no because you also have to factor in the Evo, Fig Central, Fig South, and the towers that are sopposed to go near the Trans America Tower, plus a number of un-named projects that are down the road... I wouldn't worry!~

oh good

God bless Photoshop-amen.

You could also add trinity towers
http://trinitytowersla.com/

and south groups second project, as well as the grand towers and FIDM, etc what ever we have renders for :)

please

I am entirely underwhelmed.

I am entirely underwhelmed.

wtf mate?

I am quite impressed to see all of the new project ideas for downtown LA, considering how little progress has been made over the past decade. I fear, however, many of those projects may never be realized. Back in the early 90s, Los Angeles had plans for tremendous expansion and transformation of its downtown skyline. Some proposed towers were well over 900ft tall! After the recession of 91-92, however, most major projects were cancelled and very little progress has been made since. :sleepy:

Personally, I like LA and approve of its old, yet aesthetic, skyline. I have been there several times (and many other cities around the world). LA (in terms of its skyline) is falling behind all other cities of comparable size and scope

I have heard speculation that LA will be much better by 2010. By 2010, LA will face even greater competition from cities around the world striving to become bigger and better. Even if all of the projects mentioned in this thread were completed by 2010, LA would fall far behind other metros with 10 - 15 million people, such as Shanghai, London, Chicago-Milwaukee, Moscow, Beijing and others, all of which will be dramatically transformed.

My point is, adding a few apartment buildings and hotels here and there just doesn't cut it in the worldwide construction boom of the 21st century.

BTW, has anyone seen what Dubai will look like by 2010? :omg:

Whenever I think like that, I reassure myself that it's LA I'm talking about and that always relieves my worries.

I am quite impressed to see all of the new project ideas for downtown LA, considering how little progress has been made over the past decade. I fear, however, many of those projects may never be realized. Back in the early 90s, Los Angeles had plans for tremendous expansion and transformation of its downtown skyline. Some proposed towers were well over 900ft tall! After the recession of 91-92, however, most major projects were cancelled and very little progress has been made since. :sleepy:

Personally, I like LA and approve of its old, yet aesthetic, skyline. I have been there several times (and many other cities around the world). LA (in terms of its skyline) is falling behind all other cities of comparable size and scope

I have heard speculation that LA will be much better by 2010. By 2010, LA will face even greater competition from cities around the world striving to become bigger and better. Even if all of the projects mentioned in this thread were completed by 2010, LA would fall far behind other metros with 10 - 15 million people, such as Shanghai, London, Chicago-Milwaukee, Moscow, Beijing and others, all of which will be dramatically transformed.

My point is, adding a few apartment buildings and hotels here and there just doesn't cut it in the worldwide construction boom of the 21st century.

BTW, has anyone seen what Dubai will look like by 2010? :omg:

I think you are missing the point... I really do. First, LA is not competing with those cities... if those cities need that type of transformation it is happening for their own reasons, reasons different than LA.

Have we captured all the residential development in the LA metro area here in this thread, NOOOOOO. So this isn't a true picture of all that is proposed, planned, etc.

So, based on your comments I think we should get rid of the LA thread since the projects mentioned (few apartment buildings and hotels here and there) really won't amount to anything. Whatever... :scouserd:

Please explain the reason behind your post, what is your point? Is your point that LA's skyline is falling behind other cities? If that's it... then thank you for your wisdom!

oh who cares about his pissing contest.

I am entirely underwhelmed.

Better than nothing right? Get lost.

Actually, downtown LA is great because it's not that big and you can actually walk around it. And the new construction is on empty pockets in downtown.
I think LA will be a lot better than the cities that guy mentioned.

I've been to Shanghai a few times, and it's a bunch of tall buildings spread out everywhere with pockets of nothing all over the place. It's not a city you can walk around in. Which is fine when taxis are $1 anywhere you go.

I really don't detect the offensive tone that a few of you seem to gather from Califoreigner's comments. I read them more as a general, unbiased opinion from an 'outsider' looking in... The comparison to other major cities is an inevitable juxtaposition that will be continually discussed as long as the areas exist. But I also think there is a lot of truth in what vicecityguy noted, in that each city's development is the result of the respective needs and means for growth, not necessarily for competition.

...Although, a competitive undertone will always be present...;-)

^ What?

I really don't detect the offensive tone that a few of you seem to gather from Califoreigner's comments. I read them more as a general, unbiased opinion from an 'outsider' looking in... The comparison to other major cities is an inevitable juxtaposition that will be continually discussed as long as the areas exist. But I also think there is a lot of truth in what vicecityguy noted, in that each city's development is the result of the respective needs and means for growth, not necessarily for competition.

...Although, a competitive undertone will always be present...;-)


...i agree, what?

you sound like my old boss... just talking alot but saying nothing

CIM finally has a rendering for its new 9th and Hope tower aka Park tower rated at 34 floors over a 7 story garage. Can someone add this rendering to the front page of the ever growing list of projects

http://www.cimgroup.com/imgs/props/9th_&_Hope_lg1.jpg

i know this is off the subject but who wants to slap whoever is in charge of the MTA and get them to elevate the red line through burbank and the northern part of the valley?

I think you are missing the point... I really do. First, LA is not competing with those cities... if those cities need that type of transformation it is happening for their own reasons, reasons different than LA.

I agree that all major cities experience various transformations for various reasons. Of course - every place is different. But to say that LA (the 9th most populous city on the globe with an economic output greater than that of Australia) is not competing with other cities in the world is either an obsolete reference to isolationism or a denial of reality.

What's the significance of Globalization? Everything is connected!

The 21st century global economic network means third-world villages are affected by international trade agreements, and a recession in the USA can destabilize the entire global economy. Los Angeles, as the second largest economic center in North America, is not only competing with cities on the other side of the world, it's an important microcosm of the USA.
:tiasd:

For a metropolis of 18 million people with a Gross Metropolitan Product of $750 Billion, LA’s alleged drive to transform itself is relatively indolent. Los Angeles, like the entire nation, has built few skyscrapers (none above 900ft) since 1993, despite healthy economic growth. Even the so-called "economically stagnant" cities of Western Europe (Madrid, London, Paris, Frankfurt, etc.) have made impressive progress since then. From an economic standpoint, LA is capable of a much more significant transformation. Furthermore, if LA strives to stay economically competitive (globally significant), tremendous future development and ongoing urban renewal will be critical.

~Best wishes to LA and to the world it influences. :yes:

I am quite impressed to see all of the new project ideas for downtown LA, considering how little progress has been made over the past decade. I fear, however, many of those projects may never be realized. Back in the early 90s, Los Angeles had plans for tremendous expansion and transformation of its downtown skyline. Some proposed towers were well over 900ft tall! After the recession of 91-92, however, most major projects were cancelled and very little progress has been made since. :sleepy:

Personally, I like LA and approve of its old, yet aesthetic, skyline. I have been there several times (and many other cities around the world). LA (in terms of its skyline) is falling behind all other cities of comparable size and scope

I have heard speculation that LA will be much better by 2010. By 2010, LA will face even greater competition from cities around the world striving to become bigger and better. Even if all of the projects mentioned in this thread were completed by 2010, LA would fall far behind other metros with 10 - 15 million people, such as Shanghai, London, Chicago-Milwaukee, Moscow, Beijing and others, all of which will be dramatically transformed.

My point is, adding a few apartment buildings and hotels here and there just doesn't cut it in the worldwide construction boom of the 21st century.

BTW, has anyone seen what Dubai will look like by 2010? :omg:

These are projects within a few mile radius. Downtown is nothing compared to the scope of LA. So even if they don't get built in DOWNTOWN, you have multiple areas in this 1000 or so square mile metropolis that do have developments. BUt specifically concerning downtown, the amount of projects belies what is actually happening. DOwntown living, unlike in SF and NYC, is still very much a recent trend among those in LA. SO most projects in downtown are conversions of empty buildings which LA has many of. Until these buildings are filled, there isn't going to be a huge explosion of development like in New York where everything is already filled. So to gauge urban renewal in NYC by the amount of developments there, does not apply to LA which is still in a position of filling preexisting buildings and converting office space into residences. This is a unique trend in LA which isn't happening much in in NYC (except for the Wall Street area). So even without building for the next 10 years, LA can still handle millions of more people with conversions alone due to LA's high inoccupancy rates in buildings.


That is enough to keep up with the immigration into the city that doesn't seem to be slowing down. But with cities like Shanghai and Beijing, there ascension will help Los Angeles more so than other american cities, as LA is pretty much influenced heavily by the Pacific Rim, simply looking at the ethnic makeup of the city. The Chinese/Japanese tend to put there foot in the American waters in Los Angeles first (famima/chinese banks). You look at the array of Chinese owned banks in LA compared to New York/Chicago/Moscow/London and there is no comparison. There is more Chinese (and overall Pacific rim) investment in LA. With Chicago-Milwaulkee metropolis, I think possibly they already lost the race. I don't see being located in the Midwest as an asset for immigration taking place across the Pacific, the people of which tend to favor California cities over other states. And really, if there is a competition among american cities, it's much more affected about foreign immigration which California is already winning.

The building of skyscrapers is an old concept that doesn't apply to Los Angeles. One cannot limit urban renewal as the building of these massive structures and forgetting that LA is hugely sprawling in geography. Los Angeles can handle many more people without building high density for atleast the next 20 years because of its massive inoccupancy rates of office buildings. It's uniquely an LA asset, in terms of handling an influx of people.

i know this is off the subject but who wants to slap whoever is in charge of the MTA and get them to elevate the red line through burbank and the northern part of the valley?

Well, this is one of the expansions of metro rail that our mayor is pushing, so if you agree, I am sure he would love your support, so get out there and get people talking about it and raise awareness cause there are people fighting for it. Just needs support en mass to get it finished as soon as possible. The foothill gold line to claremont will be completed before any future expansion including the expo 2nd phase to santa monica not because its what metro wants, but its because the people and governments along the route overwhelmingly support the line, even though it probably wont be used as much as, say the red line up to san fernando.

The City House (60 stories)
http://www.robertsonpartners.net/images/och3---8.5x11-ch.jpg

The Olympic (50 stories)
http://www.robertsonpartners.net/images/och11---8.5x11.jpg


Does anyone have an update on these two projects? I love the designs, which means they will probably not be built. I think the architect is a genius and hopefully more will follow his example of a modern beaux arts movement.

For a metropolis of 18 million people with a Gross Metropolitan Product of $750 Billion, LA’s alleged drive to transform itself is relatively indolent

Just so you know, this thread is for downtown LA... not LA Metropolis.

Downtown LA doesn't have 18 million people, its more like 20,000 - 30,000 if that (which is a far cry from 18 million). Also, the projects described in the first page of this thread are only NEW developments. There are many other "Adaptive Reuse" projects in the works that are not mentioned here. If you take all the proposed/planned/in-construction new projects and combine them with the adaptive re-use projects (IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA ONLY)... it is staggering. Downtown LA is a relatively small area compared to the rest of the metropolis. So just the number of new and adaptive resuse projects in this small area is what is accounting for the renaissance.

