LA has a glacial approval process. I have no idea why that is.

Edit

Far be it from me to tell anyone how to do his job, but LA's new business development czar should be looking for high-proflie case studies to share with potential investor to show-off LA's new business-friendly attitude.

This might be a good one to start with. ("When I started in office, this project had been languishing in various drawers for almost a year and the investor was losing interest in LA altogether. Within 2 days I had beheaded several department heads and had the project moving at full speed....")

My mother used to work in 1010 Wilshire (back then it was called the Pacific Bell Building or Plaza or Center or whatever). Her office was one of the corner offices on the 13th floor so I used to go in there all the time when I was a kid. I think it was built sometime in the late 60's or early 70's. This is what it used to look like.
http://www.emporis.com/img/6/2004/03/249727.jpg

This building was actually built between 1958, and 1965. as the HQ of the Signal Oil company, (Signal Hill, Ca.) the cladding on the building in the photo is the 2nd skin, the original skin looked more like the cladding on the CNB building on 5th, and Olive, concrete/terazzo panels, and windows.

When pacific bell got the building, somewhere around 1972, it was stripped down to the frame, and re clad.

Also, Pacific Bell (sometime in the 80's) was planning a 40+ floor Office tower for the microwave center site on bunker hill, that site is still a parking lot.

Still a parking lot, ohhhh, God .......... ^^ And YOU TELL 'EM, CHO!! WAKE US UP!

Streetcar Ads Hit the Streets
http://blogdowntown.com/2010/03/5223-streetcar-ads-hit-the-streets

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/4479492225_b9b41893af_o.jpg ERIC RICHARDSON/FLICKR

Gorgeous!!

"Dinner at LA Live; performance at Disney" sounds like a recipe for bankruptcy

they considered "Dinner at Grand Central Market, Drinks Out of a Bag on San Pedro" but realized that the trolley won't go there.

Always the cynic.

MUSIC CENTER PLAZA RENOVATION MAY REQUIRE TAKING ON ADDITIONAL DEBT http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/b9f5bf5439cecbd5_large.jpg THERE IS NO FUNDING IN PLACE OR TIMETABLE FOR THE PROJECT, WHICH COULD COST AS MUCH AS 250 MILLION
Officials said they hope to renovate the plaza between the Chandler and the Taper in the next decade.

Despite a wrenching economy, the Music Center hasn't abandoned an ambitious renovation plan centering on the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and also involving the large outdoor plaza between the Chandler Pavilion and the Mark Taper Forum, according to a financial analysis issued Wednesday by Moody's Investors Service.

The reported cost, "upwards of $250 million," more than doubles the previous, 3-year-old estimate of more than $100 million, which included only the Chandler Pavilion.

The Moody's report says the new estimate covers "various large-scale construction and renovation of buildings, performance spaces, the outdoor plaza and office space," to be incurred "over the next several years." To finance those improvements, the report says, "management notes that the Music Center may take on up to $100 million to $150 million of additional debt," with donations and county funds to cover the rest of the upfront costs.

Responding to a Times inquiry Wednesday, the Music Center did not make officials available for questions, instead issuing a brief prepared statement:

"Renovation of the plaza, the Pavilion and construction of a new office structure have been in our plans for several years. . . . We continue to be in search of funding to proceed with one or all of these projects. But the economic climate is not hospitable. At the present time, we do not have any funding in place and have no set timetable for moving ahead. It remains our hope and desire to renovate the plaza and Pavilion within the next decade."

Early in 2008, before the financial meltdown that year, Music Center President Stephen Rountree had laid out a timetable in which renovation of the Chandler Pavilion would have proceeded in small stages over four summers, followed by a major overhaul that would have required shutting down the hall in 2013. L.A. Opera, the Pavilion's main tenant, has long wished for expanded backstage facilities, and the hall's acoustics come in for continual criticism and were a crucial selling point for the nearly $300-million construction of Walt Disney Concert Hall as a home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale.

The Music Center is the private, nonprofit organization that operates the Pavilion, Disney Hall and Center Theatre Group's Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre. The resident groups pay rent to the Music Center, which serves as a landlord providing maintenance and security while also running a large arts education program and presenting a dance series and coordinating rental use by outside groups.

Moody's made its report after analyzing the Music Center's finances and longer-term plans for an update of its rating on $27.2 million in bonds the organization issued in 2007 to pay the bulk of a $30-million makeover of the Mark Taper Forum that was finished in 2008.

Moody's reaffirmed the A3 rating and "stable" outlook it attached to the tax-free Taper bonds when they were issued. The A3 rating means Moody's considers the bonds an "upper-medium grade" investment; the rating is seventh on a scale of 10 rankings that qualify as "investment grade" bonds, as opposed to the riskier "speculative" category for borrowers Moody's considers more likely to default.
. http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/RalphCraneLIFE.jpg .
Among the Music Center's financial strengths, Moody's found, are its "strong relationship" with Los Angeles County, which provides about 40% of its annual revenues, and "robust annual philanthropic support" that covers 21% of the budget. Annual donations average $25.5 million and reached $27.7 million in 2008-09, Moody's reported.

On the downside, Moody's characterized the Music Center's $26.9 million in reserves as "limited." Most threatening to a solid bond rating, it said, would be "weakening of . . . support by the county" and "sustained weakening of gift revenue."
mike.boehm@latimes.com PHOTOS RALPH CRANE/LIFE MIKE BOEHM LOS ANGELES TIMES

Wow! Are those grand stairs leading to the up and coming Disney Hall stop?

Great old pictues; probably 1960's? I see the microwave tower is there to the left of the Chandler. The Richfield Building was still around back then and it was pretty seedy around Bunker Hill. Yes, even the new DT was a slum back then.

Those pictures make the whole thing look pretty grand, but the steps and plaza are mostly rather drab concrete with low-grade planters. I don't know that I would spend my money on this area since it's not that bad, but it is far from grand at this point. The buildings themselves are pretty nice although not my favorite style.

From the LA Times

Los Angeles Film Festival makes a move out of Westwood

Like Jamie Foxx in "Dreamgirls," the Los Angeles Film Festival is going downtown.

The 16-year-old festival, whose events have been centered in Westwood for the past four years, will move the locus of its screenings and events to downtown Los Angeles.

Among the venues at which the Film Independent-run LAFF will show films and host panels are Regal Cinemas, the Grammy Museum, the Orpheum Theatre and Nokia Plaza, with L.A. Live serving as its flagship venue. The festival will continue to hold outdoor screenings in Hollywood, at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater. (The Times is a presenting sponsor of LAFF.)

The move continues a pattern for Film Independent, which also runs the Spirit Awards, of moving its events downtown. The Spirits' switch last month, to L.A. Live, met with mixed results, but festival director Rebecca Yeldham said that the new spot would be more central and also tap into the neighborhood's emerging cultural identity.

“Our new location will continue to pave the way for LAFF to realize its potential as an international destination event, and unites our filmmakers and audiences with the diverse arts community that exists downtown," she said.

Last year's festival showcased a number of films that went on to broader acclaim, including the political satire "In the Loop," which was nominated for an adapted screenplay Oscar. This year's edition of the festival begins on June 17 and runs through June 27. Film announcements are expected in early May.

--Steven Zeitchik

I used to love Westwood. I'm really starting to worry about it- an area that is unique in the city if not the world in a way and disposable income in the vicinity. Why does it not work?

THE L A F F CAN BE AS BIG AS SUNDANCE -TIM LEIWEKE/AEG
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/4361787558_5c27c09fe0_b.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/getty2222222.jpg GETTY IMAGESWE GOT A CHANCE TO CATCH UP WITH TIM LEIWEKE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF AEG ABOUT THE COMPANY'S AIMS FOR THE LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

The LAFF announced Thursday morning that it would move nearly all of its events out of Westwood and into various AEG-operated venues downtown. Leiweke told 24 Frames on Thursday evening that he hopes to build festival attendance to 250,000 (last year it hovered around 85,000, according to organizers).

"This should rank up there with the great film festivals of the world, with Toronto and with Sundance," Leiweke said. "We want to be in a situation where some of the biggest events in the film world would take place at the Los Angeles Film Fest."

He acknowledged that those goals lean toward the grandiose end of the spectrum. "It's not something that's going to happen tomorrow," he said, adding "it's going to take years." The festival has years, though not that many of them; the deal between LAFF and AEG will run for three years, according to organizers.

Events will be scattered throughout downtown, at venues such as L.A. Live, the Nokia Theatre, the Orpheum and the Regal Cinemas, and organizers hope the shift will help give the festival a burst of momentum. "At the end of the day, we want to remind people that life [in Los Angeles] started here," Leiweke said. "We're we're the entertainment capital of the world. We've got to figure out a way where we can have one of the best film festivals in the world." .
PHOTO BANYANTREEPRODUCTIONS/FLICKR STEVEN ZEITCHIK LOS ANGELES TIMES

I guess it depends on what you mean by "best" film festivals. Sundance is a couple of days of negotiations that could take place anywhere followed by 2 days of photo shoots that jazz up trash celeb magazines. This all has a business role, but it's mostly because the brand "Sundance" has been developed, not because of the quality of films or actual need to go there.

The LAFF has a problem in that movie stars are already commonplace in LA (that is, there is nothing unique about getting a picture of Kate Beckinsale in LA but there is someting unique about getting a picture of her in Sundance). I suppose all they can do is pour on more glitz. Fortunately, they seem to be good as this.

THINKING ABOUT MORE THAN JUST FOOTBALL ... LATEST L A PROPOSAL FOR NFL STADIUM HAS A ROOF! http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/JaylClendenin44.jpg JAY L. CLENDENIN/LATIMES .
TIM LEIWEKE AND CASEY WASSERMAN FLOAT THE IDEA OF A MULTIPURPOSE DOWNTOWN STADIUM NEAR STAPLES CENTER WITH A RETRACTABLE ROOF

The latest concept for an NFL stadium in downtown Los Angeles — a $1-billion venue next to Staples Center — has, The Times has learned, something none of its scuttled predecessors had.

A ceiling.

Although that might seem like a minor distinction, proponents of that project say that a retractable roof would greatly enhance the versatility of the building, making it ideal for major sporting events such as the Final Four, championship title fights, and all sorts of national conventions.

Influential businessmen Casey Wasserman and Tim Leiweke are investigating the possibility of developing a privately financed stadium where the convention center's West Hall sits. That would serve as the cornerstone of AEG's sprawling sports and entertainment district, a so-called campus that already includes Staples Center, LA Live, and a just-constructed 1,000-room hotel.

Wasserman approached Leiweke with the idea last October, touting the site as the most viable and interesting solution for a region that has struggled to find both.

"This is just thinking right now," said Leiweke, AEG's president and chief executive. "It's saying, ‘If we're going to invest this kind of time and money anyway — even if it doesn't cost taxpayers a dollar — shouldn't we think about the other uses if we had a roof to cover it?'"

