LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[Nouvellecosse]

Aerial gondolas are quite popular in Colombia and I used one when I was there in 2023. I thought it worked quite well. Maybe a bit slow for some settings but perfect for a place with challenging terrain such as steep hills and valleys.

[citywatch]

Laurie Niles, Violinist.com

On Monday I was invited on a "hard hat tour" of the Colburn School's new 1,100-seat concert hall that is currently under construction, located in downtown Los Angeles just two blocks from Walt Disney Concert Hall and designed by the same famous architect, Frank Gehry.

That hall not only will serve Colburn, but it will also be the new home to the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. The expansion will also double the school's dance facilities with four professional-sized dance studios and a 100-seat dance theatre.

Before heading across the street, I saw several things on display: first, an example of the rose-gold colored paneling that will go on the finished outside of the building - it's quite a striking color.


Laurie Niles, Violinist.com

Also, they had some examples of the seats that will eventually go into the hall. Made by the same company that made the seats for Disney Hall (Poltrona Frau), they are covered with colorful fabric depicting fish, designed by Gehry. The seats have acoustic absorption material on the bottom, to help absorb sound even when the hall is empty.

We walked up a little clay slope, where Sel and Michael showed me what made it so special: a giant pillar, about three feet in diameter. The pillar - called a "caisson" - extends 30 feet into the ground, all the way into the bedrock below. The caisson was made by inserting reinforcing steel into drilled shafts that were then filled with concrete - "the thickest rebar you've ever seen," as Michael and Sel described the steel. Around this "caisson" was a circular column leaving about a eight inches of space around the it. This also extended all the way down to the bedrock, so that in the event of an earthquake the caisson will have space in which to sway. "Because if you pit a building against an earthquake," Michael explained, "the earthquake will always win." Give it room to roll, and the building can survive an earthquake.


Laurie Niles, Violinist.com

Imagine the concerts that will happen here, the student and professional artists who will come to make music and dance, the people who will come to see it all! What a hopeful moment for classical music in Los Angeles. Considering the musicians trained here from all over the world - what a hopeful moment for classical music everywhere.

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[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

i seriously dont get the opposition to the gondola. Do these people not understand that there are gondola systems all over the world that fly over houses? Have they not been to a ski town before?

The convention center expansion is so key to downtown LA. Thankfully, the council saw it the same way and we can move forward. The DTLA alliance and other bids deserve a ton of credit for advocating for this and pushing it forward. The dtla care package that Mayor Bass is implementing is also super important and lets hope they follow through. The number of mentally ill and drug addicted on the streets is pretty much the worst ive seen in my 17 years of living downtown. Its out of control right now and they need to get a handle on this yesterday.

Can you expand on the Karen Bass downtown care package? I haven't heard of anything of the sort.

[scania]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Aerial gondolas are quite popular in Colombia and I used one when I was there in 2023. I thought it worked quite well. Maybe a bit slow for some settings but perfect for a place with challenging terrain such as steep hills and valleys.

Also...it will simply be cool to see the gondolas in action. I think most people would think "oh how cool". Of course the haters with envy will say it's corny...until it comes to their city. The same thing with Waymo...I know people in another city who felt that's stupid and crazy, then were so excited when Waymo started testing in their city.

[38 Geary]

Originally Posted by scania

Also...it will simply be cool to see the gondolas in action. I think most people would think "oh how cool". Of course the haters with envy will say it's corny...until it comes to their city. The same thing with Waymo...I know people in another city who felt that's stupid and crazy, then were so excited when Waymo started testing in their city.

I think the gondola will be cool and an instant tourist attraction given it should offer some really nice views. Waymo personally I still dislike very much. I can see it as a viable alternative to Lyft/Uber but I’m not a fan of when it gets promoted in lieu of public transportation or gets permission to share lanes with transit.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Can you expand on the Karen Bass downtown care package? I haven't heard of anything of the sort.

Sure, this is what they said


In line with revitalization, Bass detailed the following efforts that are to coincide with Convention Center construction:

LAPD has designated teams of foot patrols and is preparing to deploy trained bike officers in downtown neighborhoods to prevent crime and ensure people feel safe.
Trained mental health teams are being deployed in priority areas like the Historic Core neighborhood.
Advancing plans to fast-track key permits for downtown developments.
A coordinated effort to remove graffiti, clear trash, enhance the cleanliness of major streets, and repair street lights in major entertainment hubs like LA Live.

Let's see if they follow through

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by citywatch

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Awesome!