If you count the entire LA Metro area (West LA, East LA, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach Metro Area, South Bay, Inland Empire, etc.), who knows how many new residential/commercial projects are in the works.... that has yet to be seen and I'm certain it is A LOT! :cheers:

Just wanted to give you some perspective on the situation, I think you're comparing apples to oranges.

Downtown LA doesn't have 18 million people, its more like 20,000 - 30,000 if that (which is a far cry from 18 million). Also, the projects described in the first page of this thread are only NEW developments. There are many other "Adaptive Reuse" projects in the works that are not mentioned here. If you take all the proposed/planned/in-construction new projects and combine them with the adaptive re-use projects (IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA ONLY)... it is staggering. Downtown LA is a relatively small area compared to the rest of the metropolis. So just the number of new and adaptive resuse projects in this small area is what is accounting for the renaissance.


Downtown LA has never been a popular place to live. It is, however, the commercial and industrial core of Socal, where hundreds of thousands of people work on a daily basis. Currently, it is estimated that there are 15 - 25 thousand homeless in DOWTOWN Los Angeles alone, but you claim the entire population is 20 - 30 thousand. I am aware of the "adaptive reuse" projects - I know downtown like the back of my hand. Downtown may be geographically insignificant, but it is the business hub of the Western US and symbolizes the economic strength of California.

As for projects NOT mentioned in this thread, you didn’t leave out much. Throughout the ENTIRE CITY of LA (469 sq. mi.), there are 11 high-rises U/C, 11 under “reconstruction” and 12 approved. The vast majority of those are 20 stories or less. Compare that to DOWNTOWN San Diego, for example, where there are 17 high-rises U/C and 15 approved. Most of those are ABOVE 20 stories. San Diego, of course, is much smaller in area and population, giving it a big disadvantage in development.

For more info: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/sk/?id=101029 (http://)

BTW, that 60 story acropolis would be an obscene addition to the aesthetic, postmodern skyline of downtown. :ohno:

can you make a new thread and bicker, i keep thinking something new is happening

Sorry but I don't consider the homeless as residents since they are well... homeless. Regardless, you are splitting hairs... okay if you want to add the population of homeless to prove your point fine, 25k homeless plus 30k residents (with homes) makes 55k residents/homeless in downtown LA... again a far cry from 18 million (for the entire metropolis area).

With regard to the under construction and approved, if your only source is Emporis... then that is your first mistake. Their website/database is very much outdated and not current or does not reflect the current situation. Regarless, the Emporis website's LA section doesn't take into account the METRO area you keep referencing to (remember 18 million?). That includes the LA/Long Beach metro area... so your 11 under construction and 12 approved is FIRST not current and SECOND it doesn't reflect the entire LA/LB metro area!!! Again, please compare apples to apples. Look at the number or proposed and under construction high-rises in the entire LA/LB metro area and then we can talk! :bash:


Lastly, to debate the asthetics of the City House or Olympic towers is pointless as your opinion is just as importants as the next guys... to each his/her own. :runaway:

If you are aware of a real-estate/high-rise resource that's more comprehensive and/or more up-to-date than Emporis, please let me know. According to Emporis, there are currently 2 high-rises U/C adn 1 approved in Long Beach. :dunno:

It appears most activity in the metro area is happening in downtown LA.

Just so you know, there are 9 approved projects in LB... but the Emporis database does not reflect that. Emporis gets a lot of their info from SSC and SSP... we all know that. The better source is reading the newspaper, attending council meetings, redevelopment agency meetings, etc. FYI LA city proper and Long Beach city proper do not account for the LA/LB metro area... this would include but is not limited to West LA, East LA, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach Metro Area, South Bay, Inland Empire, Wilshire District, Beverly Hills, Korea Town, Santa Monica, El Segundo, Culver City, Central South, San Pedro, LAX, etc... (oh yeah Downtown LA)

Not really. downtown has many concentrated office spaces, but economically, it's just one node out of many in LA. I'll even guess that certain areas on the westside are much more economically powerful than downtown. With a city that's 500 square miles (biggest in the country?), you don't need +20 story developments. The area is sprawling enough to maintain 2 or even 1 story buildings that cumulatively have as much office space as vertical city counterparts.

Downtown LA has never been a popular place to live.

Not correct. It was the only place in Los Angeles to live prior to 1900, unless you were a farmer. I will admit that I am going back a long way, but "never" is at best an exaggeration.

Currently, it is estimated that there are 15 - 25 thousand homeless in DOWTOWN Los Angeles alone, but you claim the entire population is 20 - 30 thousand.

No, that 20-30 thousand is people living in residential units (rentals or condo), it doesn't include homeless, which actually number closer to 12,000, with about 1,200 actually sleeping on the streets of Skid Row. (This from an LAPD survey quoted in this week's L.A. Downtown News.) The rest of the "homeless" are not homeless: they sleep in shelters or SRO hotels.

BTW, that 60 story acropolis would be an obscene addition to the aesthetic, postmodern skyline of downtown. :ohno:

I can't agree. As a resident of the Historic Core, the archictecture of the City House and the Olympic fits right in with the old banks along Spring Street and Main, and several buildings closer to them along lower Broadway. Plus, City House takes several styling cues from City Hall. I can't think of a more iconic building or one that would fit in better in the Los Angeles cityscape. Face it, like most of LA, downtown has a wide variety of architectural styles, from 1900 to today, from cheesy to tasteful, from innovative to banal. It's a veritable wonderland for architecture buffs. The watchword is variety, and it's about time that our supertall buildings reflected the variety on display in the rest of the city. :)

Tall buildings does not a city make. With a city that's 500 square miles (biggest in the country?), you don't need +20 story developments. The area is sprawling enough to maintain 2 or even 1 story buildings that cumulatively have as much office space as vertical city counterparts.


My pet peeve. The city is 469 sq miles and is not even close to being the largest in the country or even the world. Houston is at 636 sq miles and Jacksonville, Fl is 874! LA also falls behind other US cities in terms of square mileage such as Honolulu @ 821, Anchorage @ 1961 and even Oklahoma City which stands at 621. LA comes in at #11 in the United States in land area.

In comparison Los Angeles is roughly 50% larger than New York City(303) but New York City is roughly 50% larger than Chicago which is 4 times the size of San Francisco. Should building density always be comparable? If so, how would these cities look?

Tall buildings does not a city make. LA has been a world class city almost since its inception even when their was a height limit of 150 feet! LA has never tried to compete with other cities solely in regards to how tall its buildings were. The city has concentrated on building one of the most busiest ports in the world, maintaining industry within its city limits(not becoming just a tourist town),creating a very healthy symbiotic relationship with its metro neighbors with the attitude of 'all can prosper' and always has been, still is and will be in the future a very attractive place for both national and international immigration. We've all heard the 'alarm bells' before that "LA is being left behind", "Industry is leaving the city", "It's lack of construction of skyscrapers is a symptom of its economic decline", "LA will fall into the ocean"...........No other city in the US or perhaps the world has been dealt riots, earthquakes, mudslides, immigrant unrest, pollution, traffic etc and is still growing, still reimaganing, still competing, still being uniquely LA no matter how many supertalls are being built adjacent to shanty towns in Mumbai or Nairobi. LA is and always will be the city of dreams.

I guess no one will answer my question about the status of the City House and the Olympic projects...

By the way, downtowns (in LA and elsewhere) should be the place for a mixture of architectural styles if anything rather than being just a collection of bland, monotonous, modern buildings which are mostly crap. To say that this style of architecture has no role in downtown LA is to admit that you are wholly ignorant of the history of LA and its architecture.

Someone on the other state message board said they asked the builder on the status and they said they're working on the structural diagrams. No one knows when it will break ground. Email the developer, it seems like they respond to emails.

Hopefully they will still be able to go forward despite the real estate slowdown.

With the new rendering of Park tower being released, I strongly feel that developers like CIM, South Group, and Astani are smart, cunning, know the LA market very well, and know exactly what they are doing with their projects. I believe that every one of their towers will come to fruitition even though many other peoples' projects may not make it off the drawing boards. Their projects are all on time to be complete directly at the time of the next and biggest influx of residents. We have not yet seen the big boom downtown, it will come in a few years just when LA Live, Grand Ave, Ralphs, Metro Expo and Gold line East side, are finishing their construction and this cycle of a slower selling market passes by. When these projects are done, we will see the true gentrification of downtown and the big projects that start construction in the middle of the downturn of this and next year will be finishing up. Its almost like CIM [who starts construction on Park and Hope Tower just when they finish Market Lofts with Ralphs], Astani, and the South Group saved their biggest and most influential projects to start construction in the middle of the downturn so they will be ready just as soon as the market gains a full speed momentum into the next decade. Just my thoughts

Check out www.cimgroup.com and look at the list of all the successful projects they have in LA alone and look at www.astanienterprises.com and know that he is the developer of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills... both of them... SMART and have MONEY!!!

Any thoughts?

Oh yeah, and the last thing I heard was that the City House and Olympic sales center is supposed to open in January, they already have the location with a sign in the window indicating it is in fact the sales center.

I guess no one will answer my question about the status of the City House and the Olympic projects...

.

These buildings are very much still in the running. They are rumored to now be twin towers of both 60 stories.

where did you hear that?

here is an update from curbed on the Gansevort West. i dont know if its really a update, but i love the render!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/2006-08-Gansevoort-West.jpg

We have few new details to provide on the Gansevoort West Hotel going into the old Embassy Hotel at 9th and Grand. But as always facts and "details" just get in the way of lushly rendered aerials, as we provide here. Opening is still scheduled for late 2007. A basic rundown of the project after the jump.

Designed by Stephen B. Jacobs and Andi Pepper, Gansevoort West will include:

· 170 hotel rooms and suites furnished with old Hollywood panache
· Two grand suites and one penthouse
· 48-foot outdoor glass bottom rooftop pool, featuring underwater lights and music, stretching over one of two restaurants
· Tri-level, 1,800-seat theater for concerts and performances, filled with $25 million of Tiffany glass
· Two lushly landscaped rooftop lounges with spellbinding views of downtown LA
· Rooftop restaurant and lounge in the building's signature illuminated copper Baroque dome
· 6,500-square-foot spa and fitness center

This is going to be a dense and bustling area with Park tower going directly behind the hotel on that parking lot, hope tower and market lofts on the parking lot across the street from that, and one block north is 8th & Grand. Can't wait!

I really cant wait! that whole area from 7th and fig to 12th and Broadway is gonna be fun in less than 5 years if all goes to plan.

From the LA Business Journal, regarding a new owner for the Fig Central Site. Looks like it might be a bigger project than before, with a hotel as well!

Anschutz Sells Retail, Residential Property Near Staples

By DANIEL MILLER
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

The Moinian Group has purchased a significant piece of downtown property near Staples Center from Anschutz Entertainment Group.