The vision is that the complex would not only be the quintessential site for Super Bowls but also could play host to the Pro Bowl; the NFL draft (alternating years with New York); the scouting combine (alternating years with Indianapolis); and the finals of the World Cup in 2022. The NFL has made it clear that any new stadium in Southern California should be able to accommodate two teams, leaving open the possibility that the primary tenant could one day share the venue.

The backers believe L.A. would be the ideal spot for virtually every major convention, which could use the stadium along with supplemental space added to replace the West Hall (roughly 14 acres). That's sufficient space to fit the structure of any current NFL stadium.

"This is the final piece to the downtown puzzle," said Wasserman, founder and chief executive of Wasserman Media Group. "It's the only chance for the city to benefit from the economic power of a stadium of this caliber."

Backers say a stadium of this magnitude would have unparalleled revenue streams from a variety of sources, among them naming rights, suites, Super Bowls and seat licenses that would pay for the facility in similar fashion to its neighboring Staples Center.

Buying a team would cost about $1 billion more, but that wouldn't necessarily be required if a franchise relocated with the same owner.

The city owns the convention center, and the support of the mayor and City Council would be essential to the downtown project. There is precedent for such a transaction, however, as Staples Center was built on the site of the convention center's North Hall.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who counts Leiweke and Wasserman among his longtime political supporters, was unavailable to comment on the proposal. A spokeswoman for the mayor also declined to comment. Councilwoman Jan Perry, whose district includes Staples Center and LA Live, said she was unaware of any new proposal to build a new football stadium in downtown Los Angeles.

Calling the pursuit of a stadium daunting is an understatement. A long list of business leaders — some of them billionaires — have tried and failed to bring the NFL back to the nation's second-largest market.

What's more, the downtown bid would put Wasserman and Leiweke in direct competition with developer Ed Roski, who already has an entitled and shovel-ready piece of land in City of Industry to build a football stadium. There is only room for one such project in the L.A. area, and the Industry group is at least a year ahead of any other because it has clearance to build.

However, no one is going to build a stadium without team, and the league is not going to entertain the possibility of a team relocating before the labor dispute is resolved. The current collective bargaining agreement expires in March 2011, and owners want players to participate in paying off the enormous cost of stadiums.

All signs point to it being at least a year before any project gets the kind of traction needed to move forward, which gives the downtown concept time to catch up.

This isn't the first downtown proposal by Wasserman and Leiweke. Eight years ago, they touted building a stadium in South Park, also near Staples Center. They pulled out of that plan, however, when the Coliseum Commission vowed to make its own bid to land an NFL team.

Times have changed, though. The Coliseum has a long-term deal with USC, and the commission is no longer pursuing pro football.

"We're married to USC," Coliseum General Manager Pat Lynch said. "They have a seat at the table if we ever talk NFL, so we're not talking about the NFL. I haven't been approached by the NFL.

"We're not active, so therefore the door's open for these other sites."
sam.farmer@latimes.com SAM FARMER LOS ANGELES TIMES

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/4526285987_4c1c500285_o.jpg ERIC RICHARDSON/BLOGDOWNTOWN . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture417201060450AM.jpg

Where do they even have room to build a stadium there?

There's maybe room for a 65 - 75,000 cap. stad.

I mean I see room for one of those Circus Maximus but not a stadium

http://www.markville.ss.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/projects/classof2008/chong2/vlee/230_026c.jpg

Nah, they could float the stadium over those adjacent streets. That land next to the freeway with solar panels belongs to the Convention Center too.

Any word on how they are gonna replace lost convention center space if a football stadium is built?

They'llllll .... simply "will" it into existence with the L. A. City Council's collective Brain power! . I'm looking at this notion of replacing this God awful West Hall with a major, roof retractible multi-use Stadium and, if the Memorial Coliseum could fit snuggly into that space, and it can, then they can do no wrong in my opinion (shouldn't have said THAT!) The lost space can be rebuilt to the south east through eminent domain. The major deal with this deal is that the city already owns the land, like Roski already owns his. In my mind, this is a new ballgame but, I like this development so it's not gonna happen. . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture422201055020PM-1.jpg Of course, the entrance to the West Hall should be left intact and integrated into the overall design. The interior stairway can lead to an "access ring" that circumnavigates the Stadium gateways. . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture422201053832PM.jpg . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture422201061727PM.jpg

^^^^:applause::applause:

Thanks, Bboy

BROAD'S VISION FOR DOWNTOWNThe philanthropist wants to put his art museum next to Disney Hall
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/lauren33.jpg .
Los Angeles took quiet but significant steps forward this week when officials overseeing downtown's stalled Grand Avenue project approved the outlines of a deal likely to bring philanthropist Eli Broad's private museum of contemporary art to a site adjacent to Disney Hall. . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/BroadGrandAvekk.jpg http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/eli-broad-1.jpg .
Because the agreement was reached in closed session, details haven't been formally announced, but multiple sources confirm their essential outline:

The committee overseeing the project — a joint authority of the city, county and the Community Redevelopment Agency — is offering to lease Broad the 82,000-square-foot site for 99 years at $1 a year. The CRA also would borrow $30 million to construct a 300-space underground garage, with the money to be repaid by new taxes generated in the area. For his part, the billionaire and uber arts patron would agree to begin construction of the museum no later than Feb. 15, 2013, and would have four years to complete the facility. Broad will pay the architect's fees and construction costs — estimated at between $40 million and $60 million — and his foundation will fund the museum's projected annual budget of about $12 million out of a $200-million endowment.

The museum would house more than 2,000 works by an international who's who of leading contemporary artists, drawn from both the Broad Foundation's collection and the financier's personal holdings. Plans for the facility include not only gallery space but a study center, shop, cafe and offices for Broad's foundations. Since Broad resolved to construct a private museum, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica — which already has on the table an offer comparable to the Grand Avenue committee's — have vied for the project.

From the start, though, Broad has made no secret that he's inclined toward the downtown venue, and he already has financed revisions to the Grand Avenue project's environmental impact report out of his own pocket. There are multiple reasons why city and county officials ought to push this deal to conclusion — as well as good ones for overlooking reservations a sober person might normally raise.

To take the latter first, there's the fact that Broad is co-chair of the Grand Avenue project's board of directors, which, given the closed-door negotiations on the agreement, normally should raise more than a few cautionary eyebrows. The fact of the matter is, however, that Broad has emerged in recent years as one of the few L.A. philanthropists willing to put his money where his convictions are. He's already a trustee of both the L.A. County Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, and when the latter flirted with financial disaster recently, it was Broad who bailed it out. More to the point, it was the financier, along with former Mayor Richard Riordan and a handful of others, who first envisioned an entertainment/cultural corridor for downtown, stretching along Grand and Figueroa from Dodger Stadium on the north to the Coliseum on the south. Broad did the fundraising that saw Disney Hall through to completion and gave the money that made the new landmark performing arts high school a reality.

None of this is a secret, and penalizing him for the breadth of his civic engagement is, at this point, worse than small-minded.

Moreover, the collapse of the property market has put the Frank Gehry-designed Grand Avenue project on life support. Siting the new museum alongside Disney Hall and across the street from MOCA and the Coburn School would create a downtown magnet for cultural tourism, and is at least a partial step toward keeping the Grand Avenue project alive until the recovery actually takes hold.

This week, county Supervisor Mike Antonovich's planning deputy, Paul Novak, objected to the proposed agreement because it would substitute a museum for a retail center. "The question we are asking is why is the city proposing to give away one of the most valuable pieces of property in downtown Los Angeles to one of the richest men rather than putting it to tax-producing revenue uses?"

Economist Jack Keyser has an answer to that one: "Construction of the Broad museum downtown would be a major event for all of L.A. County, because tourism is our No. 1 industry. Retail, on the other hand, is the most toxic part of the property market because we've overbuilt to such an extent there."

On the other hand, Keyser points out, "Cultural tourists who will be attracted in even greater numbers to Grand Avenue if this museum were built, [will] stay longer and spend more than any other tourist."

The proposed Broad museum is precisely the sort of visionary project that not only will help push the city and county further toward economic recovery, but also has an eye firmly on the future. It ought to be pushed through to completion.

timothy.rutten@latimes.com [I]TIMOTHY RUTTEN LOS ANGELES TIMES

This week, county Supervisor Mike Antonovich's planning deputy, Paul Novak, objected to the proposed agreement because it would substitute a museum for a retail center. "The question we are asking is why is the city proposing to give away one of the most valuable pieces of property in downtown Los Angeles to one of the richest men [in the nation] rather than putting it to tax-producing revenue uses?"


Rah! Rah! for the fiscally conservative! They always fail to see the future benefits of such projects like this one or HSR. You can't always put a dollar amount or tax revenue on something like vision. Anyway, Antonovich is the same person who wants to push highway projects onto the 30/10 plan because that's how most Angeleno's travel now. Antonovich=Teabagger.

From Curbed L.A. (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/04/downtown_101_freeway_cap_park_moving_ahead_could_it_dwarf_the_library_tower.php)

http://cdn0.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/4013/4547018682_c16be945ef_o.jpg

http://cdn0.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/4068/4547019140_5b2ca6301a_o.jpg

http://cdn0.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/4018/4546385187_f4a495d402_o.jpg

http://cdn0.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/4061/4546385105_02dfd22dd2_o.jpg

http://cdn0.cstatic.net/cache/gallery/4026/4546398245_fb824da7f5_o.jpg

We haven't heard much from that other 101 freeway cap park lately (meaning not the Hollywood one), but here finally is news that Downtown's Park 101 is taking one step forward and will start holding community meetings. While we don't know what designs are currently on the table, interns at EDAW AECOM created plans for the project in 2008 that called for a half-mile cap with "an iconic gateway and overlook at Grand Avenue" that would include the tallest structure on the west coast. Sorry, Library Tower. Those plans called for an amphitheater between the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and the new Buck Rogers High, and a permanent installation called 101 Swings. The first community meeting will be at the Caltrans District 7 building before May 13's Art Walk, at 4 pm.

http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist07/sync/cpimages/file/2009%2005-28%20Park%20101-Gallery%20Excerpt.pdf

those orange buildings are supposed to be new and they want to make them that short?! they should make them taller and take on the roll of new civic center while some of the old ones get demolished.

those orange buildings are supposed to be new and they want to make them that short?! they should make them taller and take on the roll of new civic center while some of the old ones get demolished.

Do you honestly believe that those are actual buildings? The park is at least 5 years away and will bound to be redesigned many many times before it gets finalized. Relax.

A long time ago I sent the people who are trying to build a Stadium in Industry an e-mail about my disapproval. They put me in a darn mailing list and now they send me e-mail all the time for me to support their cause. Guess they never read my e-mail.

They sent me an e-mail for me to vote for their proposal at the Los Angeles Business Journal site.