[scania]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Sure, this is what they said


In line with revitalization, Bass detailed the following efforts that are to coincide with Convention Center construction:

LAPD has designated teams of foot patrols and is preparing to deploy trained bike officers in downtown neighborhoods to prevent crime and ensure people feel safe.
Trained mental health teams are being deployed in priority areas like the Historic Core neighborhood.
Advancing plans to fast-track key permits for downtown developments.
A coordinated effort to remove graffiti, clear trash, enhance the cleanliness of major streets, and repair street lights in major entertainment hubs like LA Live.

Let's see if they follow through

I’m very optimistic. Any of you who are familiar with DTLA…at least one of the two corners that homeless like to just hangout; is now present with the fashion district patrol that are there on their bikes and it’s made a big difference. Though is some aspects, it’s weird…the corner oddly enough doesn’t have as much energy. Not saying that’s a bad thing. For the other corner, I’m not sure since I never really have a reason to walk over there.

[Illithid Dude]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Sure, this is what they said


In line with revitalization, Bass detailed the following efforts that are to coincide with Convention Center construction:

LAPD has designated teams of foot patrols and is preparing to deploy trained bike officers in downtown neighborhoods to prevent crime and ensure people feel safe.
Trained mental health teams are being deployed in priority areas like the Historic Core neighborhood.
Advancing plans to fast-track key permits for downtown developments.
A coordinated effort to remove graffiti, clear trash, enhance the cleanliness of major streets, and repair street lights in major entertainment hubs like LA Live.

Let's see if they follow through

Well, I guess we will see what happens. Are there even any major downtown developments that are still waiting on approval? It feels like all are approved and are just in a holding pattern right now, waiting for the economic and political situation to improve.

[pwright1]

[colemonkee]

Great shot, pwright1! Hoping the one Mack Urban tower they are still moving forward with actually moves forward. It will have an impact from that angle. Crazy how much of an impact Onni has had on the skyline. Most of the right side of that photo would not be there without Onni. Now, if only they can get their LA Times project going...

[scania]

Originally Posted by pwright1

Hella nice pic!!!

[colemonkee]

^ Lol that's a very Northern California statment (says this born-and-raised NorCal transplant).

[scania]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

^ Lol that's a very Northern California statment (says this born-and-raised NorCal transplant).

Lol!!! I do have family up there.

[Calicool]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Aerial gondolas are quite popular in Colombia and I used one when I was there in 2023. I thought it worked quite well. Maybe a bit slow for some settings but perfect for a place with challenging terrain such as steep hills and valleys.

They would be perfect for moving people over the Santa Monica mountains into the Valley and back.

[craigs]

Originally Posted by pwright1

Great photo, very well balanced! It really captures the skyline's continued growth to the south and east.

Originally Posted by Calicool

They would be perfect for moving people over the Santa Monica mountains into the Valley and back.

Disagreed. For that, we need the high capacity of a heavy rail subway.

[scania]

Agreed…it would be so cool if there was a high speed rail that was tunneled through the canyon.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by pwright1

Phenomenal shot Pwright!

[Radio5]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Great shot, pwright1! Hoping the one Mack Urban tower they are still moving forward with actually moves forward. It will have an impact from that angle. Crazy how much of an impact Onni has had on the skyline. Most of the right side of that photo would not be there without Onni. Now, if only they can get their LA Times project going...

Pretty sure Mack Urban withdrew their application unfortunately...

[citywatch]

la.curbed.com

Just over one month after securing approvals for the construction of a 51-story residential high-rise in at 1115 S. Olive Street in Downtown Los Angeles, Mack Real Estate Group is pulling the plug on a sister project across the street.

In early September, a representative of the developer requested the withdrawal of an entitlement application for a site located at 1120 S. Olive Street. The property, a surface parking lot, had been slated for the construction of a 60-story building featuring 713 homes above ground-floor commercial space and parking.

The developer still retains entitlements for the 51-story tower on Olive Street and a proposed 16-story hotel tower at the intersection of 12th and Olive Streets, though neither of those projects have progressed toward construction.

The Los Angeles Times reported earlier this year that many developers with active approvals for unbuilt projects in the Downtown are actively looking to sell their land, or potentially waiting until market conditions improve.

^ investment money has dried up....the oceanwide proj on fig was able to break ground over 10 yrs ago because of financing from China. Even back then funding in LA wasn't that easy.

I saw a vid yesterday that said Miami now has the 3rd largest skyline in the US....over the past 10 yrs that city has been able to start work on several highrises because of $$ from places like NYC, with support from investors or buyers from South America. Financial firms & other businesses in NYC or chicago have relocated to areas in Florida or Texas, while too many investors have lost confidence in LA....dtla in particular.

Ppl of dtla, throughout LA & LA city govt during the next 10 yrs really need to make sure they don't take good things for granted.....or the idea that money doesn't grow on trees. Trends like these should scare the ppl of LA....

https://youtu.be/cUi5eVWo7AQ?si=zbn34kOyA_ck23lb