The transaction closed Aug. 11, with New York-based Moinian paying in the neighborhood of $78 million for a 4.6 acre property now being used for event parking near Staples Center, for which AEG is the majority owner, according to sources close to the deal.

The property, which is across Figueroa Street from Staples, has been entitled for 250,000 square feet of retail space and 700 condominium/apartment units, for a total of 1.1 million square feet. Moinian may decide to increase the number of condominiums or apartments by reducing the size of each unit. It also is considering adding a small boutique hotel to the project, sources said.

Commercial builder LNR Property Corp. had attempted to acquire the property several months ago, teaming up with homebuilders Lennar Corp. and KB Home. But the deal came apart when KB instead decided to build 216 condominiums atop the planned Marriot Marquis and Ritz Carlton.

AEG spokesman Michael Roth and the Moinian Group declined to comment on the transaction. Rich Mayo of O’Donnell/Atkins, who represented The Moinian Group, also declined comment.


another project as well...

Condo Project
Los Angeles-based developer Witmer Development LLC has purchased a 44,000-square-foot development site at 1247 West Seventh St. in downtown Los Angeles from Service Employees International Union Local 1877 in a transaction valued at $8.9 million. Witmer plans to redevelop the property into a multi-unit condominium project. The sales team of Phillip Sample, Chris Caras, Michael Shustak, Maury Gentile and Brian Denton at Grubb & Ellis Co. represented the buyer and the seller in the transaction.

wow! is there a link to this?

you need to subscribe to read the articles...

http://www.labusinessjournal.com/labj.asp

Has anyone any new updates on the "Grand Ave Mega-project"?

What about the " Metropolis Multi Tower project"?

It seems these two important projects went MIA overnight. Do we have any updates so far?

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Do you know English?

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no se hablar ingles soy venezolana y no se nada de eso

Do you know English?
no se hablar inglish

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No seas pendeja~ :bash:

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puta

Tu eres la puta porque nomas estas aqui con tus pendejadas!

MODS... this person (la chika-cool) posted this in the LA Thread: "fuera los angeles caracas venezuela es super mejor"

Translation:

"Out with Los Angeles, Caracas Venezuela is much better"

I believe that posting this in a Los Angeles thread is considered an antagonist post. Please send this person a warning. Thanks!!!

Plans Build for Downtown L.A.
Moinian Group expects to put up two condo towers, restaurants and shops on a four-acre parcel by Staples Center.
By Roger Vincent, Times Staff Writer
August 22, 2006

Efforts to make the Staples Center area of downtown Los Angeles a hub for housing, retail and entertainment got a boost Monday when a New York developer announced plans to build two condominium towers, shops and restaurants across the street from the arena.

Moinian Group, one of the country's largest privately held real estate firms, said it paid $80 million for four acres at the corner of 11th and Figueroa streets and plans two residential towers of 45 stories and 33 stories with more than 700 units combined.


The land, sold by Staples owner Anschutz Entertainment Group, was previously slated to be developed as housing by KB Home and Lennar Corp. It is across the street diagonally from the $2.5-billion LA Live development under construction north of Staples.

"We have a great deal of faith in the redevelopment of downtown Los Angeles and we think we can add to what is happening in a significant way," said Oskar Brecher, director of development at Moinian, which has major luxury high-rise residential and hotel projects in New York.

The company expects to break ground in 2007 and complete the nearly 2 million-square-foot project within three years. It was founded in 1990 by Joseph Moinian, who leveraged his earnings in the fashion industry to acquire loft buildings in Manhattan. Today, the company owns and manages more than $8 billion in residential, retail and hotel properties including the former Downtown Athletic Club in New York, home of the Heisman Trophy.

KB and Lennar's planned project unraveled after KB withdrew to instead form a partnership with AEG to develop a hotel and condo tower at L.A. Live.

Moinian's residential towers would house three types of units: lofts that could include condominiums, penthouses and so-called live-work units that could house small businesses. The target buyers are young professionals who work downtown. Prices are likely to range from $500,000 to $2 million.

At street level would be 250,000 square feet of retail space earmarked for a specialty grocery store, health club, shops and restaurants.

Several buyers bid on the property, said broker Rich Mayo of O'Donnell/Atkins, who represented Moinian in the deal.

"It demonstrates there is a lot of confidence in downtown," Mayo said, even as residential builders have been pulling back in other regions.

Moinian also plans to develop condominiums and perhaps a small hotel at a nearby site it recently acquired at 808 S. Olive St., Brecher said. That project would include 250 to 300 condos and cost as much as $100 million.

Partnering with Moinian on the Los Angeles projects is investor Henry Shahery, a partner at Miami-based Cabi Developers, which is a subsidiary of GICSA of Mexico City. Other downtown projects are being considered by the team, Shahery said.

"It's a growing market and we see opportunity," he said.

AEG, the developer of Staples Center and L.A. Live, has been selling land in the area with the intent that it be used for upscale housing. Developers have completed one condominium tower and have three more under construction on former AEG property.

AEG is the sports and entertainment subsidiary of the Anschutz Co., which is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz. Among AEG's properties are Home Depot Center in Carson and Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas. It is developing arenas in London, Berlin and Kansas City and owns the Los Angeles Kings hockey team and four Major League soccer franchises.

The company also has increased the housing component it is building at L.A. Live to about 2,000 apartments and condos by reducing planned office space and other uses, bringing the total number of housing units planned around the arena to about 3,000.

The strategy, said AEG Vice President Ted Tanner, "is to build a vibrant residential community — and add a lot more patrons for our restaurants, clubs and other venues" at L.A. Live.

The tourist-oriented "sports-entertainment" hub is slated to have a 54-story hotel and condo tower, 7,100-seat live performance theater, broadcast facilities, a 14-screen movie theater and nearly a dozen restaurants and clubs.

Excavation of the L.A. Live site is underway and completion is expected in phases starting in fall 2007. Tanner said AEG hoped to start work next year with co-developer KB Home on the hotel and condo portion of the project that is expected to house a JW Marriott and a Ritz-Carlton with a combined total of 1,000 rooms.

Here is a close up picture, I noticed that Moinian Group is calling this project LA Central:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/LA%20Central/LACentral.jpg

Nice! Is this where Fig Central was supposed to be?

Yes! New name LA Central~!

Yes! New name LA Central~!


Fantastic. Remember to add it to your first post, Vice.

Its going to be so dents next to the staples center. Is there a model or something that will show us what it will look like in the future?

This is the closest thing but it is dated, the buildings where LA Central will go are much shorter and it shows a Hilton instead of a Ritz Carlton:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l313/assrapist/Downtown/south_neighborhood.jpg

WOW if the the taler tower for Fig South stands out that much and it only rises 34 stories, now imagine the new LA Central rising 45 stories, pretty cool.

Here is another (dated also)

http://static.flickr.com/28/43682691_436109af29_o.jpg

Slow and steady is how LA will win the race.

Thanks vicecityguy.

http://http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=387712

$700 Million Mixed-Use Project Planned Near LA Staples Center
August 22, 2006
By Tonie Auer, Southwest Correspondent

Acquiring four acres of land in the redeveloping region of Downtown Los Angeles near the STAPLES Center and L.A. Live projects, The Moinian Group anticipate a $700 million mixed-use development (pictured) to connect residential and retail with the sports and central district of Downtown.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/LA%20Central/los_moinianproject.jpg

The Moinian Group acquired the parcel valued at $80 million in early August from AEG. The land was back on the market after a voided contract.

"Our ability to perform and finish the due diligence in this time frame was key to The Moinian Group ending up with this piece of land," Oskar Brecher, director of development for The Moinian Group told CPN.

The Moinian Group will add two million square feet of residential and retail in two high-rise towers at the corner of 11th and Figueroa Streets and across the street from the STAPLES Center and the L.A. Live project, which is being developed by AEG.

"This will be the residential and retail core of the L.A. sports and central district. Each property has a different function and this will make up the biggest residential component and the main retail component," he said. "We have a great deal of faith and interest in Downtown Los Angeles and believe it will take off and see this as a great opportunity to be a part of that."

The Moinian Group has proposed a mix of residential formats including lofts, condominiums, townhouses and luxury penthouse units within two high-rise towers of 45 and 33 stories. Additionally, the plan, designed by international architecture firm, RTKL, calls for an array of retail amenities and services including lifestyle shops, a gourmet food store, luxury retail, new restaurant concepts, a health and fitness club as well as other hospitality/entertainment endeavors.

The master site-plan may include a boutique hotel to complete the nearly 2 million-square-foot development. Total cost of the project is estimated at more than $700 million, including site acquisition. Construction will start in 2007 and will take about three years to complete, he sais.

I've always thought that with the event packed Staples Center, the Convention Center, all the new (upper middle class to upper class) residents of South Park, and its close vicinity to USC that LA Live has much greater likelihood to take off than Grand Ave.

Screw the boutique hotel, luxury condos and even the "luxury retail;" that's just more of the same. Here's the important stuff:

a gourmet food store...new restaurant concepts, a health and fitness club as well as other hospitality/entertainment endeavors.

Before you know it they'll be talking about bringing in a DWP, Gas Company, pharmacy, and other community services that give people a reason to frequent LA Live on the daily.

Both projects depend on each other. So both are significant.

So, I was out snapping shots of Luma the other day.....

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/luma_dev_06.jpg

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/luma_dev_05.jpg

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/luma_dev_02.jpg

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/luma_dev_03.jpg

Project Address: 1111 S. Broadway; 1108 S. Hill St.; 120 W. 12th St.; Los Angeles, CA 90015

Project Description: This proposed project would involve the rehabilitation of the Herald Examiner Building, a City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, and construction of two new mixed-use buildings in Downtown Los Angeles. The Herald Examiner Building, located at 1111 South Broadway, would be rehabilitated in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation to include 20,000 square feet of retail space, 9,000 square feet of indoor amenities, and 39,725 square feet of office space. The existing Press building, located at 1108 South Hill Street adjacent to the Herald Examiner Building, would be demolished and replaced with a new 23-story building that would feature 2,560 square feet of retail space, 268 condominium units, and 366 parking spaces. An approximately 50-foot wide courtyard would be constructed between the rehabilitated Herald Examiner Building and the newly constructed Hill Street building. A 37-story building is proposed at 120 West 12th Street, a site currently occupied by an asphalt-paved parking lot that would feature 10,000 square feet of retail space, 319 condominium units, and 523 parking spaces.