I voted for the Downtown project...
http://www.labusinessjournal.com/

Just voted! Not surprisingly the Downtown location is winning out.

For what it's worth, a majority have as their first choice not to have a stadium DT and a majority have as their first choice not to have a stadium in Industry. A different form of poll might be needed to tease out subtleties and to sort by place of residence, voter vs. non-voter, etc.

well if the stadium is built in downtown it wont be as fancy and nicely spaced out with all the buildings around it because it wont have much space around it since it seems as if it fits barely in the convention center space then what would it look like?

well if the stadium is built in downtown it wont be as fancy and nicely spaced out with all the buildings around it because it wont have much space around it since it seems as if it fits barely in the convention center space then what would it look like?

Probably like the failed stadium that New York City proposed for the 2012 Olympics.

http://www.onnyturf.com/storage/users/1/1/images/3/olyconfig2.jpg

well if the stadium is built in downtown it wont be as fancy and nicely spaced out with all the buildings around it because it wont have much space around it since it seems as if it fits barely in the convention center space then what would it look like?

The space is a little smaller than is usually used for a stadium, but Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and Reliant Stadium in Houston have both fit in what some considered to be "too much" into a smaller space. Both are considered to be two of the best stadiums in the league and were fit into smaller spaces. We could have one of the better stadiums, even on the smaller site, but everything would just be contained and very horizontal instead of spread out.

For what it's worth, a majority have as their first choice not to have a stadium DT and a majority have as their first choice not to have a stadium in Industry. A different form of poll might be needed to tease out subtleties and to sort by place of residence, voter vs. non-voter, etc.

Are we reading the same poll?
45% would like a stadium near Staples
39% want Industry
15% do not want an NFL team located in LA at all

Yes; 60 percent (45 plus 15) have as their first choice NOT to build a stadium in Industry; 54 percent (39 plus 15)have as their first choice NOT to build a stadium downtown. This isn't unusual, it just means the voting is farily close and a significant group want no stadium at all. What the poll doesn't show is what people's SECOND choices are: if they don't get their first choice, would they rather have the stadium at the other site, or no stadium at all?

And, of course, the details of who actually voted makes the whole thing kind of murky.

Do you honestly believe that those are actual buildings? The park is at least 5 years away and will bound to be redesigned many many times before it gets finalized. Relax.

obviously i don't believe in actual orange short stacks in the pics getting built. but there should be more than just a singular tall structure planned and not just a flood of random small buildings. this is downtown, not the grove or fashon island.

fine, i'll calm down. by the time this is even being taken seriously by most, it'll probably be planned for a different part of the 101 or involve redesigning the entire civic center.

Yes; 60 percent (45 plus 15) have as their first choice NOT to build a stadium in Industry; 54 percent (39 plus 15)have as their first choice NOT to build a stadium downtown. This isn't unusual, it just means the voting is farily close and a significant group want no stadium at all. What the poll doesn't show is what people's SECOND choices are: if they don't get their first choice, would they rather have the stadium at the other site, or no stadium at all?

And, of course, the details of who actually voted makes the whole thing kind of murky.

Your populations are overlapping which is misleading. Also your percentiles add up to 114% which is impossible but that's because you're allowing your populations to overlap which again is misleading.

It is a bit misleading which is why I phrased it carefully: 54 percent have as their first choice not to build…. etc. That is, if given the choice they would build somewhere else or not build at all. Probably, these people would rather have no stadium than one near where they live. But this is ambiguous.

The main point is that the poll is flawed. This could be largely clarified by having separate up or down votes on each stadium possibility. But there also seems to have been an email blitz by the DT groups to get out the vote. It’s also unclear who voted and how often (probably should be limited to LA City, Industry and immediate areas voters; they’re the ones who are directly affected).

My guess is that the 95 percent plus of LA voters who didn’t vote are mostly going to be against spending city money, tearing down existing buildings, creating more traffic, etc. Am I confused on this? Does this have widespread public or City Council support?

AEG and Roski are keeping tabs on this poll...

A bit of football stadium ballot stuffing? * (http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2010/05/a_bit_of_football_stadium.php)

Last week I received a mass email from Staples Center inviting me to go to the Los Angeles Business Journal website and vote on a poll — and to bring my friends. Arena owner AEG, which wants to build an NFL stadium Downtown next to Staples Center, where part of the Convention Center stands now, seemed pretty interested in my vote:

VOTE FOR YOUR PREFERENCE NOW!
STAPLES Center Fan -

We wanted to make you aware that the Los Angeles Business Journal is conducting a survey to gauge general interest in two potential locations being discussed to build a football stadium: In downtown Los Angeles near STAPLES Center and in the City of Industry.

If you would like to vote for your preference, please click here. Thank you!
So I thought I'd check out the results. First, 26,601 voted — an extraordinary number for the LABJ's lightly visited website. By comparison, an actual hot button issue from the previous week — "should California boycott Arizona because of its new law that’s tougher on illegal immigrants?" — attracted just 254 total votes. So yeah, I'd say Staples Center got its core supporters out, and maybe Ed Roski also appealed to fans of his rival stadium project in the City of Industry. (* Update: He did.) The first City Council member who cites this poll as evidence of public support for a Downtown stadium should be laughed out of the horseshoe. Results after the jump.

DTLA is still in the lead...

both groups have sent out emails asking their supporters to vote.

It's no surprise that the LABJ would skew this poll in the favor of more business downtown. Nonetheless there are vested interests who want this stadium downtown 1)AEG who would continue their march towards complete domination of the southern end of downtown leading to USC. 2)And let's not forget those tireless fighters out in Walnut.
If AEG with their own might harnesses the added opposition to an Industry stadium with the Walnuters we'll be attending an NFL game by the end of this decade downtown.
Traffic will be a concern but AEG will rely heavily on the fact that they are in one of the best transit connected areas in Southern California to get around spending enormous amounts building traffic mitigations.

Proposed CleanTech Corridor in downtown L.A. gets boost (http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fi-clean-district-20100522,0,3176901.story?page=2)

http://www.latimes.com/media/graphic/2010-05/53892781.jpg

The four-mile stretch of land adjacent to the Los Angeles River in the city's downtown is rife with deteriorating buildings, crumbling sidewalks and potholed streets.

But a cleanup crew and the presence of creative, green-minded businesses could freshen up the strip and help transform it into a major clean technology district, a panel of land use experts said Friday.

The city's much-touted plan to turn the dilapidating industrial area into the proposed CleanTech Corridor got a boost when 10 land use and real estate professionals from the nonprofit Urban Land Institute unveiled their recommendations for revitalizing the area.[/B]

The panel said the city needed to spruce up the "underperforming" area by scaling back manufacturing activity while recruiting smaller start-up companies.

The section is being envisioned as a clean-tech incubator and industrial park that would draw jobs to the city, burnishing its profile as a hot spot for environmentally sustainable companies.

But the ambitious project has hit some rough patches — organizers originally hoped to see a CleanTech Manufacturing Center anchoring the south end of the strip this year or next. A push from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office last year to secure Italian rail manufacturer AnsaldoBreda as a tenant fell through.

The volunteer panel, sponsored by the city Community Redevelopment Agency and the L.A. Department of Water and Power, spent five days in Los Angeles touring the area.

The strip, they concluded, could someday model itself after the SoMa quarter of San Francisco or the Pearl District in Portland, Ore. — both areas that were known as decaying warehouse and industrial centers before being revamped with artsy, cutting-edge businesses.

The land institute group focused on the middle portion of a corridor that stretches roughly four miles long and one mile wide along the river and east of Alameda Street. More than a quarter of the jobs in the area are in manufacturing, and most residents are renters whose median income is $17,769, nearly $30,000 below the city's median.

The neighborhood also has problems with lax garbage removal and illegal parking, panelists reported.

But the area, with its historic, multi-use buildings and its concentration of small companies, is attractive to high-tech firms, the panelists said. The city also could draw young entrepreneurs and creative companies by publicizing Los Angeles' urban lifestyle and its proximity to universities, Asian and Mexican markets, and the garment and crafts districts.

Innovators and boutiques that can make prototypes and custom goods such as Pixar Animation Studios and West Coast Choppers fit the bill, the panel said. So do a solar firm, electric-car manufacturers and even a garment recycling business that have already expressed interest.

Panelists also proposed an extended Metro system to boost access to the area, with three new stations and an outdoor art park near the river. Railways would be moved underground and greenery would be planted.

Buildings, panelists said, could embody eco-friendly ideals with rooftop gardens full of native plants, storm water recycling systems and alternative energy generators.

City officials also plan to offer employment and investment tax credits, permit expediting assistance, workforce recruitment and training, utility rebates and other financial incentives.

"To delay may mean that others cherry-pick on our target," said panelist Sharon E. Pandak, an attorney from Virginia. "L.A. can benefit by getting there first."

Some comments:

This is a much better idea than the MTA assembly facility proposed by V. a few months back but finally killed. If you really want residential development east of South Park and south of Little Tokyo, you can’t be building or reviving large scale manufacturing a few blocks further when you cross Alameda. You have to make it clear that only “brain oriented” industry (design, basic development, engineering, arts, office) will be allowed. Real industrial has got plenty of places to go further out so I would clarify what is to be allowed (“electric-car manufacturers” sounds ominous).

I guess that “green-oriented” is the buzz word these days, but I wouldn’t turn down any kind of tech. Of course, by its nature most tech industries are “green” since anyone will want to create products that use less energy.

I am big on parks as adding to the desirability of neighborhoods and this would seem like an area that could use them and for which the land would be available at a reasonable price. However, it’s interesting that they mention SoMA since it has very little in the way of parks. I think this is because there are very few children or families in the area generally and that those who live there are more indoors oriented (internet, restaurants, bars, etc.) on account of the weather.

Some interesting news re a land swap near the Grand Ave. project.

blogdowntown.com/2010/07/5528-swap-proposed-courthouse-site-for-parker

Ok...getting a bit more excited about this now.

From Curbed:

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n a move that would dramatically change the downtown skyline, the developers of the proposed AC Martin-designed Wilshire Grand project are asking for the creation of a new sign district in the Financial District, one that would ultimately allow them to swath large parts of their two towers in LA Live-like electronic advertising. Think: Scrolling, blinking and animated images emitting off a 65-story tower and a 45-story tower. Not only would this style of digital advertising on two tall towers be unprecedented in LA, but it would also essentially extend the path of LA Live, bringing the buzz-y style that defines that district towards the Financial District. So what to think? On the one hand, oooh, Tokyo-style animated fun, electronic art lighting up the sky. On the other hand, it's a scenario of giant digital Charmin ads blinking down at drivers stuck in traffic on the 101 Freeway.
Last year, Hanjin International Corporation and Thomas Partners announced their plans to knock down the aging Wilshire Grand hotel. According to the recently published draft EIR for the project, the new Wilshire Grand (no name yet) will offer 560 hotel rooms or condo-hotel rooms, and 1.5 million square of office space in two towers, all in a 65-tower building and a 45-tower building.

