LOS ANGELES | METRO Project Rundown 2.0 (non-downtown) - Page 92

Illithid Dude · #**1821** Posted **Aug 30, 2011, 11:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pesto

Not bad looking, but a deterioration from the first ideas.

A few years ago this started out taller and much denser. Now its starting to look like a suburban office park (larger open areas and removal of "canyons" (5 story canyons? puh-leeeze). Activists also wanted higher ceilings on the first floors; as I recall because some seniors thought normal ceilings looked cramped. Since there were height limits, this effectively cut the number of floors and units, which was probably the real goal to begin with.

This is a consistent pattern in SM. I am a great believer in mid-rise, but this doesn't even qualify as mid-rise. Same issue on Wilshire, which is why the Purple is not getting built.

It's still dense. Not as dense, but certainly dense enough. And I wouldn't say it looks like an office park, it has connectivity to the street through ground floor retail and such. Lastly, the reason the Purple Line was not built down Wilshire to Santa Monica was because A) there was no money and B) they were already building a second line to Santa Monica. Plus, you make it sound like the Purple Line extension in Santa Monica will never be built. It will be, just not in the next ten years.

pesto · #**1822** Posted **Aug 31, 2011, 5:03 PM**

I don't exactly disagree with either DD or ID. This is OK but way short of what should be going on in SM generally. As you drive along Wilshire it's easy to see when you get to SM: you go from 20 story buildings to 2 story. On adjacent streets you go from 3-5 story apartments to older sfh's (in general). The demand is there, but SM won't allow it.

Remember that Bergamot is at a transit center and is as tall and as dense as SM is going to get in the foreseeable future. This is the area where the planners can "go urban". But they went much less urban than LA or Culver City are proposing for transit areas.

btw, "improving the pedestrian experience" seems to be more a euphemism for larger plazas, wide roads, more setback and less floor space than it is for anything that will actually improve the experience.

Quixote · #**1823** Posted **Sep 1, 2011, 4:58 PM**

These all sound like positive changes to me. We're not trying to go for something that feels medieval in scale.

The only disappointing change is the sharp reduction in retail space. But this is a great project that will provide synergy between the rail station and the dense neighborhood to the north, hopefully leading to the densification of Santa Monica Blvd.

Quote:

...

A new park and street, open spaces, pedestrian walkways and varied building heights and facades account for much of the difference between these plans and those rejected by the City Council last March.

Critics at that meeting called the project corporate and monolithic and said that it did not live up to the Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE) vision of an organic village.

They complained of a “canyon effect” between the buildings, which the developer says has been addressed by reconfiguring the buildings and by moving one street and adding another through the site, and by making the streets curved.

They've also added a “direct crossing” to the planned Expo station across Olympic Boulevard near 26th Street.

To address complaints that the “pedestrian experience” needs to be improved, the developer has added a neighborhood park facing Nebraska Avenue, “pocket parks” and a winding pedestrian pathway, and has widened and added sidewalks.

Retail frontage has been moved closer to the streets at 26th Street and Olympic Boulevard, and ground floor heights have been increased to 18 and 20 feet.

...

http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_s...Criticism.html

San Frangelino · #**1824** Posted **Sep 19, 2011, 3:18 PM**

Has anyone else noticed that the building on the southwest corner of Yucca St and Argyle in Hollywood has been completely demolished? I walked by it yesterday and the site has been all cleared out. The building was a white warehouse adjacent to Capitol Records.

kolchak · #**1825** Posted **Sep 19, 2011, 6:35 PM**

I walked by Vine and Hollywood the other day and noticed they are finally moving forward with completion of the parking structure located on Vine. It seemed like this site had been inactive for some time but they have started going up again. Good thing because its been a real eyesore:

Illithid Dude · #**1826** Posted **Sep 19, 2011, 11:51 PM**

Oh boy, a parking garage. How exciting.

colemonkee · #**1827** Posted **Sep 20, 2011, 12:09 AM**

^ Ha! At least it'll have some ground floor retail.

On another note, I drove by the big Kaiser complex on Sunset near the intersection of Vermont, and they've cleared a pretty big lot on the north side of Sunset and set up what looks to be construction fencing. Anyone know what's planned in that area? I'm assuming another medical building?

LAsam · #**1828** Posted **Sep 20, 2011, 4:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Oh boy, a parking garage. How exciting.

Would you rather have garages with ground floor retail or surface lots?

Illithid Dude · #**1829** Posted **Sep 20, 2011, 11:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LAsam

Would you rather have garages with ground floor retail or surface lots?

Surface lots that can be developed into something nicer later.