Construction of the proposed project would be phased and involve separate construction activities and timelines at each of the three project sites. Construction at the Broadway and Hill Street sites is estimated to begin in 2006 and will include abatement of hazards in the existing Herald Examiner and Press buildings, selective demolition within the Herald Examiner Building, demolition of the Press building and then rehabilitation of the Herald Examiner Building consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Building Rehabilitation. Construction at the other two project sites is anticipated to involve excavation for the subterranean parking structures, construction of the parking garages and then construction of the new buildings. Construction at the Hill Street site is estimated to begin either in late 2006 or in early 2007 and be complete in 2009, and construction at the 12th Street site is estimated to begin in 2008 and be complete in 2010.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Herald%20Examiner/ProjectMapLayout.jpg

23 Story Hill Street Building

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Herald%20Examiner/HillStreetBuildingMass.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Herald%20Examiner/HillStreetBuilding.jpg

37 Story 12th Street Building

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Herald%20Examiner/12thStreetBuildingMass.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Herald%20Examiner/12thStreetBuildingElevation.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Herald%20Examiner/BuildingHeighComparison.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v600/rpulido/Herald%20Examiner/Courtyard.jpg

i dont think i fully understand all those drawings. and is la live really going to be as tall as aon?!?!?!

The Ritz Carlton/Marriott Marquis will be 219.0 m tall. The Aon Center is 261.5 m tall.

no shit... wow. renders do not do it show it

actually, i remember reading somewhere that the Ritz will be somewhere around 750 feet, i forgot the exact number. Also, i called the Kawada group and asked about the zen tower, and they said that its moving ahead and that they anticipate breaking ground early 2007.

This is not real downtown but it is still in los angeles


Granite makeover plan gets a rocky review in Beverly Hills
By Bob Pool, Los Angeles Times | August 31, 2006

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Want your road to riches to remain paved with gold? Then you'd better pave your sidewalks with granite.


That's the view of Beverly Hills city administrators, who fear the famous community's opulent shopping district is losing its elite customers to competitors.

City Manager Roderick Wood wants to jack-hammer the concrete sidewalks along Rodeo Drive and surrounding streets -- home to some of the world's fanciest boutiques, including Prada, Gucci, Cartier, and Tiffany -- and replace them with granite pavers.

Never mind that the city just wrapped up a $16 million, two-year streetscape makeover that included new concrete sidewalks.

``Places like Las Vegas and Dubai and enclaves like Vail and Martha's Vineyard and developments like the Grove, Century City, and South Coast Plaza are eroding the base of the long-established markets and specifically in Beverly Hills," Wood counseled the City Council this week.

Rodeo Drive's new concrete walkways would be ``a very nice addition in Riverside or Indio," Wood said.

But ``even in places like Fresno," officials have begun jazzing up city streets.

The proposal has received a rocky reception, especially, especially when city officials showed the granite to shop owners.

``The tile looks like something from a shower stall. It is very ugly," said Manijeh Messa, manager of Bijan men's store. ``I told the gentleman from City Hall I wasn't in favor of it."

Messa and other merchants catering to celebrities, tourists, and the wealthy also cringe at the thought of another round of sidewalk barricades, construction dust, and noise in front of their fancy restaurants and expensive boutiques.

During the recent sidewalk redo, Rodeo Drive ``looked like a war zone; there were piles of dirt for six months," said Bijan's assistant manager, Marjan Townsend.

Then there is the price. The city wants merchants to pay the $850-per-linear-foot cost of the granite. Property owners would be required to install granite sidewalks when any reconstruction or tenant improvement costing $250,000 or more was undertaken.

That means sidewalks could have a patchwork look for years -- another thing that worries Rodeo Drive merchants.

``We don't find that Rodeo Drive looks shabby the way it is now," said Karl Schurz III, whose family owns property on the thoroughfare.

Three shades of mottled granite have been proposed. The greenish Kenoran Sage seems to blend better with most storefront facades than gray or beige granite, according to city staffer Daniel Cartagena.

Unlike the polished granite countertops popular in high-end kitchens, the sidewalk pavers would have a rough surface less likely to cause pedestrians to slip and fall in wet weather.

Despite the reaction of merchants, Wood believes Beverly Hills needs the granite to burnish its reputation as the ultimate posh shopping district. He said the competition for business is fierce, noting that nearby shopping areas such as Century City, West Hollywood, and Robertson Boulevard and Melrose Avenue are hot on Rodeo Drive's heels.

``To be the elite of the elite does not mean flat, white concrete and ho-hum green bushes for landscaping with no focus on a unique and exceptional quality of experience," Wood wrote in a memo to the City Council.

The sidewalk controversy ultimately will be decided by the City Council, which so far has not taken a formal position.

thats funny... godblessBH



...but if the city has the cash. and nothing else to spend it on, why the hell not? shit make the lamposts out of dimond... now that would be a sight!

^^ i like that idea. have to admit, i too will go to melrose over rodeo... i don't get tired of looking at the people there as opposed to rodeo.

So if Zen groundbreaks early '07, now he got a good number of 25 story and higher building groundbrakings between now and summer '07.
City House 60 floors, expected to start first quarter '07
Ritz 56 floors, expected to start first quarter '07
Zen, 50 floors, expected to start early next year
The Olympic 50 floors, expected to start first quarter '07
Grand Av Phase 1 47 and 25 floors, expected to start late 06' or early '07?
LA Central 45 and 32 floors, expected to start late '06 or early '07
Fig South 34 and 15 floors, expected to start late '06 or early '07.

What ever happened to The Glass Tower? And to the Grand Promade Aparments phase 2? Aren't they related to the GA Project? The Grand Promade Aparments are situated at a crucial place. IF that lad and the lot north of it where Disney Halll has some parking is built on: GA would not have surface parking lot from 1st street to 8th street.

correction: Fig south will have 34 & 23 Stories each, not 15 also dont forget other 25+ story buildings breaking ground possibly in 2007: Grand Hope Park Lofts, Metropolis 1??, St Vibiana Tower, Lucia & trinity towers maybe also.

sweet

Hey this video really show how L.A live will look like.



http://www.rtkl.com/flashViewer.asp?f=caselab_lalive.swf&h=400&w=500&pop=yes&name=&t=LA+Live%2C+Los+Angeles%2C+CA

Many of the angles and renders were just the good old ones. But it is nice to see them in a compilation, nice find.

New Lofts by Linear City LLC Anchor Redevelopment in LA's Growing Arts District
By Matthew Marin, Associate Editor

http://la.curbed.com/2006-09-millstreet1.jpg

SEPTEMBER 08, 2006 -- Los Angeles--With its distinctive, contemporary design, Mill Street Lofts, a ground-up, residential loft complex, will serve as a unifying component to two adjacent residential loft conversions also developed by Linear City LLC in the heart of the downtown industrial area here.

Designed by the acclaimed German architectural firm Behnisch Architects from its Los Angeles office, the 120-unit complex includes a 17-story high-rise and a four-level, ground-up townhouse structure located at 1820 Industrial Street.

Here's the link for complete article:

http://www.multi-housingnews.com/multihousing/reports_analysis/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003118377

whats the big square cut out of the middle? a patio?

it looks like modern block-housing to me. maybe it's just the picture or something

whats the big square cut out of the middle? a patio?

The landing for Wonder Woman's invisible jet?!!

This is a good thing although 17 stories in the Arts District would probably be the tallest thing over there. I approve of the slow and steady pace that LA is on. Many cities that boasted about building an obscene # of condos can't give them away. And the greatest thing about the building rate here is that the demand will only become greater at the area really starts to take off i.e. post LA-Live, Gold Line, Grand Ave Park and so on.

Here's an article from the September 2006 issue of Shopping Center Today on retail in Downtown LA.

***********************************

The Manhattanization of L.A
As residents move into former office-only areas, retail is sure to follow
By Dakota Smith

With 1.5 million square feet of retail planned for downtown Los Angeles, there are signs that the dam in the city’s retail-starved downtown is cracking. Never known as a shopping destination — let alone a livable area — downtown Los Angeles is experiencing a residential boom expected to bring retailers to the area.

“The demand in housing is driving the demand for stuff downtown,” says Robert Pressmen, executive vice president of the national retail division of Studley, a New York City-based commercial real estate firm with an office in Los Angeles. A total of 1.5 million square feet of retail is in the planning for the area.

Not that defining the downtown is easy. The 10-square-mile stretch of city blocks, lacking a real center, is a patchwork of districts all lumped together under the “downtown” label. Among these are the financial district; the fashion district (largely wholesalers); Bunker Hill, home to the Walt Disney Concert Hall; South Park, site of the Staples Center and the coming L.A. Live, a $2.5 billion entertainment center; and the so-called Historic Core, an area teeming with discount stores. National retail in downtown is sparse, to say the least. Drugstores are hard to spot, and not a single major grocery store exists — though one is coming — to serve the area’s 30,000 residents.

“There’s a lack of shopping excitement in downtown,” said Greg Vilkin, president of Forest City Residential West, in something of an understatement. Residential West is a division of Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises, which owns and develops both commercial and residential properties. In any case, Residential West, which has opened 750 residential units in the past 12 months in downtown Los Angeles, is one of several developers bringing retail to downtown through the ground floors of residential projects.

Some 7,000 residential units have gone up since 1999, and 7,200 units are currently under construction, with an additional 8,300 having received permits or at the planning stage, according to the Los Angeles Downtown Center Business Improvement District, a coalition of 480 property owners. All of this is expected to bring the downtown’s population up to 60,000 by 2015. In the late 1990s developers started building downtown rental units; people were drawn to the loft spaces, urban environment and easy access to the Harbor, Hollywood and Santa Monica

Moderate-to-upper-income housing has replaced those early rentals, but sources say more residents will mean more retail. “The only way for retail to come is to have a critical mass of people,” said Carol E. Schatz, president and CEO of the business improvement district.

Currently, major retail is confined largely to the area around the financial district. One of two mall-like structures there, Macy’s Plaza at Seventh and Flower streets, houses the likes of Casual Corner, Lady Foot Locker, Victoria’s Secret and Waldenbooks, as well as China Best Express, Robeks Juice and other food establishments. An outdoor mall at Seventh and Figueroa streets, called 7 + Fig, contains an Ann Taylor and a Robinsons-May along with a handful of local tenants. Foot Locker, Rite Aid, Payless ShoeSource and similar discount stores run along Broadway in the Historic Core, a walkable shopping area.

To provide residents with retail and entertainment, Residential West will bring a Latin-style restaurant featuring a wine bar, and a coffee and juice bar to Met Lofts, a 264-unit building in South Park. Additionally, 25,000 square feet of retail space (the retailers have yet to be determined) is planned for Forest City Enterprise’s Metro 417, a 277-unit refurbishment of a historical office building near the financial district. Commercial space in the two buildings goes for about $30 a square foot, standard for the area, says Vilkin. Rents in the Historic Core are lower, he says, about $20 a square foot.

For now, national retailers such as Gap or Banana Republic may not be a fit for the downtown, Vilkin says, because residents can easily drive to the popular Grove or Beverly Center retail spots. But small grocery stores, dry cleaners, shoe-repair establishments and the like are certainly needed. “In other cities, you can stop for 15 minutes on your way home, pick up cat food and milk, and you don’t have to walk for more than your block,” Vilkin said. “It doesn’t exist [here]. California is the land of the supermarket.”

