by videoing his walks around NYC....& made a career out of it...relocated not long ago to miami bch. He said other options were moving to california, but he noted how NYC's problems can be found in LA, SF too.


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[craigs]

Site prep begins for 60-story tower at Olympic & Hill

DTLA's first new high-rise since the onset of the pandemic

Steven Sharp
Urbanize Los Angeles
April 11, 2022



Onni Group, the Canadian real estate development firm which has emerged as one of the most prolific builders in Downtown Los Angeles, has broken ground on the neighborhood's first high-rise building since the onset of the global pandemic.



The Vancouver-based developer recently closed off and razed a surface parking lot at the southeast corner of Olympic Boulevard and Hill Street, where the City of Los Angeles has approved the construction of a new 60-story tower featuring 700 apartments. The high-rise would sprout from a podium structure containing parking for more than 1,000 vehicles and 15,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

IBI Group is designing the contemporary glass-and-steel high-rise, which at 760 feet in height, would be the city's 8th tallest building if completed today, and its tallest residential tower.

"The similarity in appearance of the mullions on the top roof screen and the facade of the podium work to create a sense of cohesiveness between the top and bottom of the building," reads a design narrative submitted to the Los Angeles City Planning Commission in 2019. "Angular shapes and forms including the balconies on the two sides of the building as well as the triangular shaped screen at the roof are used to create a dynamic impression."



In addition to its height, the Olympic and Hill development also achieves the rare distinction of fully masking its above-grade parking garage. Onni is planning to build apartments along the street-fronting perimeter of the garage, disguising it for passersby.

An environmental study conducted for the project estimated that construction of the tower would be completed over period of approximately 30 months.

Onni Group, which has completed four high-rise buildings in Downtown Los Angeles to date, is not done building in the neighborhood. The company has also secured approvals to construct two apartment towers at the former home of the Los Angeles Times, and another high-rise in the Arts District.



Outside of Downtown, Onni is planning new residential and office projects in Long Beach, Hollywood, and Mid-Wilshire.

[pwright1]

[nmkef]

Today's Olympic & Hill update - big drill bits and metal sticks

Posted sign says work hours are 7am to 9pm on weekdays, not sure if standard but hope that they actually work late hours once we get into the thick of it so we don't have super stretched out construction.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by pwright1

Brookfield is looking great, thanks for the updates!

[dax_gray]

Really love the corner balconies on Brookfield. It's such a small simple element but it being recessed into the building makes it look so much classier and elegant than those cantilevered balconies all across South Park.

[colemonkee]

Agreed, I'm much more a fan of inset balconies vs. cantilevered ones, and being at the corners, these act more like inset ones. Though the renders indicated there would be wood or a warm paint on the underside of each balcony. I hope we get that. I think that was a detail of the renderings that really makes this tower.

Also looks like shoring work should start in earnest on Olympic & Hill. Wasting very little time. The UrbanizeLA article gets it wrong. If built to 760 ft, it will be the 4th tallest building in LA, not the 8th tallest. Though as one commenter noted, most Onni buildings have come in shorter than their disclosed height.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by dax_gray

Really love the corner balconies on Brookfield. It's such a small simple element but it being recessed into the building makes it look so much classier and elegant than those cantilevered balconies all across South Park.

Absolutely agreed

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Agreed, I'm much more a fan of inset balconies vs. cantilevered ones, and being at the corners, these act more like inset ones. Though the renders indicated there would be wood or a warm paint on the underside of each balcony. I hope we get that. I think that was a detail of the renderings that really makes this tower.

Also looks like shoring work should start in earnest on Olympic & Hill. Wasting very little time. The UrbanizeLA article gets it wrong. If built to 760 ft, it will be the 4th tallest building in LA, not the 8th tallest. Though as one commenter noted, most Onni buildings have come in shorter than their disclosed height.

They have started today. I look out to it from my apartment and can see that they are starting to dig already. Love it