Renderings show examples of what this project would look like both with and without digital signs. (Billboards and supergraphics are banned in this section of the city.) From a logistical point of view, the lights would be affixed on sections below each window. Each section of the building would allow for different types of electronic signage (be it animated or scolling, for example). In some ways, the proposal is similar in style to Sonny Astani's proposed Blade Runner wall he wanted to create for his first Concerto project (though this looks to be far more comprehensive in terms of pure signage area).

And here's the definition of what type of signage could be included, per the EIR. "...large-scale animated and static signs designed to convey a business, product, service, profession, commodity, activity, event, person, institution, brand, or any other commercial or noncommercial message, including Changeable Copy Signs (to be utilized for a scrolling news ribbon) and Integral Electronic Display Signs. Architectural lighting could also comprise any part of the signage program."

And the draft EIR acknowledges the radical way the signage transform this neighborhood. From the report: "These elements would change the existing character of the area, creating a significant impact. Therefore, it is conservatively concluded that the change in visual character would be substantial and impacts associated with signage would be significant."

So how will the city react? As for the requested sign district, creating new sign districts is never simple, according to Dennis Hathaway, president of the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight. One of the problems the Planning Department has faced is when sign districts are created for single development, says Hathaway. "The Planning Department and members of the Planing Commission have said that they want to make sure to tighten up sign district provisions so sign districts wouldn't be created for a single project. This is completely anti-ethical [to that notion]." With the creation of this new sign district, another developer in the area could request the same type of signage for his or her own building.

In regards to specific questions about the project, Thomas Properties Group issued the following statement: "TPG has submitted a request for a Supplemental Use District for the Wilshire Grand project. An SUD allows the city to approve a comprehensive signage program for a particular geographic area. The TPG proposal includes way finding, tenant and building identification signage as well as advertising signage, though it specifically prohibits super graphics. The program is fully described in the project description section of the DEIR."

Construction on the Wilshire Grand project is anticipated to commence in 2011, with full occupancy to occur by 2020, according to the report. Two days ago, the Downtown News reported the developer is seeking a tax break for this project.

It looked like there was an abundant amount of Office towers in there, are they needed or are they building them for status?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002RJQT84?tag=anarchojose08-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B002RJQT84&adid=1FQSFGYYWFNTN7EPCPMA&

DEVELOPER SEEKS TAX BREAK FOR WILSHIRE GRAND PROJECT. http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/doc4c58a445ba9c5257016709.jpg AC MARTIN . Korean Air Asking for Fee Waiver on $1 Billion Hotel and Office Effort . The developer of a proposed $1 billion hotel and office tower that would replace the aging Wilshire Grand Hotel says it needs city assistance to build it.

Wilshire Grand owner Korean Air, which has partnered on the project with developer Thomas Properties Group, is looking for a deal similar to the ones that gave tax breaks to the Convention Center hotel at L.A. Live and the hotel component of the stalled Grand Avenue project.

The city council’s Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee this morning approved a request from the developer for the city to study the Korean Air project financials and evaluate what kind of assistance might be appropriate.

“This was a specific request from the developer to take a look at it,” said Gerry Miller, the city's chief legislative analyst, whose office will coordinate the study. “They have some very specific time requirements and need to decide what they’re going to do.”

Hotels in the city are taxed at a rate of 14% of their net revenue. This Transient Occupancy Tax, or bed tax, is considered a crucial revenue stream for the city’s now beleaguered general fund.

The city agreed to waive the bed tax for both the South Park and Grand Avenue buildings after their developers argued that their projects would not be financially feasible without the break. The Convention Center hotel waiver is for 25 years, saving developer Anschutz Entertainment Group at least $246 million on the $900 million hotel.

As part of the proposal approved by the committee today, the airline’s parent company Hanjin will pay the city $250,000, which Miller’s office will in turn use to contract with independent consultants to study the proposal.

Miller said the developer has not requested specific terms, which is partially why the study is necessary. But any possible deal would require Korean Air to continue to pay bed taxes based on the levels of current, pre-development operations at the Wilshire Grand, Miller said.

“This is a particular mechanism that, provided that the general fund is fully protected, that there is no risk to baseline revenue at all, then there’s potential upside,” Miller said.

The use of tax waivers has been controversial. Peter Zen, owner of the Westin Bonaventure, vehemently opposed the bed tax waiver for AEG and held up the L.A. Live project with threats of a lawsuit. He relented when the city agreed to let the hotel convert some rooms to condominiums. ryan@downtownnews.com .
RYAN VAILLANCOURT http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%202/Fullscreencapture852010113115PM.jpg

Last Night's Future of Planning Panel, Future of the City Wrap
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/08/the_old_bullocks_wilshire_drew.php

Critic's Notebook: What's new is old at the Planning Department
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-hawthorne-notebook-20100806,0,1284445.story

OMFG!i cannot wait for that project to be started and completed.. but by what i read construction luckily starts this upcomming year but unfortunately will be finished 2020?? :( but this project looks freakin awesome!!!! didnt it have a thread??

I like what they're trying to do with the Wilshire Grand project but if they use it for advertising I will blow them up my damn self.

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=29zpp52" target="_blank"><img src="http://i34.tinypic.com/29zpp52.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>




Following yesterday's big news about two proposed digital skyscrapers, many people complained the renderings in that draft environmental impact report for the Wilshire Grand project didn't really show what the buildings would look like with all that digital wrapping. Indeed! So here's a Photoshop version (thanks to Curbed commenter Chris Loos for his help making this set). From Bud Light to Judy Baca's "Great Wall" mural to iPhone version 14.0 to everyone's favorite Lapband gal, we tried to cover all scenarios. And hey, there's Mayor Perry running for re-election in 2017. Viva the future!
· Holy Tokyo! Wilshire Grand Goes Electric [Curbed LA]

Luxe City Center Hotel Delayed, Opening Pushed to Fall

http://photos.blogdowntown.com/4886965377_7994b128ac_m.jpg

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Work to convert the L.A. Live-adjacent Holiday Inn City Center to the upscale Luxe City Center is in full swing, but unexpected delays have pushed back the project's completion.

Jane Coloccia, a representative for Los Angeles-based Luxe, tells blogdowntown that an official opening is more than 60 days off, with numerous unforeseen construction delays to the $10 million project pushing the June opening date back to later this fall.

Meanwhile, a new restaurant/lounge concept is in the works, with more information coming forward as plans take hold.

The conversion plans were first revealed here on blogdowntown in October, and the building's massive Holiday Inn signs came down in April.

As a result of the improvement process, the total number of rooms will be cleaved from 250 in the old edifice to 164 larger rooms and 16 guest suites in the new. Interior design firm SANDdesign has added their signature clean, eclectic style with broad appeal to the scheme, a decided leap ahead of the Holiday Inn it replaced. Observant Downtowners may have noticed new Luxe signage being added to the exterior of the building in recent weeks.

Over the new few months, a limited number of remodeled and older rooms are currently open to guests, but that number changes daily as old rooms are pulled out of the reservation system and new ones are added.

The structure, located at Figueroa and Olympic, opened in 1964 as the Doric Dinkler Hotel.

I was wondering what had happened to the old Doric Dinkler.

Well...the height figures are released for the Wilshire Grand Development and needless to say, they are pretty shocking.

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Another look at the renderings...

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Build it!

If Metropolis ever gets built, that'll be one powerful section of DTLA's skyline.

soup: great work; I almost feel like we don't need the building as long as we have the pictures.

soup: great work; I almost feel like we don't need the building as long as we have the pictures.

As if!!!

I gotta say that these buildings would be amazing. They would bookend 7th street so perfectly and it would be a great addition to the area.

Having lived down here for a couple weeks now, i gotta say, Downtown Is great. there is so much potential and its so close. A few empty lots filled, a few more older buildings rehabed and downtown LA is gonna be amazing. I think the next boom and the next 10 years are going to be a fantastic time to follow LA development and we are going to see some amazing stuff down here.

http://images.townnews.com/ladowntownnews.com/art/logo.png

Street Car Pushed Back

With 2014 Debut Delayed, Group Looks at Convincing Stakeholders to Help Pay for Project

by Richard Guzmán
Published: Friday, August 13, 2010 3:23 PM PDT

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - A streetcar is still in the future for Broadway, 14th District City Councilman José Huizar said last week. Just not as soon as originally anticipated.

Speaking at an Aug. 12 luncheon hosted by the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum, Huizar said that missing out on a $25 million federal grant will cause the timeline to be re-thought. The $100 million effort is part of his Bringing Back Broadway initiative.

“We’re reassessing the 2014 ribbon cutting we were hoping to have,” he said.

Huizar also said that his office will not currently pursue another federal transportation grant as part of the TIGER II program. Instead, he said he will focus on obtaining more of the financing through an assessment district where property owners along the proposed route would be taxed. He said his office will campaign for the assessment to convince landowners that a streetcar along Broadway would benefit them and the city. He expects this to make up a “majority” of the budget.

He said he will also continue to look for funding through other governmental and private sources.

“We’re going to look for money anywhere and everywhere,” Huizar said.

So far about $10 million has been acquired for the project through Community Redevelopment Agency funds. The streetcar would connect L.A. Live and Bunker Hill, with a principal north-south spine on Broadway.

Only six of 65 applicants for the $25 million Urban Circulators federal grants received funds; the projects that got money were further along than the Broadway streetcar, Huizar said.

Jessica Wethington McClean, executive director of Bringing Back Broadway, said that after the denial, federal officials indicated they want the project to have a local matching funds program in place. She also said that the federal government wants the streetcar’s environmental process to be further along before money is awarded.

Huizar said the environmental process will begin in a few months.

On Sept. 30, the streetcar effort could get a boost with a major L.A. Live fundraiser co-hosted by Huizar and business leaders Eli Broad, Rick Caruso and Tim Leiweke.

[B]STORY:http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2010/08/16/news/doc4c64701e23e46455757101.txt

WOW!!! Wilshire and Grand... Let me Wipe these tears of Happiness....
AMAZING !! so looks bretty huge is it considered a Supertall?

WOW!!! Wilshire and Grand... Let me Wipe these tears of Happiness....
AMAZING !! so looks bretty huge is it considered a Supertall?

Yes, it's over 1,000 feet. They're still weighing in things, they're not shoveling dirt just yet.

Update on the new park on Spring between 4th and 5th...

Designs Finalized for Spring Street Park

The design of the Spring Street Park is centered around an oval lawn and a rectangular plaza built of permeable paving.

http://photos.blogdowntown.com/spring_park_final_design.jpg

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — A little over 18 months after the surprise announcement that a parking lot on Spring street would become a new park for the Historic Core, the final design is set.

Don't expect to be tossing around a frisbee this year, though. Those involved in the park's development hope to see it ready for the summer of 2012.