Speaking of supermarkets, the first major grocery store to enter downtown Los Angeles in over 50 years is on the way. A 50,000-square-foot Ralphs is slated to open next year in Market Lofts, a 267-loft building on Ninth Street being co-developed by Lee Homes, a Marina del Ray, Calif.-based home builder; and CIM Group, a Los Angeles-based, private real estate investment firm.

In addition to the Ralphs (the last grocery store in the downtown was, ironically, a Ralphs, which left in the 1950s), the ground-floor retail space will include a Cold Stone Creamery, a Quiznos and a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

As for major retailers, it will be about a decade before there is enough in place in the downtown to attract them, says Bijan Yaghoobia, a senior adviser at Sperry Van Ness, a Woodland Hills, Calif., commercial real estate advisement firm. “Everyone says, ‘We don’t want to be the first one to go in,’ ” said Yaghoobia. “That is typical of retailers. That is their name brand, and they don’t want to go in and fail.”

Growth in the downtown also hinges on public perceptions of the area’s safety. Besides the fact that much of downtown Los Angeles becomes a ghost town at night, the skid row around Third Street contains what is believed to the country’s largest concentration of homeless people, with estimates as high as 10,000, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“It’s a big issue,” said Josh Williams, a local urban planner and the editor of LACurbed.com, a real estate blog. “People don’t want to go downtown if they think they are going to be harassed. There’s a perception about downtown, and it’s not just local, it’s international.” There are no fast, easy ways to remedy the homeless situation, of course, but other negative perceptions about the downtown are changing. The city’s dismal reputation as a convention center meeting place will probably fade with the construction of a convention center hotel, a Marriott, which is part of the L.A. Live entertainment project.

The builders broke ground last fall on L.A. Live (nicknamed Times Square West). Developed by Anschutz Entertainment Group, the Los Angeles-based sports and entertainment company that owns Staples Center, the project will contain a Ritz-Carlton, some restaurants, a nightclub, a 7,100-seat Nokia Theatre and ESPN’s regional headquarters.

Though retail is unlikely to be a strong component at L.A. Live (earlier this year Tim Leiweke, AEG’s CEO and president, told the press that the project will be entertainment- rather than retail-oriented), pedestrian traffic around the Staples Center and convention areas will get a boost.

Additionally, the Grand Avenue project, a $1.8 billion project developed by The Related Cos., the real estate development, management and finance firm that built New York City’s Time Warner Center, will span three city blocks near the Walt Disney Hall on the downtown’s north side. Breaking ground later this year, the first phase (which like the Walt Disney Hall is designed by architect Frank Gehry) will contain 500 residential units, a 275-room luxury hotel, 250,000 square feet of retail, including a 45,000-square-foot specialty grocery store, a health club, a bookstore, seven restaurants and a 16-acre park.

By 2009 construction will be under way on 700,000-900,000 square feet of retail space. Given its proximity to Walt Disney Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art, the project will help transform the area into a cultural center, says R. Webber Hudson, executive vice president of Related Urban Development. Hudson credits Gehry’s projects with helping transform downtown Los Angeles. “It’s really put L.A. on the center of the cultural map,” Hudson said.

Yaghoobia says more retail should follow the construction of these two projects, and that he has heard that area commercial rents are already rising in those locations. Still, he says, it will take more time for national retailers to come downtown.

“They have to provide the groundwork for retailers to eventually get there,” Yaghoobia said. “I think it’s eventually going to happen — the freeways are there and the income is there, so if you have the demographic, it will happen.”

Whoever wrote this is about as sharp as a butter knife. They never mention mass transit which will deliver people into downtown on foot creating the foot traffic that the retailers really want instead of having people drive into downtown, visit a store or two, get back into their cars and speed away. Also, since when was the drive from downtown to the Grove a breeze? And who are "these people" that are afraid to go downtown because of the homeless? What's their names? What do they look like? Where would these people live? Are they equally afraid to go to Santa Monica because of the homeless there?

!!

Also, since when was the drive from downtown to the Grove a breeze? And who are "these people" that are afraid to go downtown because of the homeless? What's their names? What do they look like? Where would these people live? Are they equally afraid to go to Santa Monica because of the homeless there?

You are hilarious!

I'm afraid of the homeless @ Santa Monica. :skull:

Don't know if anybody has posted this yet, so Im just gonna put this up, off of this last weeks LA Downtown News:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Downtown Trolley a Possibility

CRA Study Suggests Routes, Costs

by Andrew Moyle

More than 40 years after the last Red Cars disappeared from the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, a study commissioned by the Community Redevelopment Agency has found that there's little reason a trolley system couldn't run again.



A 68-page report released last week highlights the potential benefits of Downtown streetcar service to residents, business owners, commuters, tourists and convention-goers.

"The trolley, it supports the urban form," said Diego Cardoso, a planning commissioner and director of Metro's central area planning team. "When you have a dense city, what you want to do is provide a transportation system that enhances the environment. It's a part of the urban environment."

A $100,000 federal Housing and Urban Development grant secured by Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, whose 34th District includes Downtown, allowed the CRA to hire Irvine-based transportation and land use consulting firm IBI Group to examine a trolley system's potential.

The study examined five possible routes through Downtown for six or seven overhead-wire electric streetcars. The routes run the gamut from the plain to the fanciful, and have price tags to boot. The simplest comes in at a startup cost of just under $60 million, while the most elaborate are $73 million and up. The study estimated yearly operating costs at between $3.9 million and $4.7 million.

All five route concepts had to meet requirements that emerged from extensive community outreach, including connecting old and new city areas like L.A. Live and the Historic Core.


"It's part of what's still needed in Downtown, a fundamental linkage to connect our diverse districts," said Ken Bernstein, the planning department's director of historic resources. While still head of the L.A. Conservancy (he moved to his new position earlier this year), Bernstein had input in the project, insisting on a route including the theaters on Broadway.

When the subject was streetcars, that type of strongly held opinion isn't hard to find.

"This is the only issue that's really resonated with the public," said Dana Gabbard, executive secretary of the Southern California Transit Advocates, which holds monthly meetings in Downtown on all things transit. "With the streetcar, we had 20 people showing up from the start. With the Maglev [magnetic levitation train] you'd get maybe three."



Five Concepts




Because of the streetcars' popularity and familiarity, and the permanence of a route once it comes, consensus may be hard to find. In response, IBI spread its five concepts around.

Each proposed route had advantages and costs. Concept one, described as a reverse "S," would serve the Hope Street corridor along Bunker Hill, turn onto First Street and again onto Broadway to serve that historic corridor, wend back along Seventh Street and down Hope Street to South Park.

Concept two, perhaps the simplest of the five, would form a loop through Downtown along Broadway and 11th, Flower and First streets, with a short deviation onto Figueroa Street for a roll past Staples Center and L.A. Live.

The two concepts presented the fewest traffic conflict- and noise-inducing turns and were the cheapest, with both coming in under $60 million, but IBI cautioned that the steep grades of Bunker Hill might prove too much for a steel-wheeled trolley.

Phil Aker, supervising transportation planner for the Department of Transportation, echoed the point.

"We're able to handle the hills, which a trolley won't be able to handle," he said, referring to the Downtown DASH buses.

But, Aker added, the DASH system - Downtown's current intra-city connector - could be modified to work with the trolley.

"It's not competitive. It's supportive," Aker said. "Land uses are going to change. Destinations are going to change. We're ready to modify or respond or do whatever we need to do."

Trolley concepts three, four and five would avoid Bunker Hill entirely, and would add one-way loops through the Civic Center, Little Tokyo and the Arts District, connections to Chinatown and detours through the Fashion District. Concept three would serve as many of Downtown's disparate neighborhoods as possible, while concepts four and five are both "sensitivity analyses" meant to show how a trolley could serve areas untouched by the other concepts.



Next Steps


The study recommends any number of funding sources, including parking bonds or Proposition A or C sales tax revenue from the city, Transportation Improvement Program or infrastructure bond money from the state and federal grants. But Victor Franco, the Central City Association's former vice president of governmental affairs, sees a partnership with the private sector as the best bet.

"The development community just takes ownership of a project. I have nothing against the city... but I would rather have a non-profit run it," said Franco, who in his former role was among those delivering feedback to IBI. He now works for Downtown-based lobbying firm Ek & Ek.

With some "small start" or seed money from the mayor's office, Franco said, the trolley could potentially be up and running in seven or eight years.

IBI recommends a follow-up study to examine in more detail the potential of each route, but Brady Westwater, president of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, sees a better next step.

"I would think they would immediately put up a double-decker bus and take a look at the traffic," he said. "Have something to study, before you do another study."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, things are shaping up. Even if you're not a fan of trolleys (Im not, they suck IMO), its exciting about what it means. All of the West Coasts major cities have a system (San Diego, Seattle, and, obviously, SF). Why not us? Even if its not really clear if they mean "trolley" or "streetcar", which are VERY different...

As far as the homeless problem goes, it could be worse. Ever been out and about in downtown SF at 5 in the morning? It REEKS (sp?) of urine. At least we dont have that problem...

How cool a Trolley Downtown. then the Monorail....... Woohoo!

Monorail.......hmph!

edit

this project was cancelled and replaced by a new/similar one called LA Central.

Monorail? LA Central? Can anyone elaborate on these, as I havent heard anything about them...

Sorry, monorail boosters.

There is no monorail. There never will be any monorail. So get over it.

As you may have guessed, I think the idea of a monorail won't work, and should not be built.

But, more importantly than what I think, none of the political leaders in Los Angeles, city or county, are pushing it, or supporting it, or even talking about it. The MTA is not researching it, investigating it, or even thinking about it. It's a small group of monorail advocates that keep promoting it. But trust me, we're never going to have one. Nor should we.

Frankly, I think that's a good thing. I can explain why if you like, but let's just say that a subway is a much better idea, even if it would cost more up front.

L.A. Central is two buildings that will be built across the street from Staples Center, probably condos. Anyone remember how tall they are?

^^^33 & 45 stories up from 27 & 40 in the previous project Figueroa Central

[QUOTE=Reluctantpopstar]Sorry, monorail boosters.

There is no monorail. There never will be any monorail. So get over it.




^^ ....... and another thing Santa Clause does not exsist, now go to your room............ :bleep:

R~popstar, you are toooooo funny*

What's so bad about monorails?

What's so bad about monorails?



^^ There's absolutely nothing wrong with Monorails especially that they cost less than a Subway. For some reason most here on this site don't want or feel it's necessary to build one at all. Just look at R~Popstars attitude towards this excellent transportation idea. That's why I rather extend our current FWY system and definitely add more carpool lanes to keep the flow of traffic moving. :carrot:

Hey phattonez, pay no attention to our resident contrarian Ferney.

