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

[Wally West]

Originally Posted by caligrad

^^^ I like it. I had to look up where this will be located and the area around it.....this will be huge improvement for the immediate area. adding some density.

The Rockeydyne proposal would seriously create a serious dense core in the Warner Center area. I'm sure this proposal would persuade Westfield into developing the two high rise towers that was in their original plans.

Not to mention, these high density proposals in the area may propel Metro and LA County voters to convert the Orange Line into light rail.

I'm pretty excited for the future of the SFV now.

[DistrictDirt]

Originally Posted by Wally West

The Rockeydyne proposal would seriously create a serious dense core in the Warner Center area. I'm sure this proposal would persuade Westfield into developing the two high rise towers that was in their original plans.

Not to mention, these high density proposals in the area may propel Metro and LA County voters to convert the Orange Line into light rail.

I'm pretty excited for the future of the SFV now.

I'm not in the Valley often but my wife and I make the trip a couple times a year when she's craving Sri Lankan food- there's a couple of restaurants up there.

Anyway, we went this past weekend and I noticed that everything felt more...spruced up. Driving up White Oak, it looks like the city repaved and striped bike lanes. A lot of the single family homes looked like they had also received new coats of paint. Everything was clean and tidy. I still would probably never leave a walkable neighborhood like Downtown for the Valley but its the first time I found myself thinking "hey this looks (dare I say it) nice!"

[Wally West]

Originally Posted by DistrictDirt

I'm not in the Valley often but my wife and I make the trip a couple times a year when she's craving Sri Lankan food- there's a couple of restaurants up there.

Anyway, we went this past weekend and I noticed that everything felt more...spruced up. Driving up White Oak, it looks like the city repaved and striped bike lanes. A lot of the single family homes looked like they had also received new coats of paint. Everything was clean and tidy. I still would probably never leave a walkable neighborhood like Downtown for the Valley but its the first time I found myself thinking "hey this looks (dare I say it) nice!"

I've lived in the Valley for a decent amount of my life and it's hard to not notice that the Valley has some solid bones in order to be an ideal area. The homes and neighborhoods throughout the Valley are pretty nice. But the Valley fails when it comes to its major streets. The major streets in the Valley are full of liquor shops, crappy looking apartments, and strip malls. If the Valley started to improve its main streets, I'm sure people would begin to consider it as a serious contender as an ideal place to live in LA.

If North Hollywood continues to gentrify, these Warner Center projects go through, and if Van Nuys Blvd. finally gets its act together, the Valley could even be...a cool destination (that sentence felt weird to type).

[Valyrian Steel]

First Look at 34-Story Tower Planned For Wilshire/Barrington

Tonight, the persnickety planning and land use management committee of the West LA Neighborhood Council takes up the issue of the proposed 34-story tower at Wilshire and Stoner Avenue (near Barrington) in Brentwood. The project from developer California Landmark has a lot going for it: it's on the site of an abandoned Pavilions grocery store; it includes a one-story, Wilshire-facing retail building (replacing part of a surface parking lot); and the design is, well, inoffensive, judging by these renderings from the developer. What might scare the PLUM committee is, of course, potential TRAFFIC! generated by people traveling to and from the tower's 376 units and 4,700 square feet of commercial space, but maybe they'll be reminded that residential buildings produce less traffic than an equivalent office tower or shorter retail building. California Landmark also did a pretty nice job at the nearby (and very pricey) the bw mixed-user, which opened last year just up the block, at Wilshire and Barrington, replacing an empty lot.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/0...barrington.php

[caligrad]

^^^ A box.... a box that I can live with. I like it.

[Illithid Dude]

Much better than the vacant supermarket currently there, and so close to me! I like it!

[caligrad]

Another reason why the Subway needs to go all the way to Santa Monica.

[circuitfiend]

Lots of activity this a.m. at the 10000 Sta Mon site. This, after sitting empty for several months while Crescent Heights got their new people on the job.

A small trailer with what looks like two offices has been moved into the corner where all the electrical was installed months ago. A forklift and cherry picker are being used to remove some of the "decorative" fencing separating the property from the high rise next door. They're being careful, since I'm sure it will have to be reinstalled once contruction is complete.

I'll take some pics once we see more concrete evidence of serious construction.

[Illithid Dude]

Awesome! It's great that that empty lot is going to finally get filled up, and by a 40 story tower no less!

[caligrad]

Well some news coming from Long Beach. The old building on the site for the proposed 18 story and 31 story towers has been demolished, fencing is up and there was some heavy machinery parked near the site mid day yesterday. This thing is moving kinda fast. I thought there would be more opposition by the community since it will be sitting next to a couple of blocks full of 2 story apartments. Another thing about this project that I think many people in central LA and the west side would appreciate is that this building will have laxed parking requirements. The only thing the community was worried about when it was first proposed years ago since the neighborhood around it is old and relies on street parking.

[blackcat23]

Construction progress on Runway at Playa Vista, as of this weekend.


http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.c...y-filling.html

A little too internally focused for my liking, but it kind of has to be given the surroundings.

[dweebo2220]

At CicLAvia, a non-architecture-interested friend of mine who had never seen Wilshire/La Brea exclaimed "it looks like the world headquarters of Panera Bread."

[ChelseaFC]

$1.6 billion overhaul of Universal Studios Hollywood will remake 70% of the park by 2016, including two 500-room hotels.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/bu...to-disney.html

[Wally West]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

$1.6 billion overhaul of Universal Studios Hollywood will remake 70% of the park by 2016, including two 500-room hotels.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/bu...to-disney.html

I actually visited the park yesterday and I wouldn't suggest anyone to visit the park until construction is done. The rides are still easily accessible and none are shut down at the moment but the ongoing construction makes the park feel even tinier and less immersive.

This new Harry Potter land is really going to change the park but I'm unsure how it'll tie into the theme of movie making though.

[bobcat]

Originally Posted by ChelseaFC

$1.6 billion overhaul of Universal Studios Hollywood will remake 70% of the park by 2016, including two 500-room hotels.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/09/bu...to-disney.html

I've heard demolition of the Fung Lum restaurant for a hotel has already begun.

[colemonkee]

I have fond memories of the Fung Lum. We rented it out in college and a party goer at the event broke off part of the decorative wooden sculpture out front. It was not cheap to repair.

[StethJeff]

Originally Posted by dweebo2220

At CicLAvia, a non-architecture-interested friend of mine who had never seen Wilshire/La Brea exclaimed "it looks like the world headquarters of Panera Bread."

Clearly CicLAvia doesn't see it this way:
https://www.facebook.com/ciclavia?ref=ts&fref=ts

[blackcat23]

This is under construction on the Miracle Mile, just behind Desmond's Tower.

Seven stories, 175 one and two bedroom units.





http://buildinglosangeles.blogspot.c...gradually.html

[circuitfiend]

10000 Sta Mon seems to be full steam ahead.

Crescent Heights sent our building mgmt a memo stating the project would take 30 months and work is beginning now. That was over a week ago. Since then, there has been increased activity on the lot everyday.

Today, we have dumptrucks taking away the huge pile of dirt in the center of the lot, which was excavated by the previous contractor for, presumably, the crane foundations. It'll be interesting to see what comes of that.

Also, the fence on Moreno has been moved to the curb, so no sidewalk on the west side of Moreno, which is the same side BHHS is on. That is where they have set up the construction trailer.

I'll take a pic later this afternoon so we can see how much gets done today.

Ooooo...so exciting!

[blackcat23]

Excellent news, although this isn't the first time we've gone down this road.