LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[citywatch]

this is another reason why devlprs or investors in dtla see doing projs in LA as an uphill battle. Look at how the owner of this bldg being restored on broadway is now going to have to spend more $$ to clean up the graffiti on recently painted walls.....

https://youtu.be/awTp_CKMW4M?t=527

Youtuber jsocal walks by the citizen m hotel & then, south of that, goes by a stalled proj on Spring St. That one is supposed to be another hotel...Covid certainly didn't help the owner stay on schedule without even more headaches.

https://youtu.be/fM0Itd5pmxU?t=447

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[ocman]

Google has new images of the Lucas museum under construction.

[citywatch]

With a magnificent sign spelling out “Proper Hotel” in bright neon lights stretching the length of its corner, my first impression of the Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel began long before I arrived at its grand arched doorway. I entered past the façade’s original terra cotta details to an even more impressive lobby—two giant cacti serve as the gates to a whimsical hallway painted with Mexican folk art animals.

The hyper-local focus is especially appreciated among the guests, 75% of whom are from the Los Angeles area, according to Lacroix. The general manager tells me staycations have been booming during the pandemic, “they feel like they’re discovering their own city because they never used to come to downtown L.A..” Angelenos who don’t intend on spending the night are also drawn to the hotel for its 5,000-square-foot rooftop, where Mexican cuisine from James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin is served alongside sweeping city views.

Decorated with glowing green palo verde trees, heat lamps and an intimate pool, the rooftop provides a lush retreat from the bustling downtown below, an area that is emerging as a destination in its own right. “Our city is truly experiencing a cultural renaissance,” says Wearstler. “Since Downtown L.A. is rich with historical architecture, it has been one of the first to enjoy this resurgence.”

I'm guessing the fencing in front of the LA convention ctr doesn't mean anything. But ongoing work on the moxy hotel is visible in this youtuber's....jsocal....strolls through dtla. Gotta hand it to him for over the past few days braving the heat...


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[scania]

Looks like an Adidas is going in the new renovation building at the corner of 8th and Spring…diagonal from the Apple Store.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by scania

Looks like an Adidas is going in the new renovation building at the corner of 8th and Spring…diagonal from the Apple Store.

If you told me some 20 years ago as I was moving from LA that in 2022 there'd be an Apple store near an Adidas store there? Well, first I'd ask what Apple is, haha, but yeah--I wouldn't have believed it.

Progress!

[ocman]

Originally Posted by citywatch

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At 6 minutes is when DTLA starts to remind me of the good areas of NYC. That’s what greenery and well-chosen trees that aren’t lopped off at the top can do to a sidewalk. And it’s not much different from the rest of the video other than that.

Also, watched the new episode of She-Hulk and they did 3 second skyline view showing a little of the 6th Street Bridge. I wonder if that may be its very first cameo in a fictional film/tv series.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by ocman

Also, watched the new episode of She-Hulk and they did 3 second skyline view showing a little of the 6th Street Bridge. I wonder if that may be its very first cameo in a fictional film/tv series.

It apparently is being used for commercials...time stamp of 0:45....which if correct is not exactly unexpected...


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As for dtla being like city A or city B, I think of 2 major cities without a lot of the highrises & super talls of a NYC being both more livable & attractive....that being cities like london or Paris. Those towns are much older than NY but their transit systems are more well maintained. More of their bldgs....many of which are over 100 yrs old are no more than 6 to 8 floors....look more human scale & appealing. I'd rather have dtla use those cities, one of them in the news right now, as a model instead of a city on the US's east coast.

btw, the 6th St bridge sure would be helped by the city's dwp. The overall arts dist too. But at least the dwp's headqtrs bldg has a nice moat & large fountains around it.

[bhunsberger]

Originally Posted by ocman

At 6 minutes is when DTLA starts to remind me of the good areas of NYC. That’s what greenery and well-chosen trees that aren’t lopped off at the top can do to a sidewalk. And it’s not much different from the rest of the video other than that.

This is probably my favorite stretch of sidewalk in all of DTLA. It's very well done!

[craigs]

Originally Posted by bhunsberger

This is probably my favorite stretch of sidewalk in all of DTLA. It's very well done!

What street is that?

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by craigs

What street is that?

South Grand between 11th and 12th.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

I live on that block, its great. Its incredible that our city doesnt understand that that should be the baseline for every street in downtown LA. Its not rockets science.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

I live on that block, its great. Its incredible that our city doesnt understand that that should be the baseline for every street in downtown LA. Its not rockets science.

https://goo.gl/maps/ZdWjRUHhcMK7QUX3A

Agreed. It's got clean, wide sidewalks, a nice tree canopy and other nice landscaping, bike lane, grocery story, bank, gym (although I'm guessing most of these new buildings have their own really nice fitness center), and a small pocket park, all within a block basically. All your basic amenities to a self-sufficient neighborhood block. Everything you need and nothing you don't. If I had to nit pick the only room for improvement would be turning that left parking row and merging it with the bike lane and turning it into a wider, and protected, bike lane. And a bigger park with a playground. I know Grand Hope Park isn't too far away but as this area densifies I think it could use more public recreation options.