LosAngelesBeauty · #**1830** Posted **Sep 23, 2011, 8:59 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Surface lots that can be developed into something nicer later.

There are PLENTY of surface lots to develop into nicer somethings later. Nice looking or at least decent parking structures can still enhance the built environment in LA because it does still add bulk and density to a very diluted urban experience. Retail on the ground floor is the big key here.

LAofAnaheim · #**1831** Posted **Sep 23, 2011, 6:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrighamYen

There are PLENTY of surface lots to develop into nicer somethings later. Nice looking or at least decent parking structures can still enhance the built environment in LA because it does still add bulk and density to a very diluted urban experience. Retail on the ground floor is the big key here.

As long as the parking here is allowed for nearby businesses to open up without the added expense of building their own parking structures/lots and pushing those expenses to consumers.

The problem in LA is that we have a very high parking minimum requirement for a city. I'm not a fan of any off-site parking because it generally just increases the convenience of driving. Increased driving ---> auto-based policies --> street widenings --> reduced sidewalks --> more left turn lanes --> increased traffic

It all starts from the parking, in my opinion. If people can park conveniently, why would they drive? And then the arguement that "well, nobody will come if there is no parking". FALSE. People STILL come to Hollywood, Venice, Santa Monica, Downtown LA, Pasadena, even though there is less parking available here than in those areas with significant parking.

The addition of this parking structure makes me fearful that some people who use the Metro Red Line to Hollywood/Vine would now consider driving.

But, to be clear, I clearly SUPPORT on-street parking. I find on-street parking is GREAT for the urban experience. Those areas with on-street parking are the most vibrant corridors in LA. And......it provides that safety buffer between the pedestrian and the automobile. And on-street parking slows down traffic because auto drivers have to be mindful for parking spots and people going in/out. When you remove the on-street parking, you basically are creating highways. So, let's increase the on-street parking and decrease the off-street parking!

kolchak · #**1832** Posted **Sep 23, 2011, 7:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Illithid Dude

Surface lots that can be developed into something nicer later.

I agree 100%. But in this case the parking structure had been started years ago and never finished. It was getting to be a graffitti covered mess - so I'm still glad they have finally gotten around to finishing it.

colemonkee · #**1833** Posted **Sep 24, 2011, 2:42 AM**

I drove by 8500 Burton last night, and they've completed the first floor and columns are starting to go up on the second floor already. No pictures because I was driving, but just in passing you can already tell that this will have a significant effect (positive, IMO) on views down La Cienega and San Vicente.

Illithid Dude · #**1834** Posted **Sep 24, 2011, 4:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

I drove by 8500 Burton last night, and they've completed the first floor and columns are starting to go up on the second floor already. No pictures because I was driving, but just in passing you can already tell that this will have a significant effect (positive, IMO) on views down La Cienega and San Vicente.

Plus, it's a high-density very attractive projects. With a Traders Joes no less! What's not to like?

all of the trash · #**1835** Posted **Sep 25, 2011, 4:37 AM**

I don't think anything can save that god forsaken intersection. lets just kill it and build a park on it, screw cars

BrandonJXN · #**1836** Posted **Sep 25, 2011, 6:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by colemonkee

I drove by 8500 Burton last night, and they've completed the first floor and columns are starting to go up on the second floor already. No pictures because I was driving, but just in passing you can already tell that this will have a significant effect (positive, IMO) on views down La Cienega and San Vicente.

That's still the worst intersection in LA however. Pretty views or otherwise.

Quixote · #**1837** Posted **Sep 27, 2011, 8:11 AM**

Story at Curbed LA.

...

Perfect scale. My dream of the Cedars Sinai/Beverly Center area becoming a major urban node is slowly being realized. I can't wait to see that area evolve into the true anchor and hub of Mid-City West.

RST500 · #**1838** Posted **Sep 27, 2011, 6:52 PM**

Looks good but that area needs to start building 20-40 story highrises. I have long envisioned the area as becomming LA's "Time Square."

dachacon · #**1839** Posted **Sep 27, 2011, 7:52 PM**

^^
we already got a times square Hollywood.

LAofAnaheim · #**1840** Posted **Sep 27, 2011, 8:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

Story at Curbed LA.

...

Perfect scale. My dream of the Cedars Sinai/Beverly Center area becoming a major urban node is slowly being realized. I can't wait to see that area evolve into the true anchor and hub of Mid-City West.

45 units, two levels of commercial space and 129 parking spaces. Is that good development? 129 parking spaces? Are people still going to drive once gas prices stablize to $6/gallon? (note: we were at $2/gallon at 2000 and now $4/gallon at 2011).