In addition to monorail's speed and capacity limitations, here are some other reasons I mentioned on CurbedLA to a person who suggested the Wilshire Purple line extension be monorail:

The political issue aside, introducing a fourth mode of rail transit in our system wouldn’t be wise. If you want an elevated structure, advocate bringing the Wilshire Purple line out of the ground from its current Western terminus. We already have three modes of rail transit in Los Angeles County: Metrolink diesels, Red/Purple line third rail trains, and overhead powered smaller light rail vehicles on the Blue, Green, Gold and future Expo. You see the forced passenger transfer is the smallest problem with a Wilshire monorail. The bigger issues, in addition to the many drawbacks of monorail technology, is that adding them to the Los Angeles MTA system would require completely new infrastructure from a whole new maintenance team, training school, rail yard and team of consultants. We’d be creating new offices that would in no way improve our existing system. It would be expensive and it would unnecessarily cap operational flexibility.

An ideal regional rail transit system has one or more trains that can run on all of its tracks. This allows us to purchase new trains in bulk, hire the brightest minds in the business with a honed-in expertise, keeps maintenance costs to a minimum and conduct studies at lower cost. Regarding the last point, since most of the world uses steel-wheel to steel-rail electronically-powered technology for its urban rail system there’s a vast research industry already established, studying things and offering improvements that we would be beneficiaries at no cost to us.

Finally, despite what you may have read, the construction cost differential between a monorail and elevated third-rail is not that significant, as the Seattle effort showed.

^^ There's absolutely nothing wrong with Monorails especially that they cost less than a Subway. For some reason most here on this site don't want or feel it's necessary to build one at all. Just look at R~Popstars attitude towards this excellent transportation idea. That's why I rather extend our current FWY system and definitely add more carpool lanes to keep the flow of traffic moving. :carrot:

I don't know about extending the freeway system. It seems that once the 710 is done and the 210 is extended toward the 215 and reconnects to the 10, then the major construction should be done. All that would be left after that is upgrades/maintenance. LA is the best freeway system in the world, IMO, and as of now there is no need for more freeways. Right now, LA needs to focus on getting more people on public transportation, thereby lessening pollution and also increasing the effectiveness of the freeways.

I can't wait to see how the 710 tunnel compares to the Big Dig in Boston.

damien ^^ i have always liked the idea of a monorail (getting a little old though), but you bring up many good economical points which i have never heard anyone bring up before. whatever,... if it's built, ok, if not, build something else that's fast.

Ferney... freeways bad :) . unless of course south pasadena comes to their senses. but we really already have one of the most extensive freeway system otherwise. "benefits are all about closing the gaps"

[QUOTE=phattonez]I don't know about extending the freeway system.



^^ What do you think about double decker FWYs instead???




Croyboy,
Ferney... freeways bad . unless of course south pasadena comes to their senses. but we really already have one of the most extensive freeway system otherwise.





^^ Totally agree on that one, but why stop now. Shouldn't we continue to make the FWY system faster and convenient to travel on. That would require more than just maintenance and light up keeping, right???