An oval-shaped lawn and a rectangular plaza are the central characteristics of the design for the space, as of now simply being called the Spring Street Park.

Plans for the park were first announced in January of 2009, when the city revealed that it had negotiated a deal with Downtown Properties to purchase the parcel that sits between the Rowan Lofts and the El Dorado Lofts. The original $5.6 million purchase price was eventually whittled down to $5.1 million.

Early plans by Lehrer Architects LA featured more decorative elements, continuing a series of geometric paving features through the lawn.

That didn't sit well with some nearby residents. "The whole point of the park should be to escape from the urban and not have to walk into a space that's totally programmed," explained Bert Green, who attended each of the community meetings on the park.

Through those meetings the design was simplified with an emphasis on green space.

"They listened to what we were saying," said Patti Berman, chair of the Downtown L.A. Neighborhood Council's Parks, Recreation and Open Space committee.

Now the city's Bureau of Engineering has begun work on construction drawings, a process that should take four to six months. The construction timeline will depend partially on what the city finds when it starts to dig into the foundations of the torn-down buildings that once stood on the site between 4th and 5th streets.

Still to be resolved is who will operate the park once it does open. Talks have included the creation of a non-profit similar to the one that operates Grand Hope Park, which was built by the city but is operated privately.

Berman, who plans to hold a town hall meeting to present the final design once the current neighborhood council impasse is resolved, said that some of those decisions may not be made until closer to opening day. "We need to see what the city's [financial] position is once we get that far," she said.

With County Signoff, Broad Museum One Step from Official Approval

http://photos.blogdowntown.com/4304706922_4d06c59cba.jpg

By Eric Richardson
Published: Wednesday, August 18, 2010, at 11:51AM

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Philanthropist Eli Broad’s proposed art museum got the third of four required approvals on Tuesday as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the plan that would place the structure next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall and across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Colburn music school.

The museum, which would be called the Broad Collection, would contain 30,000 to 35,000 square feet of exhibition space, as well as offices, storage and a bookstore that could be shared by MOCA.

When the proposal went before the Community Redevelopment Agency board in July, MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch praised the idea.

“The works in the Broad collection dovetail almost perfectly with the museum collection,” he told the agency commissioners.

Broad will provide the $80 to $100 million needed for construction and a $200 million endowment for the museum.

In January, blogdowntown was first to report that Broad was considering Grand Avenue as a possible museum site. The former housing developer had previously been in talks with Beverly Hills and Santa Monica about potential locations. Officially the Santa Monica option remains open, but on Tuesday Broad told Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's website that Downtown was a definite. “Absolutely it’s coming to this site,” Broad told the site.

Broad has been involved in many of the large projects that have taken place on Grand Avenue. He was a major backer of the Disney Concert Hall, a founder of MOCA and one of originators of the concept for the Grand Avenue Project, which was one of Downtown’s most anticipated developments before the market turned.

His museum could become the second piece of that project to break ground. While the larger development plans have been stalled and in search of construction financing, work did get underway last month on the $56-million renovation of the Civic Center Park that is being funded by developer fees paid several years ago by the Related Companies.

The museum proposal will now be considered by the Grand Avenue Authority on Monday. Reports are that he will also announce his choice for architect at that time.

Great news. Not happy about the $30 million parking garage. There's enough parking around that area already and a subway stop right down the street. The Regional Connector also has a planned stop relatively close to this site......happy about the museum but disappointed in the inclusion of parking.

http://photos.blogdowntown.com/spring_park_final_design.jpg

[/I]

Looks good. However from a pedestrian level I don't see how the right side of the park would work. That would've been a great spot for say a fountain, or something more alluring for people to gather. Not too into the tentacles that seem to form benches facing into the park and not out. Should be called the Squid Street Park. :lol:

interesting, but it beats pershing square

Heres a little update. i just walked by the parking lot next to Desmonds in South Park, and they have dropped off a crane and have fenced off the lot! Looks like MM wasn't joking.

^

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*Pics by Colemonkee on SSP*

And renderings of the tower.

http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn89/Viewpark/tower-1.jpg
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It isn't the prettiest building in the world (is that mold on one side) but it's infill. Plus it's fairly tall and has a unique layout (19 units in 21 stories).

i actually like the basic design. i think this will add even more character to the area. 19 units in 21 sories!! calling all millionaires. know if there's any retail or restaurant space?

I do too, Soup, what's the name of this sucker?

wow...a Crane popping up? Makes me wonder if they're just going to film a movie there. Hmmm...I haven't heard of any new developments starting construction anytime soon.

Some more information:

1099 S GRAND AVE 1-19 90015
APPLICATION / PERMIT NUMBER: 09010-10000-01568
PLAN CHECK / JOB NUMBER: B09LA08198

Permit Application or Issued Permit Information

GROUP: Building
TYPE: Bldg-New
SUB-TYPE: Apartment
PRIMARY USE: (5) Apartment
WORK DESCRIPTION: 19-UNIT, 21-STORY, TYPE I-A APT BLDG WITH ATOP ROOF HELISTOP (CORE AND SHELL ONLY). NFPA-13 automatic fire sprinkler throughout.

PERMIT ISSUED: Yes
PERMIT ISSUE DATE: 06/10/2010
ISSUING OFFICE: Metro
CURRENT STATUS: Issued
CURRENT STATUS DATE: 06/10/2010

Permit Application Status History
Submitted 09/02/2009 PCIS IMPORT
PC Assigned 09/18/2009 TIEN JEN WANG
Reviewed by Supervisor 11/18/2009 DAVID CHANG
Verifications in Progress 11/18/2009 TIEN JEN WANG
PC Info Complete 06/09/2010 TIEN JEN WANG
Ready to Issue 06/09/2010 TIEN JEN WANG
Issued 06/10/2010 ACS SYSTEM

Permit Application Clearance Information
Address approval Cleared 12/03/2009 DAVID CHIN
Hydrant and Access approval Cleared 12/11/2009 JOHN DALLAS
"D" conditions Cleared 12/15/2009 DARYLL MACKEY
"Q" conditions Cleared 12/15/2009 DARYLL MACKEY
ZA Case Cleared 12/15/2009 DARYLL MACKEY
Eng Process Fee Ord 176,300 Cleared 12/17/2009 NATALIE MOORE
Sewer availability Cleared 12/21/2009 WESLEY TANIJIRI
Work Adjacent to Public Way Cleared 12/21/2009 ALFRED INGALLA
Building over 3-story or 36-ft Cleared 01/04/2010 CALOSHA APPROVED
Excavation more than 5-ft deep Cleared 01/04/2010 CALOSHA APPROVED
Internal circulation Cleared 01/05/2010 TAIMOUR TANAVOLI
Highway dedication Cleared 02/19/2010 NATALIE MOORE
Permit Cleared 02/19/2010 NATALIE MOORE
New condominium Cleared 02/23/2010 DWAYNE WYATT
Opn space landscape/Water mgmt Cleared 02/25/2010 NORA DRESSER
Project located in CRA area Cleared 03/03/2010 JIM URQUHART
Miscellaneous Cleared 03/08/2010 DAVE MYERS
Prkng lot landscape/Water mgmt Cleared 05/19/2010 ANITA BIZZELL
Stormwater Pollution Mitigatn Cleared 05/21/2010 AMMAR ELTAWIL
Roof/Waste drainage to street Cleared 05/25/2010 JOHN ABON
Site Plan review Cleared 05/26/2010 NICHOLAS MARICICH
DAS Clearance Cleared 05/27/2010 WAI LAU
Title 19 building approval Cleared 05/27/2010 DAVE MYERS
Miscellaneous Cleared 06/04/2010 TIEN JEN WANG

Licensed Professional/Contractor Information

Architect Information
Funes, Manuel A; Lic. No.: C12837
5812 COMPASS DRIVE

LOS ANGELES, CA 90045

Contractor Information
Owner-Builder




Engineer Information
Lee, Sang Youck; Lic. No.: S3821
3531 BROOKHILL ST

GLENDALE, CA 91214

Engineer Information
Zadoorian, Christopher John; Lic. No.: GE2493
2529 SAN SABA ST

TUSTIN, CA 92782


Inspection Activity Information

Inspector Information
WINSTON DUNNING, (213) 482-0370
Office Hours: 7:30-8:15 AM MON-FRI

Pending Inspection Request(s)
No data available

Inspection Request History
No data available

wow...a Crane popping up? Makes me wonder if they're just going to film a movie there. Hmmm...I haven't heard of any new developments starting construction anytime soon.

Not many movie companies would strip a lot down plus add a tower crane on site.

I remember when The Watermarke first started construction in late 2006 (?), it started pretty much the same way.

Muerelo also has a skyscraper proposed on the lot between Evo and the AT&T Center. It's called 'Indigo' I believe. Not saying that it's going to start construction soon but it's something worth saying.

http://www.meruelomaddux.com/pdfs/residential/southparkTowers.pdf

According to CurbedLA, the lot is just being used for crane storage... nothing is being built.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/08/meruelo_madduxs_11th_and_grand_crane_has_neighbors_talking.php#reader_comments

well, i guess something is being built in LA that requires a crane. i wonder what it is.

well why does storing some other company's equipment require stripping the asphalt off of someone elses parking lot?? thats what I dont understand. something is fishy I think someones trying to keep things under wraps until it appears he magically was able to pull things off. besides thats a small plot of land for storage.

Being as it is L.A., maybe another buildings' facelift? and not a new building. :( why can't my visa just go through? at least then, I'll see SOME development occuring.:ohno:

^^ Still trying to go to Saudi Arabia ?

Being as it is L.A., maybe another buildings' facelift? and not a new building. :( why can't my visa just go through? at least then, I'll see SOME development occuring.:ohno:

What building in South Park is tall enough (and old enough) that would require a crane for a face lift? Besides, it's just dumb to store someone else's cranes on property that doesn't belong to them. The only thing under construction downtown is the YWCA Building and they are still using their crane. Something doesn't add up.

If anything, Desmonds should be converted into housing as it is far too nice of a building to sit down and be some crummy commerical space.

So 1 unit per floor? Must be really high end?

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/09/what_if_we_turned_moca_into_a_quintet_of_skyscrapers.php#more



^^^^^^^^^^OMFG TELL ME WHAT U THINK!

i like it. that lot needs something anyway, and height is appreciated

That looks pretty BAD-A to be honest. Don't ask me why, but it kind of reminds me of one of those Dr. Seuss books. Looks like the plan is to use all three of those lots. So this would, in essence, become the replacement for the entire Grand project.

entire? maybe only 3 blocks worth. is grand even getting built anymore besides the park status? at this point it's whichever comes first. though i would like a revised render or change in design. the idea is... "neat"

That shit is proposed everywhere...even Bangkok

Yeah SlipperyD. i See where ur Comming Frm. hah i Really Wish it could be like that with More than one or Two Buildings.. We need more Highrises.. i have no Idea Why but every time i See DTLA i always think its the Same density as Like Downtown Denver or something.. Maybe DTLA is denser but its just how i see it. and you know how u see those gaps in between buildings when ur comming from the Hollywood area on the freeway? they need to be filled in like forreal it makes downtown look like it only has 4 or five buildings.. LAME!!