[citywatch]

I watched only a small part of the start of the following vid & skimmed through a few other parts of it. What I can't figure out is why, by comparison, more projs don't break ground in dtla? Even worse, some of them are outright cancelled.

https://youtu.be/9C8oWw2wJpc

I recall reading an article several yrs ago, right around the time the proj was completed, about the watermarke apt tower at Olympic & Fig. One of the ppl overseeing the devlpt said that when everything was factored in, the proj didn't really generate a big profit. In comparison, are projs in a miami bch or toronto more profitable....& therefore more likely to begin construction? Are funders, investors more confident in giving $$ to new devlpt in cities like those, but more hesitant to fund projs in dtla? LA city govnt is infamous for red tape & not keeping dt as safe & clean as desirable....news about homelessness, skid row & other problems affecting dt must make investors nervous about dtla.

I can tell some properties in dtla, both old & new, don't generate a lot of money for their owners....retail & office space that sits vacant for yrs. So that leaves the bottom line for a lot of land in dt totally dependent on renting to residents or hotel guests...or for parking cars. But then there are property owners like Cherit...they've kept the 611 W 6th St bldg, the Clark hotel at 4th & Hill St & the Trinity Auditorium bldg at 9th St & Grand unused or vacant for yrs. How do property owners like them manage to wheel & deal for yrs, never make $$ on their bldgs in dtla, & also not help move dt improve?

In the meantime, Oceanwide sits stalled on Fig St & equity residential based in chicago dropped plans for their apt tower at 4th & Hill St.

[scania]

Someone can DM me. I know a couple of people on here personally that have citywatch blocked. I’m not sure has he/she changed their tune on things. I mentioned about the Adidas store opening in DTLA, was curious if they now discuss investors moving in or still singing the song of how they just can’t understand blah blah blah and water fountains. And that no investors will invest in DTLA. Though never mentioning investors and developers that are investing in DTLA.

[citywatch]

I found this very interesting...

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btw, this forum on dtla should be about the subj of...dtla. Odd obsessions or complaints about other things both don't fit & aren't terribly interesting. There are so many details or angles about dt to discuss, that if ppl can't come up something that fits the subj, then another forum...such as about personality traits....probably would be better for them.

[citywatch]

^ there are already over 200 comments under that YT video, which was posted today. So if ppl like opinions on dtla, there are a lot of them there. I've scrolled through some of them, but whether dt is praised or criticized, it is what it is. I wouldn't be as patient with the hood today if it were the way it was over 5, 10, 25 yrs ago. But I think it has finally come closer to where it should have always been.

The video maker didn't mention that ppl of wealth started moving out of bunker hill by the 1920s. I've seen pics of that part of dt & although there were some nice properties, they were next to or surrounded by a lot of not attractive devlpt. That was true of too much of dt in general, which is the key reason why I believe dtla wasn't more competitive...or why the suburbs had an easier time in overtaking it. If dtla in 1960 or 1950, etc, were developed closer to the way it is in 2022, it would have been more competitive.

[pwright1]

Originally Posted by scania

Looks like an Adidas is going in the new renovation building at the corner of 8th and Spring…diagonal from the Apple Store.

The Merritt Building. Built in 1915.

[scania]

Originally Posted by pwright1

The Merritt Building. Built in 1915.

Thanks...I just couldn't remember the name.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by scania

Looks like an Adidas is going in the new renovation building at the corner of 8th and Spring…diagonal from the Apple Store.

Thanks for the update. I figured that they were going to open sometime soon in DTLA considering that they moved offices into California Market Center. That stretch of Broadway really is "sneaker row" now with lots of shoppers coming just for that.

[Wigs]

From time to time when I remember I check out the latest DTLA market report







The latest issuu is 2nd quarter 2022
https://downtownla.com/business/repo.../market-report

I hate Covid because it screwed up at least 2 trips/visits to my brother and his family when he was still in LA County (Monrovia).
I've been to LA twice and love it! I was lucky that I went on the OUE Skyspace and Glass slide that was on the top of the US Bank tower before it closed when new owners took over. The outdoor patio was amazing above the city! One of the coolest experiences ever. I could see the Hollywood sign, Griffith observatory, Dodger stadium. My LA dream come true lol