I know this has been discussed before and whatnot, you know who you are. I just want my favorite city to have the best of both worlds. For those who take pride on what they drive and those who prefer to take public transit.




~~~~~~~~

Damien, I do have to admit you brought up some excellent points about light rail vs monorail. For some reason it just seems that a monorail over all would be significatly cheaper to built and maintain than the Proposed Purple Line. I'm just saying that since $money$ seems to be a big issue when it comes to building something in LA.

i love to drive i think its the greatest thing in the world. as long as it is not a commute. in the last week of so i have had the privilege of working super late and ending up either coming in at random times in the morning or night. different then what i am used to. and form what i have been seeing as a growing trend is frightening. ferny i have to say i am switching my stance. LA does need to get of the road. thousands of people here are complete idiots when driving. that... as you can imagine is not so good. for instance while going north on the 5 freeway i witnessed, mind you this was during a non-rush hour rush hour when the freeway was anything but empty, someone go 2o feet past there exit. stop in the middle of the freeway, and pull a u-turn against traffic then hopping the curb to exit.

and massive amounts of reckless speeding during rush hours. weaving in and out of traffic with inches between cars. motor cycles that weave between cars.. not in the normal spot between the 1 and 2 lanes but between the 1 lane and the concrete barrier separating north and south. we fucking need trains desperately. get people off the road. lighten up the load on the freeways. put people into something they cannot control. into someone Else's hands. before we end up killing our selves or everyone else.

^^ haha... i too have seen people do u-turns on the freeway to miss their exits. just this past friday, i guess someone just realized where their lane was heading and cut across 5 lanes (also non-rush hour, but crowded) to the outside lane and didn't even get off for another 5 miles. plates were not california plates. both locals and the out-of-towners need to be able to travel easier, otherwise it's just trouble for everyone

i'm tellin you (well, i told you in other posts) the freeways are too wide and there's not enough time for anyone to get into the right lanes. after 4 to 6 lanes in each direction, a freeway starts to become counter-effective

^^ So you witness a dumb ass driver on the 5 Fwy, so what's new. Must of been a tourist overwhelmed by our highways........

There are signs that tell people when to get off a freeway. People should look at them. The freeways are not too wide.

yeah... i wish people would look at the signs... that way a tourist doesn't have to cut across and clip me.

freeways in L.A. aren't too wide, but i was in orange county. .\ /. everyone hear about the 5 being widened down there so that los angeles county will be a bottleneck. ughhh... they just really like to piss everyone off don't they

^^^Croyboy, can you explain the second part about the Golden State Fwy?

^^ The 5 FWY south in the OC is not consider the Golden State Fwy anymore. It's known as the Santana/San Diego FWY south.

^^Well you still knew what I meant. Do you know what croyboy was talking about?

edit...... double post.

^^ The 5 FWY in the OC is being widen 5 or 6 lanes as we speak. On the LA County side it remains 3 lanes until you pass the 605. It will remain 3 lanes until around 2010 or so, because MTA is focusing most of it's funds into Public Transit (Trains, Subway, and buses). Which is a good thing since the 5 FWY where the 2 Counties meet is really not or problem anyways..... That's why Croyboy was referring to the bottleneck situation.

So then why's he getting mad at the OC?

not OC in general, OC officials. they said they were going to widen the freeway. usually the counties work together on this freeway stuff, but OC officials exclaimed that the LACMTA had failed to get the funding to widen the freeway. we, like Ferny said, had planned to use our fundings more for mass transit instead of much car transit.

OC, right now, has no plans whatsoever to build up a good rail system (they'll understand someday)

OC officials know that more people will get on the freeway and we will be stuck with all the congestion (more congestion than usual because more people in OC will be encouraged to use the 5). our air quality will get worse too. i'm not into the environment, but i do like my lungs.

i think i'm really just more irritated.

I guess the OC is sick and tired of being LA's shadow. So know that they decide to widen a simple FWY and we don't. They feel like they have the upper hand and just want milk it as much as they can. Like Croyboy said there going to realize that they should of invested in Transit instead of FWY's, I can't believe I just said that.

Hope the OC goes broke again anf this time really files for bankrupcty...... LOL!

Like Croyboy said there going to realize that they should of invested in Transit instead of FWY's, I can't believe I just said that.

!?! :omg: !?! blasphemy, haha

Dudes, Orange County, in general, sucks IMO. It sucks hard. Almost everything about it (except the women) sucks, especially their God-forsaken freeways. Now, I know not everyone on here agrees with me about "the OC", and thats cool cuz this isnt Iran, but here me out. I moved here about 8 years ago from Baltimore to go to school... at that time, the 22 freeway was just getting started in terms of being upgraded for this century. Im not sure how many of you know what the 22 is, but its this horrible little freeway that runs east-west thru OC, and its one of the state's oldest. It also happens to be the only freeway running thru one of the (if not the single) fastest growing areas in OC. And they've been upgrading it...for 8 years. They've basically REBUILT it. They passed this obscure municipal bond a decade ago to upgrade this thing, and they apparently keep running out of money or something (Im good friends with this dude whose mom is one of the high-ups in the contruction company responsible, and thats the "official" story). Anyway, everyday around 2:30, this thing gets apocolyptic, which is pretty natural for this area, except for the fact that its now somehting out of an M.C. Escher painting. I s*it you not. Those freeway signs you guys were talking about? Yah, they exist, but they work in such a fahion as to make you think you're slowly dying of a brain bleed. They've had to knock out whole on and off-amps in perpetuity, and there is this one on-ramp that DOESNT ACTUALLY TAKE YOU ONTO THE FREEWAY!!! It takes you thru this maze of surface streets thru the entire city of Orange, where you will eventually find another on-ramp that HAS BEEN CLOSED. This madness is on-going, and its just one example.

Call me crazy, but I gravitate toward cities with tall buildings, like back home. That means LA for me, and I rarely venture our of the downtown-midtown area.

and, oh yeah, theres that bizarre competition that almost everyone in OC seems to have with the people in LA. The people are usually pretty cool (to a certain extant), but amongst the upper echelons of OC governance, its almost pathological. I understand how its easy for a disparate grouping of cities who almost seem to be as much at odds with eachother as they do with "the big, bad city to the north" (as many a disaffected OC resident has in some way or another told me) to have an inferiority complex, but hey, c'est la vie. Anyway, dont count on county-wide mass transit anytime soon (yes, they have the OCTA, and thats ok for what it is, but what it is isnt very good). We have enough trouble getting transit built up here IN A SINGLE CITY... imagine the trouble it must be to get things built when multiple municipalities are involved. All those people, different city agendas, all the in-fighting and petty crap... its a nightmare.

^^ Your absolutely right on the money there....... So why are we focussing to much on the OC, anyways. Besides let's not get to off topic and stick to the original thread of " Los Angeles Downtown New Projects".

Agreed. Besides the best way to fix the OC is to pull toll booths along county boundaries of the 5. Really, I don't understand why their aren't more toll roads. Well maybe I do, but I resign that I don't. Once driving through Delaware I had to stop no less than 3 times to pay a toll. This is pretty significant since "The Valley" is about as big as the state.

Los angeles downtown Projects
Click on the link then on the pic in the link

http://www.downtownlaretail.com/

??????

Going back to the topic of this thread. We're going to start the month of October, isn't this the time when Metropolis should start to wake up? From the little info people have gathered, I got the thought that Metropolis was going to start in the fall of 06', and we're almost there and no fresh news. How much longer is it going to take for the developers to release new info on this one? How much did the lawsuit delay this project?

...isnt it about time for a photo update. i have not been downtown for months, hell i have not been anywere besides work and my apartment for months... god damn EA

^^ That's great can't wait to see your pix.........

...did you read that post?

^^ Yeah your sick and tired of your daily routine to and from work, and now you want to take new pix of Downtown and whatnot..... Sooooo what's the problem?

verbal update LUMA is on 14th floor, EVO is on 2nd floor, LA Live is framing 2nd level of parking, Hanover is starting 1st floor of residential, Concerto still digging hole in the ground, Market lofts is progressing really well with orange paint on westside, shades of olive and lime green on the east and cream on 9th street face, and yadda yadda yadda I dont have a cam so cant take pics.

^^ Yeah your sick and tired of your daily routine to and from work, and now you want to take new pix of Downtown and whatnot..... Sooooo what's the problem?


neh, im sick of working 18-24 hours a day for a shitty project and have no time to take pix

What impressed me was that Evo is in it's second floor; way to go!

Going back to the topic of this thread. We're going to start the month of October, isn't this the time when Metropolis should start to wake up? From the little info people have gathered, I got the thought that Metropolis was going to start in the fall of 06', and we're almost there and no fresh news. How much longer is it going to take for the developers to release new info on this one? How much did the lawsuit delay this project?




^^ I've been for Metropolis to come alive these past few months and still nothing. I wonder how much more we have to sit and wait?
:dunno:

This is from the most recent Development Issue of the Downtown News a couple of weeks back.


METROPOLIS
Los Angeles-based IDS Real Estate Group bought the Metropolis project - its first development in Downtown - in January. Construction on the 6.3-acre site, currently a surface parking lot, was pushed back from this fall to the first quarter of next year for undisclosed reasons, but if the project moves forward, units could begin selling as soon as 2008. The development would occur in four phases and total 836 units. The first phase would be a 30-story tower on 1.83 acres and would feature high-end condos and ground floor retail. The site would include a seven-level parking structure. The property is bounded by the 110 Freeway, James M. Wood Boulevard and Eighth and Francisco streets in South Park. The $1 billion development, with designs by Gruen Associates and Arquitectonica, would also include a 46-story tower with 388 condominiums and 17,133 square feet of retail; a 55-story tower with 480 hotel rooms and condominiums; and a 42-story office tower with 11,000 square feet of retail


So it looks like we'll be waiting a while longer and who knows what it will look like at that point.

so there will be a 55 story tower right? the renders make it look like it's 30 stories max. i hope i'm right. correct me otherwise

I'll be glad if anything gets built on that site at all. These Towers should of been erected 10 plus years ago. So at this point anything is all good, so let's keep our fingers crossed. Lastly, they are two matters that really concern me is that construction cost has skyrocket and the lawsuit might keep this Project at 30 levels max. I guess we all have to sit and wait for the next first quarter of 2008 like (DaveLA_CA) said.

Hell, speaking of delays...isn't the Griffith Observatory suppose to open this fall?

november 3 it opens ^^^

That update from the most recent Development Issue of the Downtown News has said that Metropolis is breaking ground this fall since I joined this site.

^^ Well then one of you is not giving us the correct groundbreaking ceremony for Metropolis.

the above article says it has been pushed back from fall until Q1 2007.

Since I do live Downtown I will go make the rounds again and give you folks some updated photos. Maybe later this week. Look for them by this weekend.

There is a lot of progress going on, so I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing what's there right now. Later...

Right now there's only that bilboard at the Glass Tower's site. Any inside scoops on this one??? anyone???

I dont know if this is old or not but i found this video on the
kor hollywood and vine loft

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3513579427404479270&q=hollywood+and+vine&hl=en

^^ what about 3...

you are post number 666 on page 34

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3513579427404479270&q=hollywood+and+vine&hl=en


GUAU!! what an amazing video!! (and sales tool)...does anyone know what program was used to create that buildings and renderings in that video?

Breaking news!!! New 50 STORY OFFICE BUILDING ANNOUNCED IN DT LA!

BREAKING NEWS: Maguire to Announce First Downtown Office High-Rise in 14 Years

Developer Rob Maguire is moving forward on a plan to build a 50-story office tower overlooking the Harbor Freeway, Los Angeles Downtown News has learned. According to local real estate sources, Maguire, who developed some of the tallest Downtown skyscrapers during the height of the 1980s commercial real estate boom, is about to formally announce a new structure directly west of the 777 Tower in the Financial District. Plans for the development site always included three office towers, a proposal that was long-delayed because of the downturn in the commercial real estate market. The project would complement the 777 Tower and what is now Ernst and Young Plaza and the 7+Fig mall. This would be the first new Downtown office high rise since Two California Plaza opened in 1992. Pasadena-based architecture firm Keating/Khang has reportedly been hired to handle the design. Maguire Properties owns six Downtown trophy buildings. Along with 777 Tower, its portfolio includes the Gas Com! pany Tower, KPMG Tower, U.S. Bank Tower, Wells Fargo Tower and One California Plaza. Maguire Properties, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, has been the subject of buyout speculation within the past year. Maguire’s office did not return phone calls.

The latest edition of L.A. Downtown News will be uploaded by 7:00 p.m. tonight at http://www.downtownnews.com.

GUAU!! what an amazing video!! (and sales tool)...does anyone know what program was used to create that buildings and renderings in that video?

these forums are really starting to suck in the way of posting so let me try this again.

id say its 3d studio max and the vray renderer. maybe the brazil renderer. dont belive its maya

these forums are really starting to suck in the way of posting so let me try this again.

id say its 3d studio max and the vray renderer. maybe the brazil renderer. dont belive its maya


??? umm....thanks?

some info on whats going on in Asia with the mayor
(very interesting)
http://www.lacity.org/mayor/myrprasia/mayormyrprasia266441072_10132006.pdf

http://www.lacity.org/mayor/myrprasia/mayormyrprasia266441019_10122006.pdf

http://www.lacity.org/mayor/myrprasia/mayormyrprasia266440976_10112006.pdf



http://www.lacity.org/mayor/myrprasia/mayormyrprasia266440963_10102006.pdf


http://www.lacity.org/mayor/myrprasia/mayormyrprasia266440964_10102006.pdf


http://www.lacity.org/mayor/myrprasia/mayormyrprasia266440965_10102006.pdf

I love our mayor!!! I feel that once he is done with his 2 terms [because he will be elected again], LA will be such a great place, more than it already is. He is LA's biggest cheerleader

Los Angeles 2016!!!!

CIM's Park Tower

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4500/parktower5fg9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/8042/parktower1rl4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/9859/parktower2wg3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/3593/parktower3yc3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/589/parktower4nq9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

i dig it. looks a bit like the 7os but that does not discourage me. cant wait to see the sparkling glass wall

the outer framework looks makes this thing look like something out of chicago... looks nice though, it just might belong :)