^

http://a.imageshack.us/img832/5369/img9576p.jpg


DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Meruelo Maddux, the Downtown landowner and developer embroiled in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, submitted applications this year to build a 21-story residential tower on a plot at 11th Street and Grand Avenue.

The surface of a former parking lot at the site, on the northwest corner of the intersection, was removed in June, and the company is allowing another developer to store a crane there, said Andrew Murray, Meruelo Maddux CFO. Preliminary plans call for the building to include just 19 units, all at about 4,000 square feet, which the company says would fill a niche in family housing Downtown. The architect on the project is listed as Manuel Funes, Meruelo Maddux’s in-house architect, who also designed the 35-story tower developed by the company at 705 W. Ninth St. (that building was sold to Watermarke Properties). While the project’s timeline depends on the company’s reorganization efforts and securing a construction loan, Murray said he envisions action at the site in 2011.

Say, honey, why you got that giant crane out if you don't plan to use it? Too much teasin' and not enough pleasin' goin on here.

There does seem to be something in the air; some economic reports are looking at housing coming back and hopefully it won't be in the outer suburbs after the last debacle.

I DOUBT THIS WOULD BE APROOVED....... I WISH IT WOULD



http://i51.tinypic.com/1c12r.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/flg743.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/262w9cw.jpg
http://i54.tinypic.com/259vnno.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/2qs5lz4.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/2i9t9oi.jpg






Architects Yang Wang and Stephen Silva have designed this Muscular Tower for Downtown, possibly after a late-night Monty Python marathon. EVolo explains that the fictional and leg-like building is based on "the human muscular system...One of the most interesting parts of the muscular systems is how each muscle has its own identity, yet they work in a choreographed way. In a similar fashion, each program in this tower has its own volume but they are interlocked to work together. Each program supports the next one and sustains continuous activities for 24 hours." No, the tower isn't made of muscle tissue or giant strips of beef carpaccio --as far as we can tell--but the body concept is appropriate for downtown because the neighborhood lacks "integrated social, cultural, and urban systems" and "continuous human activity."
· Muscular Tower for Downtown Los Angeles [eVolo]
--CURBED LA

i don't quite like what i'm seeing. and i blame it on the angle. a render from 0 degrees or even among our other skyscrapers would be nice

so sexy!!! I luv it i luv it i luv it. :P

Are architects really that lazy now? Frank Gehry

That kink at the 30th floor would be a problem- especially if there is no strong core and the exo-skeleton is bearing the brunt of the weight. Wouldn't work here.

It will be controversial, but interesting to think of it instead of the county buildings or even as the Broad Gallery.

It would be interesting to see it where it can be compared with City Hall. Two versions of strength in a tapering tower, one monumental and symetric, the other dynamic and organic.

Ugly. And I like modern contemporary stuff but this is ugly.

Modern has nothing to do with this design.

I'd prefer a more feminine looking leg shape with less musculature, but I like it! Speaking of "controversial"...I'm anticipating a building shaped like the female torso, accompanied by a set of very spectacular, supple, glandular-shaped breastsss sometime in the not-too-distant future...Hey Archy! Do it!!! :)

SINCE THERE ARE THESE THREE DESIGNS FOR THE SAME SITE WHICH ONE WOULD YOU GUYS PREFER?????


http://i53.tinypic.com/2r5uy3k.jpg

The first two are NOT proposals. They are visions.

But I would still go with the original Grand Ave plan. Though it could use a few refinements.

I'd prefer a more feminine looking leg shape with less musculature, but I like it! Speaking of "controversial"...I'm anticipating a building shaped like the female torso, accompanied by a set of very spectacular, supple, glandular-shaped breastsss sometime in the not-too-distant future...Hey Archy! Do it!!! :)

Funny you should say that because in Mississauga (suburb of Toronto) there are 2 towers going up called Absolute World and their shape was influenced by the female body.

http://www.mississaugahomehunter.com/images/mississaugaabsoluteworld.jpg

SINCE THERE ARE THESE THREE DESIGNS FOR THE SAME SITE WHICH ONE WOULD YOU GUYS PREFER?????

none pictured. i'd go with something more like the original one as well. actually the designs that looked something like the now proposed hotel office towers to replace the grand wilshire hotel was the original, right?

Funny you should say that because in Mississauga (suburb of Toronto) there are 2 towers going up called Absolute World and their shape was influenced by the female body.

http://www.mississaugahomehunter.com/images/mississaugaabsoluteworld.jpg

Nice! Those are some very sexy looking buildings, Soup.

Thanks for the 411...:okay:

I'd prefer a more feminine looking leg shape with less musculature, but I like it! Speaking of "controversial"...I'm anticipating a building shaped like the female torso, accompanied by a set of very spectacular, supple, glandular-shaped breastsss sometime in the not-too-distant future...Hey Archy! Do it!!! :)

hehe..did this in 10 min.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/samceb/femalebuilding1a.jpg
Bosom Building. :nuts:

More Apartments, More Issues

http://images.townnews.com/ladowntownnews.com/content/articles/2010/10/01/news/doc4ca67a19116f3131578834.jpg
Saeed Farkhondehpour’s Medallion has leased 36 of its 96 apartments in three months. The Medallion is one of five Downtown rental projects to open in the past four months. Photo by Gary Leonard.

A Surge in New Buildings, With 600 Units in Four Months, Could Mean Cheaper Downtown Rents
by Ryan Vaillancourt
Published: Friday, October 1, 2010 5:54 PM PDT

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - For Downtown apartment hunters, there is good news and bad news: The bad is that Downtown is currently one of the priciest Los Angeles neighborhoods in which to rent, with monthly rates at an average of $1,756 (three Westside areas, topped by Santa Monica at $2,222, are higher), according to commercial real estate research firm REIS. The good news is rates may be due to fall in the coming months, as nearly 600 units have recently flooded the market.

Five rental projects have debuted in the past four months, starting with G.H. Palmer Associates’ 210-unit Orsini III in June; Downtown Management’s Spring Arcade (143 apartments) and Jewelry Trades (63 residences) buildings; developer Allen Gross’ 82-unit Blackstone Lofts; and Saeed Farkhondehpour’s 96-unit Medallion.

According to firms that track Downtown’s rental market, rates were already on the decline before these buildings opened their doors. The new additions give renters even more options and potentially put pressure on existing landlords to get competitive with their pricing.

The New York-based REIS reported a 2.2% second quarter drop in Downtown’s average “effective rents,” or rates adjusted to reflect lease concessions, from $1,795 to $1,756. The decline from the first quarter is not the only decrease — rents fell from the $1,806 average in the second quarter of 2009, according to REIS.

Local observers are taking note of the trend.

“I would think there are a couple of factors involved, mainly, the addition of new product,” said Tracy Seslen, senior researcher for the USC Lusk School for Real Estate’s Casden Forecast, which tracks the Los Angeles housing market. “On top of that, there’s possibly just a desire for more affordable product, so if people have the choice of moving into older, lower priced units versus taking brand new stuff, they’re going to go for more affordable product.”

While the numbers are good for renters, they are potentially unsettling for some property owners who, if the trend continues, may have to lower rates and adjust to slower lease-up periods for new projects. Vacancy in Downtown apartments jumped from 9.5% in the first quarter of this year to 12.1% for the quarter ending June 30, according to REIS. Those numbers don’t account for most of the 598 apartments to come online since June (the third quarter ended last week, and research firms like REIS usually release reports based on that time period in November).

The rising vacancy rate continues a trend. According to REIS, last quarter marked the highest Downtown vacancy rate since 2007, when the figure hit 12.5%. But after 2007, vacancy steadily declined, until now. In a quickly growing residential neighborhood, vacancy numbers are not always telling because new product is constantly coming onto the market, temporarily boosting vacancy, experts say.

Mixed Reports


If much of the data indicates a soft market, developers of recent projects are not expressing worry. In fact, they say they are filling buildings at a healthy clip. The Medallion began leasing in early August and so far 36 apartments have been filled, manager Johnny Ramirez said. Rents at Medallion range from $1,350-$2,400, or about $2.20 per square foot, for 617-square-foot studios up to 1,048-square-foot two-bedroom units. That’s above the Downtown market’s average effective rent of about $2 per square foot, Seslen said.

In South Park, Watermarke Properties’ 214-apartment Watermarke Tower, a 35-floor luxury building where rents hover at around $3 per square foot, the lease-up rate is slow, but on par with expectations, said Peter DiLello, Watermarke’s director of acquisitions.

In prior multi-family projects, the Corona-based company generally leased 25 units per month. With the Watermarke Tower, about 16 per month are being rented. The building, which Watermarke acquired for $110 million this spring, is about 30% occupied since leasing began in late May, he said.

Developer Geoff Palmer, whose rents at the Orsini III range from $2-$3.20 per square foot, declined to specify how many leases the building has signed, but said in an email that the pace is “slower than hoped for.”

“It is however leasing up consistent with this challenging market,” he said.

Other veterans of the Downtown housing scene, especially those with a central location, are in a strong position. In the Old Bank District, just south of the Medallion, developer Tom Gilmore said his stock of three rental buildings remains at about 97% occupancy, and rates are holding steady.

“I continue to believe that the more the merrier, particularly in this market, and I’m not seeing pressure on prices at all,” Gilmore said. “Where I am seeing pressure is the pressure to make sure your product is quality, that your services are good, your management is good, that your neighborhood is appealing, so that’s kind of nice.”

Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

page 5, 10/04/2010

Apparently Broadway isn't the only street looking to get a makeover. Anyone know $20 million has been set aside by the CRA to re-do Figueroa from Downtown to Exposition Park?

“This project is focused on the Figueroa Corridor, in particular, because of the influx of development around L.A. Live and the USC area,” said project manager Lillian Burkenheim. “The investment is designed to encourage new housing, create open space and enhance mobility.”

http://myfigueroa.com/wp-content/themes/myFigueroa/images/slideshow/SLIDESHOW-10.jpg

http://myfigueroa.com/about/

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2010/10/04/news/doc4ca4cba01c362166509539.txt

Apparently Broadway isn't the only street looking to get a makeover. Anyone know $20 million has been set aside by the CRA to re-do Figueroa from Downtown to Exposition Park?

“This project is focused on the Figueroa Corridor, in particular, because of the influx of development around L.A. Live and the USC area,” said project manager Lillian Burkenheim. “The investment is designed to encourage new housing, create open space and enhance mobility.”

http://myfigueroa.com/wp-content/themes/myFigueroa/images/slideshow/SLIDESHOW-10.jpg

http://myfigueroa.com/about/

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2010/10/04/news/doc4ca4cba01c362166509539.txt

I always wonder why there is so much fast food near there, but then remember there is all the frat houses right next to there, lol

I would love for the area to look nicer, but someway still keep all the late night munchies opportunities.

Almost 80% of downtown LA needs new streetscaping. the new developments helped redo some of the sidewalks and streets, but its very spotty and it seems as though thats the only way change happens. No proactive measures by the city. for example, with all the changes happening on 7th street, why doesnt the city remake the street, adding new sidewalks, street furniture, landscaping and bike accessories. this will in turn attract more investment and development and so forth. its so common in other cities and this has always pissed me off about LA. in Paris, every damn street is beautiful, well maintained and clean. i want that for LA.

LASF: it's not just DT though; sidewalks, curbs and roads are in desperate shape in most of the city. Ktown, South Central, Northside. But DT is among the worst.

It's nice to see that the Fig corridor improvement also addresses Olympic and MLK. Surrounding Exposition Park with upgraded streetscaping could reasonably attract more investment to the area, particularly Korean.

It wasn' too long ago that SM Blvd between La Cienega and La Brea was a worn out, down-market strip, and now it has cafes, restaurants and active shops. I suspect the trees and medians helped.

It wasn' too long ago that SM Blvd between La Cienega and La Brea was a worn out, down-market strip, and now it has cafes, restaurants and active shops. I suspect the trees and medians helped.

SM Blvd would probably still be rundown had it's "beautification" been left to LA County before WeHo incorporated and got the ball rolling. And the merchants along that strip were bitching and moaning the entire time SM Blvd was being rebuilt, because of their lost revenues.

LASF: it's not just DT though; sidewalks, curbs and roads are in desperate shape in most of the city. Ktown, South Central, Northside. But DT is among the worst.

It's nice to see that the Fig corridor improvement also addresses Olympic and MLK. Surrounding Exposition Park with upgraded streetscaping could reasonably attract more investment to the area, particularly Korean.

It wasn' too long ago that SM Blvd between La Cienega and La Brea was a worn out, down-market strip, and now it has cafes, restaurants and active shops. I suspect the trees and medians helped.

oh i agree. i wish LA could borrow Pasadenas' or Glendales' urban planner for a couple years. the streets are clean, nice landscaping and furniture and problems are the exception not the norm. i definitely know that the rest of the city has the same issues, but at least downtown has a large population that uses the sidewalks often. it just seems so simple and i dont know why it takes so long to implement change here.

http://thesource.metro.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/div13day.jpg
Metro's new Division 13 facility will be located adjacent to Metro headquarters near Union Station and is planned to accommodate and provide service for up to 200 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and will include up to a 16,300 square- foot bus operations administration building and up to a 500,000 square-foot bus maintenance building. Renderings courtesy of Maintenance Design Group and RNL Design
http://thesource.metro.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/div13Night.jpg
The downtown facility has been designed to achieve Gold certification in accordance with the USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines and will provide a platform to perform modernization and upgrades to other aging bus maintenance facilities across Los Angeles County. Rendering courtesy of Maintenance Design Group and RNL Design

Metro awarded $47.75 million from FTA’s ‘State of Good Repair’ bus initiative
Posted by Gayle Anderson on October 4, 2010 - 3:44 pm
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority - The Source

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced today that as part of the State of Good Repair Bus Initiative, Metro has been awarded $47.75 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Today’s announcement is welcome news for the region and the funding provided will go a long way toward maintaining Metro’s transportation system,” said LA County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Don Knabe. “This funding is essential as we strive to both maintain and operate one of the largest transportation systems in the United States.”

Under the FTA’s State of Good Repair Bus Initiative, providing funding to maintain the nation’s bus and rail systems is an important element if public transportation systems are to provide safe and reliable service to millions of daily riders.

Metro plans to use the funding to construct a new three-story bus operations and maintenance facility in downtown Los Angeles to meet the agency’s demand for bus service. The new Division 13 facility is located adjacent to Metro headquarters near Union Station and is planned to accommodate and provide service for up to 200 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses and will include up to a 16,300 square- foot bus operations administration building and up to a 500,000 square-foot bus maintenance building.

The facility has been designed to achieve Gold certification in accordance with the USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines and will provide a platform to perform modernization and upgrades to other aging bus maintenance facilities across Los Angeles County. Design and entitlement work for the project have already been completed and the project is expected to go out to bid for contractors in January 2011. Construction could start as soon as June 2011 and the project will be completed in Spring 2013.

“Metro is appreciative of the FTA’s commitment in funding bus and rail maintenance programs under the State of Good Repair Bus Initiative,” said Metro CEO Art Leahy. “This funding will pay for a state-of-the-art bus operating and maintenance facility greatly needed to better serve our customers.”

This federal grant aids Metro’s 30/10 Initiative by freeing up funding resources. The grant money will relieve State of Good Repair needs that could not otherwise be deferred and that, in turn, enables Metro to focus on the accelerations of the Measure R program.

Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff as part of a $766 million allocation in ‘State of Good Repair’ dollars for the nation’s urban and rural bus systems.

-- Gayle Anderson

Here are the renderings of the Metro project that was awarded funding by the FTA’s “State of Good Repair” bus initiative yesterday. (See previous post)

Metro plans to use the funding to construct a new three-story bus operations and maintenance facility in downtown Los Angeles to meet the agency’s demand for bus service.

A work-in-progress until killed by budget constraints, the funding opportunity resurrected the maintenance facility.

Design and entitlement work for the project have already been completed and the project is expected to go out to bid for contractors in January. Construction could start as soon as June and the project is scheduled to be complete in spring 2013.


Read More: http://thesource.metro.net/2010/10/04/metro-awarded-47-75-million-from-ftas-state-of-good-repair-bus-initiative/
Read More: http://thesource.metro.net/2010/10/05/looking-good-renderings-of-planned-bus-division-for-downtown-los-angeles/

Some news?

Why does it takes so much time in Los Angeles until a skycraper can be built or not? I have seen in Houston don't take so much time...they propose and a few month later they built :)

It's not a good economy. Not much is being built anywhere. Texas hasn't been hit so hard, though, so that might have something to do with it.

even when the economy was good, skyscrapers never went up here

the economy has'nt been good in a long time. the 1992 riots and 1994 quake hit us pretty hard, so momentum has taken a while to build up. plus we went through a minor recession after that and now this one. our booms have been pretty brief here in the last 2 decades

It's not just highrises, it's the whole investment scene. Growth has been huge in Florida, DC, the Carolinas, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, etc., not to mention all of Asia. We have to pull our head out of the sand and ask "if I were a businessman, would I move here"?

^^ the short answer is NO.

^^
and the long answer?

Like everything in the real world, the long answer is more complicated. Just to keep out of politics, the plain vanilla answer is that lack of investment is motivated by a belief that there will be poor returns on the investment. This in turn usually means that demand is lacking or (the same thing) costs are too high to produce a competitive product. Presumably the answer is to increase demand for housing and office space by making demand to live in LA higher and the cost of living or doing business lower.

After that we get into politics and social theory, so it gets messier.

Big dreams from downtown Los Angeles' big developers
-- Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times
October 12, 2010 | 6:31 pm

An exhibit hall that could be transformed into a football stadium and an electric street car that could whisk people up Broadway were some of the big ideas tossed around Tuesday by some of downtown Los Angeles’ most influential developers.

Billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad and developers Jim Thomas, Tim Leiweke, Nelson Rising and Tom Gilmore shared their visions of for the next 10 years at a panel at the downtown Marriott, hosted by the Central City Assn.

They admitted that the recession -- which has already stalled some planned projects and left a lot of loft and office space empty -- might slow things down a bit. But they vowed to persevere.

Broad said he would open his new $300-million downtown art museum by December 2012 . Thomas, of Thomas Properties Group, promised to build a 60-story office building by 2015. And Leiweke, president of AEG, shared the details of his company's proposal to redevelop one of the halls of the Los Angeles Convention Center into an exhibition space that could double as an NFL stadium.

Leiweke said he and City Councilwoman Jan Perry have discussed a plan in which his firm would pay for part of the hall's construction in exchange for the management contract for the complex. A different NFL stadium complex has been proposed for the City of Industry.

Leiweke, who helped bring Staples Center and L.A. Live to the Figueroa Street corridor, said other events such as the World Cup and NCAA Final Four games could take place in the downtown stadium. He said it would help the entire downtown economy.

“Game, set, match," Leiweke said. "Everything else will come. Retail will come, transportation will come and people will move back down here.”

The Central City Assn. is planning a legislative agenda to help push things forward downtown, said executive director Carol Schatz. The committee may petition the city to make it easier for restaurants to get permits to serve food outside and may advocate for a better transit system to help circulate pedestrians to neighborhoods within the area, she said.

Schatz said other things -- like lane changes on the 110 and 10 Freeways and the proposed "Subway to the Sea" -- might get the association's support because they would make it easier for people to get downtown.

Broad said increasing the number of cultural institutions also will be important. To that end, he said, next month will mark the groundbreaking of the first phase of the contemporary art museum that will house his personal collection. Broad said he knows his timeline for completing the Grand Avenue museum is ambitious.

“The architects think I’m crazy,” he said to laughter.

Broad and the others acknowledged that the future of downtown hinges on the nation’s overall economic climate.

The Grand Avenue Project's plans for a $3-billion, Frank Gehry-designed hotel, condo and shopping complex have been delayed indefinitely because developers have been unable to secure financing. Rising, chairman of Grand Avenue Committee Inc., said he believes the situation will improve with time.

“It’s not going to be heaven in 2011,” he said. “But I think it’ll be keen in 2013.”

-- Kate Linthicum



Read More: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/downtown-development-los-angeles-.html

For me, sounds good :)

Like everything in the real world, the long answer is more complicated. Just to keep out of politics, the plain vanilla answer is that lack of investment is motivated by a belief that there will be poor returns on the investment. This in turn usually means that demand is lacking or (the same thing) costs are too high to produce a competitive product. Presumably the answer is to increase demand for housing and office space by making demand to live in LA higher and the cost of living or doing business lower.

After that we get into politics and social theory, so it gets messier.

Business tends to look for cheaper overhead such as rent and the cost of office space, unfortunately these are high in LA. LA is also resistant to the idea of rolling out the red carpet and supporting big business with huge tax breaks, though I saw that happen with AEG but that's entertainment primarily. Some other things compound the issue such as the economy has changed from manufacturing to high end advanced services. So in past decades when a large "under-educated" immigrant class would be a boon such as what LA has now actually dampers the city because there are less "educated" folks to work in the advanced services sector. That's the reality. So either LA gets inventive and competitive by marketing itself as the manufacturer of low end products in the US or begin (and i really hate to say this) to attract "educated" people to the city. Transportation and urban living is what seems to be attracting this demographic and LA is making gains in this area. But it needs to better market its transportation network and dense interesting neighborhoods especially those bordering DTLA. I think that LA should throw some weight in that direction of attracting the advanced services class but also continue doing what seems to work for the city and do it better than anyone else: entertainment and tourism. A complex situation.