It does look like something from 1965, but that's not bad at all. Reminds me of the American Cement building next to MacArthur Park. You've definitely got the Mid Century vibe there. If anyone doesn't know where this is, that's the Ralph's/Market Lofts building to left. (You can even see the Ralphs logo in the third pic) The site is currently a parking lot.

Promised photos are coming, really. Sometime soon.

yeah... a more modern 1965 look... it looks like a good blend between the new and old downtown (between historic core and southpark, specifically).

I like it hopefully it gets built
with all these residental towers being proposed can that rase downtown L.As population if so by how much do you think it will rise.

hopefull not by much. dont forget we have a 95.7% [last i heard] occupancy rate. these new developments will hopefully lighten up the rental market. not sure about owning

I LOVE this building. It will definitely stand out. New landmark for L.A.

Th facade reminds me of that new building in NYC, the Hearst Magazine Tower.

I like the style of the tower but kind of reminds me of a metal cheese shredder. I'm with Tennis on this one, a new landmark!

Cool looking building. I love all this new development in DTLA.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/1-1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/2-1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/3-1.jpg

now thats hott!!

some info on the tower???

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/1-1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/2-1.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a278/Imyurdada/3-1.jpg

OMG!!!! this is freakin' cool!!! is this the new office tower proposal? Where'd u get it?! iwannaknow iwannaknow iwannaknow

yup! it was all over the place today, TV, LA Times, Curbed LA, Los Angeles Business Journal, etc.. i guess ABC 7 news just reported that they will break ground in Spring 2007 and finish in Fall 2009.

Wow, considering how much time other projects have made us wait, cough City House, Olympic cough, Spring '07 seems like no waiting time at all. Well if they said it on the news its great, but im not completily satisfied as long as I see the site fenced off.

this is very interesting
Mayor villariagoas announces more than 300 million
dollars in foreign investmen headed for koretown

http://www.lacity.org/mayor/myrprasia/mayormyrprasia266441113_10172006.pdf

Ok, here is an updated list of all the NEW towers over 10 stories Under Construction, Proposed or Possible. PLEASE point out mistakes and missing towers. Believe me, i wont take it personally. By the way, while doing this research, it really is amazing how much is going on. Remember, these are only new towers, add in all the adaptive reuse, and all the units being built under 10 stories and we have a bonafide BOOM in DTLA!!!

**These heights are estimates, there may be mistakes**

Completed

1) South / Elleven - 13


Under Construction

1) Concerto 1 - 27
2) Hanover - 27
3) Evo - 23
4) South / Luma - 19

Proposed

1) Park Fifth Tower 1 - 65
2) City House - 60
3) Metropolis Tower 4 - 55
4) LA Live Ritz - 54
5) Olympic - 50
6) Grand Ave 1 - 50
7) 7+Fig - 50
8) Zen - 50
9) 1027 Wilshire - 48
10) Metropolis Tower 3 - 46
11) LA Central Tower 1 - 45
12) Grand Towers 1 - 45 ?
13) Grand Towers 2 - 45 ?
14) Metropolis Tower 2 - 42
15) St. Vibiana Tower - 41
16) Park Tower - 40 ?
17) Grand Ave 2 - 40
18) 8th and Grand Tower 3 - 38
19) Park 5th Tower 2 - 36
20) Olive Tower - 35
21) Shy Barry Tower 2 - 35
22) 717 Ninth - 35
23) South Tower 4 - 34
24) LA Central 2 - 33
25) Herald Examinar 2 - 33
26) 1247 W. 7th - 33
27) Lucia Tower - 31
28) Trinity Tower 31
29) Metropolis Tower 1 - 30
30) Grand Ave Tower 3 - 30
31) Pacific Exchange Tower 1 - 30
32) Pacific Exchange Tower 2 - 30
33) Grand Towers 3 - 30?
34) Kurtzman - 29
35)
36) Concerto 2 - 27
37) Grand Ave Tower 4 - 25
38) Grand Ave Tower 5 - 25
39) Grand Ave Tower 6 - 25
40) Glass Tower - 25
41) LA Lofts - 25
42) South Tower 5 - 25
43) Herald Examinar Tower 1 - 24
44) Hope Tower - 22
45) 8th and Hope - 22
46) 8th and Grand Tower 2 - 22
47) Block 8 Tower - 20
48) SB Tower - 19
49) FIDM - 19
50) Olive Street Lofts - 17
51) Ingrahm - 16 ?
52) Mill Street Lofts - 16 ?
53) 8th and Grand Tower 1 - 15
54) Park 5th Tower 3 - 14
55) Park 5th Tower 4 - 14
56) 808 Olive - ?
57) Colburn - 11


Other Possibilities

1) Titan Tower 3 (Possible Hotel)
2) 8th and Fig Hotel ?
3) Fig / 11th Boutique Hotel (LA Central Developer)
4) Federal Building - 16
5) Sci Arc Tower 1
6) Sci Arc Tower 2
7) Meruelo South Park Tower ?
8) Second AEG Hotel ?


Thats it for now! Remember, help me out. i have a feeling all those Hope Street Towers are the same and im mixing them up so please let me know. Thanks.

Sorry Double Post

Sorry Triple Post

did i miss somthing here? i know about city house, i thought it was going to be the tallest out of the boom. what is "Park Fifth Tower 1"?

Park 5th (65 stories) is supposed to rise next to Gas Company Tower (next to Title Guarentee).

Thats one of the projects that would make dr really dense. Imagina that area w/ this project, Cal Plaza 3, anbd Zen! Btw, Cal Plaza 3 is not on that list, is this project 100% dead?

^^Cancelled

Damn it, that was a true monster, too bad :(

cancelled :eek2: :eek:

Damn it, that was a true monster, too bad :(

I wouldn't fret. The space is still there. I'm sure in the not-too-distant-future, someone will build something there.

It's this Maruelo character actually building something Downtown or not?
Getting a bit tired of hearing about his LA visions, talk is cheap!

It's this Maruelo character actually building something Downtown or not?
Getting a bit tired of hearing about his LA visions, talk is cheap!

Agreed, so far he hasn't built squat. Here is his website fwiw-

http://www.meruelomaddux.com/splash.html

There is some interesting stuff under the properties/ residential tab.

what are the 3 south park towers on 12th and grand that Maruelo expects to break ground on in early 2007? have they been mentioned here before?

what are the 3 south park towers on 12th and grand that Maruelo expects to break ground on in early 2007? have they been mentioned here before?

I believe it is this:

http://www.vtbs.com/3_2b.html

http://www.vtbs.com/images/large/3_2b.jpg

Grand Towers
Los Angeles, CA
Client: Alameda Group and Meruelo/Maddux Development
Tower One: 44 stories
Retail 15,000 sf

Residential Condominiums 432,000 sf

Total 447,000 sf

High-Rise towers have finally arrived in Downtown Los Angeles. This is a tower that stands on-grade with a parking structure abutting which serves several residential towers. An icon that proudly takes its place in the Los Angeles Skyline.

The primary goal of Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh is to provide meaningful design solutions that effectively respond to the needs of our clients and the inhabitants of our buildings, while respecting the sensitive balance of community and the environment.

ah yes... now i remember... that better come to life

I dont know why I dont get my hopes up for this one. Maruerlo has been struggling with that single tower at 9th and Flower, how's he goint to pull this one off.

Maruelo starting to sound like paid entertainer before the main attraction. He Wow's us and get gets us all pumped up for the main act. Then someone else comes in with the real deal..........

I wouldn't be surprise if Trump erects a Highrise Tower Downtown before Maruelo!!!!

Thanx Steve2726 4 the link*

Guys, a tower doesnt go up the day its announced. it takes time. clearing the planning boards and city council, getting permits, funding, getting workers, site prep etc etc etc. He is in planning for both projects and i expect both to be under construction before summer of next year, if not earlier. i think the one next to ralphs will be U/C before Feb and this next one by June.

Guys, a tower doesnt go up the day its announced. it takes time. clearing the planning boards and city council, getting permits, funding, getting workers, site prep etc etc etc. He is in planning for both projects and i expect both to be under construction before summer of next year, if not earlier. i think the one next to ralphs will be U/C before Feb and this next one by June.

Yeah, who here remembers Trump's 110- / 120- story tower on the Ambassador Hotel site? LOL...

ya, damn school board. i guess he can build a 130 story one in Downtown now :)

LASF pretty much explained it. Just because you see a new proposal, doesn't mean that it'll start construction the next day.

So quit moaning and relax.

I was in L.A yesterday and their is a lot going on.
special around the staples center of course its the L.A live construction

that hotel with the tree billboards looks really nice
it will look even better after all the l.a live construction is done
also the sign says that la live will be opening 2007
????? is this part of it or phase one or what???????

Phase one in 2007
Phase two in 2008
Phase three (hotel) in 2010.

ya, damn school board. i guess he can build a 130 story one in Downtown now :)

i believe there's a city ordinance that forbids any building west of the Harbor Fwy to be over 60 stories tall. I read it in the Downtown News several years ago. I think they don't want a skwered skyline.

^^ I thought I read somewhere on these board about the restriction would be removed. So CityWest could have some high rises as well? Can someone please confirm?

^^ I thought I read somewhere on these board about the restriction would be removed. So CityWest could have some high rises as well? Can someone please confirm?


CityWest could have high rises of course, but not over 60 stories. I think the reason being its that they would obscure the buildings in the CBD.

I read a while back that during the 80s boom there were many tall office towers proposed for City West but they all took shit when the 90s recession hit.

CityWest could have high rises of course, but not over 60 stories. I think the reason being its that they would obscure the buildings in the CBD.

They need to build highrises in City West so that they fill in the gaps in the skyline when viewed from this angle:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/800px-LosAngeles06.jpg

Compare the noth side of the skyline to the south part of the skyline. The north, is the Wells Fargo Towers, Cal Plaza, and that BoA Tower. The south is the Fig. corridor, the AON, and other individual buildings. My point is that individual buildings create a more dense skyline, the "centers" or "plazas" dont create that feeling. If all of dt was built like Fig, LA could easily look like SF or San Diego.

eewww!:ohno:

eewww!:ohno:

Eewww indeed! Thats an ugly shot of Downtown with the gaps and all but im hoping that will be fixed in the next few years.

i hate that shot... could've at least included the 777 tower or even out to the AT&T tower on the right

And the worse is that none of the projects proposed are in the areas that would fill in the gaps!!!!!!

Maybe Park Fifth??????

park 5th and zen.

Maybe Park Fifth??????

even park fifth will hide behind the gas company tower and library tower

^ Park 5th will be next to Gas Company. Not behind it.

For the gaps to disappear there needs to be something built west of the 110; the thing is that anything proposed west of the 110 is on Wilshire, or south of Wilshire. To fill in the gaps it would have to be on 3rd, 4th, and 5th street. Is there anything tall proposed there?

^ Park 5th will be next to Gas Company. Not behind it.

from that camera angle it will. we're looking east down the numbered streets
park fifth will be bounded by 5th and 4th in this view

if we were looking north up figueroa, grand, etc., then yeah it would be next to gas company

And the worse is that none of the projects proposed are in the areas that would fill in the gaps!!!!!!

1027 Wilshire will help but its hard to say, but the new 755 project and metropolis will really add some density to the remaining skyline.

1027 Wilshire will help but its hard to say, but the new 755 project and metropolis will really add some density to the remaining skyline.

haha... i like how you said "remaining"

Ill I want to know is why hasent Trump proposed any thing yet??????????

^ He proposed a 150 story building on the site of the Ambassador hotel in the mid 80's. But the LAUSD fought it and won.

lausd?

im too tipsy to want to google it

Los Angeles Unified School District

thank you 3oo

Ill I want to know is why hasent Trump proposed any thing yet??????????



^^ He's building some fancy resort style Hotel down in Baja instead!!! jerk*

Titan Closes Escrow on Towers

By DANIEL MILLER
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

The Titan Organization Inc. has taken another step towards building its pair of $500 million luxury apartment towers in downtown Los Angeles’ South Park district.

The company, formerly known as Rodmark Inc., has closed escrow on a 58,000-square-foot property at the southeast corner of Grand Avenue and Olympic Boulevard where the Olympic and City House will be built. The towers will be tallest residential buildings on the West Coast when completed.

Titan, a Los Angeles-based high-rise developer, purchased the property from owner Jim Myron for $30 million and hopes to break ground in summer 2007.

The two towers – one 60 stories the other 49 – will total 800,000 square feet and contain 320 units. The towers will be fashioned in the New Beaux Arts style.

Phillip Sample, Michael Shustak and Chris Caras of Grubb & Ellis Co. represented Titan in the deal.

so city house good to go?!?

i seriously thought it would die too... good for olympic and city house

hell yeah ^^

i seriously thought it would die too... good for olympic and city house



^^ You see miracles do happened!

^^ that sounds like one delicious turkey ;-D

^^ He's building some fancy resort style Hotel down in Baja instead!!! jerk*

Donald Trump cracks me up. He thinks he is the saviour of the world by just proposing a project... He proposed the 150-story Ambassador tower after the LA riots, He proposed his own project for th WTC site after 9/11 and he's proposed a large hotel/casino in New Orleans after Katrina... His batting average isn't that great when it comes to "saving" cities...

^ True, but it would be nice to have a Trump Tower Downtown.

I don't understand why do so many people want Trump here... What's the big deal about him? I mean, what else can we expect from him other than another tall building with his name slapped on it to make up for his shortcomings?

Personally I think it would be much more interesting to see some new players like Mori from Japan or that company from Dubai (forgot its name) to come over and bring in something unique... Mori'll prolly give us a nice complex complete with respectable high-end retail and nice gardens and shit, like Roppongi Hills, and the one from Dubai would prolly give us some outrageous designs/architecture rather than the nice looking but boring ones we've been seeing...

Even Cheung Kong from HK can make things more interesting... by dumping 2000+ tiny 400sqft units on the market, Hong Kong style :-D

oooo ooo 4oo sqft. jee wiz that will help out los angeles.

then in 4 months time we will get an article about how a 7 person family is stuck in one of those. saying they want to move to tulsa

^ lol something like that :-D yah I was joking about the HK one but I'm serious about the other 2...

i wouldn't mind living in a 400 square foot loft. I think it would force creativeness out of people. like sleeping in the stove or something :D

ha! sleeping on the stove... well done

i wouldn't mind living in a 400 square foot loft. I think it would force creativeness out of people. like sleeping in the stove or something :D


^^ What you really mean is taking a dump and frying some chicken at the same time...... lol*

well to be fair there are plenty of 400 sq ft apts in LA :-( But watching Big Style in Small Spaces on HGTV I see they do force out creativity :-)

my place is 1100 sq ft and i live with 4 roommates. the place is still too big to decorate

i think im 6oo or 8oo... not sure. but fuck its full two full size computer desks and a couch will eat up space mad fast

my place is 1100 sq ft and i live with 4 roommates. the place is still too big to decorate



^^ I would go insane in a box with 4 adults......

haha... i have the opposite problem. i can't stand large empty houses by myself. reminds me of a haunted house.

oh and we're young adults... we still count our half years :lol:

haha... i have the opposite problem. i can't stand large empty houses by myself. reminds me of a haunted house.

^^Chicken


oh and we're young adults... we still count our half years :lol:


^^ Sorry, I meant teenagers..... better?

heh... i wish

^^ What you really mean is taking a dump and frying some chicken at the same time...... lol*

oooh, I had Roscoe's this weekend. I rarely eat there because the food is too heavy, it put me to sleep for 3 full hours.

where's Roscoe's at?

I've been to the Roscoe's in Pasadena. It IS very heavy...can take it maybe once a year.

oooh, I had Roscoe's this weekend. I rarely eat there because the food is too heavy, it put me to sleep for 3 full hours.



^^ Half the fun is actually frying the bird....Then you dig in!