Klam: either you're becoming me or I'm becoming you, because I agree with every word. There are no simple solutions. But establishing desirable neighborhoods, quality education, etc.; making life easier on businesses; and controlling govt. goofiness and big spending, all must go into the mix.

This is my main issue with expanding "mega-projects" DT or in its surrounding communities. They could be urban communties that professionals, local service providers and plain working folk all live in, but some prefer billion dollar plastic and concrete corporate advertising centers.

Yeah but "pest" as everyone whose commented prior to me has tried to convince you is that LA Live isn't some huge Robert Moses community redevelopment plan that will flatten rows of lovely though decrepit Victorians with some concrete monstrosity. We better(and i really hate to say this too)thank the Queen of Angels for AEG and what type of investing that they have on their roster for LA. LA Live is replacing parking lots! LA Live is NOT destroying neighborhoods, believe it or not it's creating new ones. It's official: South Park is going to be the "go-go" corporate hood downtown. But if you don't want that DTLA has a number of different hoods that are completely inoculated from Bud Light and "Have a Coke today" giant ads. The Arts District and the Historic Core come to mind immediately. It's like trying to stop a teenage girl from dating that boy that you don't like.....it's just gonna happen. LA Live is working its way towards USC. USC is working its way towards LA Live......it's just gonna happen. Luckily there isn't any energy for LA Live to want to hop the freeway and move west and it's already just about abutting South Park to the east. Everything points south at this time. And the coming Expo will allow these two entities to connect as easy as a Las Vegas drive thru wedding. So we better make the best of it because....it's gonna happen.
Frat boys and LA Live are like Tapatio on watermelon.

Major update with details!! 78,000 seats, retractable roof. They want three superbowls in a decade, first being 2016. about 50 events a year, 10 football. NCAA final fours, world cup finals....Fully privately financed...

Leiweke Hopes to Bring 2016 Super Bowl to Downtown

Anschutz Entertainment Group President and CEO Tim Leiweke hopes to build a $1 billion football and events stadium in South Park. He envisions hosting NCAA Final Four tournaments and soccer’s World Cup final in the building. Photo by Gary Leonard.
*
Game Would Take Place in $1 Billion, Privately Funded Stadium and Convention Complex
by Jon Regardie, Executive Editor
Published: Thursday, November 4, 2010 4:35 PM PDT
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – Tim Leiweke, the powerful and politically connected president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, this afternoon laid out a vision that would bring the 2016 Super Bowl to Downtown Los Angeles, as well as the 2022 World Cup final. The plan, which faces numerous hurdles, would also redefine Los Angeles’ role in the events and convention industry.

Speaking to about 60 people at a Biltmore Hotel luncheon hosted by the organization Town Hall Los Angeles, Leiweke described the political and construction process needed for a $1 billion, 78,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof. If it comes to fruition, the building could host about 50 events a year, including, Leiweke hopes, NCAA Final Four tournaments.

Leiweke described a venture that would include razing the West Hall of the current Convention Center and re-creating Los Angeles’ convention hub, essentially doubling its space to about 1.4 million square feet. Convention activities could also be held in the proposed stadium, with a floor placed over the playing field. That would lead to new conventions for Los Angeles and, by extension, the creation of about 25,000 jobs, many of them in new hotels.

Leiweke said AEG plans to announce a new hotel venture in the first quarter of 2011, though he would not provide details except to say that it will be next to L.A. Live.

“It’s a good one, that’s all I’m going to say,” he commented.

The stadium itself, he said, would be privately financed, and only about 10 of the 50 annual events would be football games. He also promised that AEG would back the $300 million worth of bonds the city would need to issue to fund the Convention Center expansion.

“There will be no risk to the taxpayers,” he said, as well as no hit on the general fund. He sought to reiterate the point, saying the financing plan would have “no curtains, no wizards behind the wall.”

About seven years ago, Leiweke partnered with Casey Wasserman and Ron Burkle on an effort to build a football stadium in South Park. That never came together, and in recent years, Ed Roski, who was AEG founder Phil Anschutz’s partner in developing Staples Center, has been pursuing building his own privately financed NFL stadium in the City of Industry. Leiweke referenced Roski’s initiative, but said he has been in communication with NFL brass and thinks the league would prefer the Downtown alternative by virtue of its location and its ability to host associated events.

Construction in 2013


Many NFL observers in Los Angeles have pointed out that the league’s current primary focus is not getting a team to the nation’s second-largest media market, but rather on dealing with a labor dispute that could lead to a lockout or strike before the start of the 2011 season. Leiweke acknowledged that, but sought to use to it his advantage, saying that AEG could now begin pursuing the entitlements necessary to get the stadium built.

Leiweke said he hopes to be ready to have initial city support — he said meetings have already begun with the chief legislative analyst — and agreements from state lawmakers on a stadium’s environmental necessities within 60 days. In his timeframe, entitlements would begin in January 2011 and take a year.

“We’ll have a stadium that’s ready to push dirt” by the time the NFL labor deal is completed, he said.

With entitlements secured, construction on a new West Hall of the Convention Center would begin in January 2012 and take a year, Leiweke said. In early 2013, they would raze the current West Hall and begin building a stadium packed with luxury suites and club seats.

Construction would take about 30 months, he said, allowing a team to begin playing in Downtown at the start of the 2015 season. He specified that he does not have a franchise in mind, saying that is something for the league to determine.

He also said that during the construction, he would meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the 32 team owners in hopes of persuading them to award the 2016 Super Bowl — the 50th installment of the NFL championship — to the Los Angeles stadium. He hopes to have three Super Bowls in a decade.

Other pieces of the puzzle, he said, would include hosting the World Cup finals in 2022 — assuming the United States wins the bid for the soccer tournament. He also envisions the Downtown stadium being a site for college basketball’s Final Four tournament, and said initial talks have been held with the NCAA.

“But we’d have to bid on it,” he said in an interview after the address. “They’re aware of what we’re doing. They’re excited about what we’re doing. They can’t do Final Fours on the West Coast anymore because the last place they could do it was in Seattle and that building is gone. They’re dying to have a place on the West Coast, and I hope we give it to them.”

Contact Jon Regardie at downtownnews.com.

He pulls all that off, Leiweke could run for mayor. He would probably win too as long as Magic doesn't run. ;)

i have a feeling Magic, AEG and Wasserman will be teaming up for this one...

Wow, this proposal is actually gaining momentum! Not too long ago, a Downtown football stadium was just a pipe dream. I absolutely love it when dreams come true! I can't wait to see renderings!

Does the NFL have any say in where they would like to play? Or is it just a matter of which stadium gets built first? I only ask because the Roski proposal is already fully entitled and now it's just a matter of getting a team(s) to commit.

Wow, this proposal is actually gaining momentum! Not too long ago, a Downtown football stadium was just a pipe dream. I absolutely love it when dreams come true! I can't wait to see renderings!

Does the NFL have any say in where they would like to play? Or is it just a matter of which stadium gets built first? I only ask because the Roski proposal is already fully entitled and now it's just a matter of getting a team(s) to commit.

They can't completely dictate, but wherever they prefer will get a big leg up. There won't be a team moving or exploring a move until after the new CBA is signed anyways, at which point AEG should have their entitlements so that shouldn't matter.

Wow, this proposal is actually gaining momentum! Not too long ago, a Downtown football stadium was just a pipe dream. I absolutely love it when dreams come true! I can't wait to see renderings!

Does the NFL have any say in where they would like to play? Or is it just a matter of which stadium gets built first? I only ask because the Roski proposal is already fully entitled and now it's just a matter of getting a team(s) to commit.

I don't think the NFL can actually pick a city where they would like to see a team there but it's no secret that the NFL wants to return to Los Angeles.

^ I meant stadiums. Between Downtown and Industry, could the NFL have a preference?

yes and the league prefers Downtown.

Leiweke said something ......... and I get the feeling that if Roski goes ahead with construction, then downtown's dead. Something I picked up. Hope it's not true.

Yah, but he can't break ground until he gets a team, which will be after the CBA. By that time, the downtown guys will have their entitlements and be ready to go. Plus the NFL will discuss any potential move with owners internally first, and if they conclude that downtown is the best choice, they will make the deal with downtown.

http://www.neontommy.com/sites/default/files/uploads/Screen%20shot%202010-11-19%20at%203.02.32%20AM.png

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http://www.lacoliseum.com/eir/lamsarp/Draft_EIR.pdf

Well, Chivas does want its own Stadium, so i guess it could be feasible.

Chinatown Park Effort Gets Nearly $5 Million
Money Will Help Create Facility at Ord and Yale Streets
Published: Wednesday, November 24, 2010 4:33 PM PST

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – The dream of building a new park in Chinatown came a step closer to reality today, with the announcement that the effort has secured $4.9 million in state funds.

State and local officials today announced that the money will go to build a new park at Ord and Yale streets. It is one of seven park projects in Los Angeles that will receive a total of $29.1 million. The money comes Proposition 84, a state bond act passed by California voters in 2006 that provides funding for new parks and other projects.

The Community Redevelopment Agency, which played a lead role in applying for the funds, said the money will be used to acquire the nearly .6-acre lot. Plans call for the Chinatown park to include a playground, a fitness area, a plaza and performing arts space, game tables and restrooms.

“The new parks will be located in some of our most severely under-invested and park-poor areas,” said CRA Chief Executive Officer Christine Essel in a statement.

Plans also call for a walkway to be built that would connect the Chinatown branch library and the residential hillside above, although money for that part of the project will be paid for with separate state funds.

There is no timeline available yet on when the project will be completed, but CRA officials said the state money must be used by 2017.

The California Department of Parks and Recreation awarded $184 million to a total of 62 park projects statewide. Los Angeles’ share was nearly 16% of the total funds awarded.



Read More: http://www.ladowntownnews.com/articles/2010/11/24/news/doc4cedae695994e889616375.txt

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-broad-museum-news-20110106,0,6213392.story

The Grand plan for the Broad museum

The three-story, $130-million building in downtown Los Angeles will be known simply as the Broad.

By Mike Boehm, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

January 6, 2011

The architectural design that Eli Broad is scheduled to reveal Thursday in a news conference at Walt Disney Concert Hall wraps the museum housing his contemporary art collection in a porous honeycomb. The billionaire collector and philanthropist hopes the $130-million building will help bring about his vision of downtown L.A. as a bustling urban hive of culture and street life.

The three-story museum will be known simply as the Broad, although the Broad Art Foundation is its formal name. The wraparound bonnet of interconnecting concrete trapezoids is courtesy of New York architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Lead architect Elizabeth Diller's term for it is "the veil," because it enables the museum to relate to its surroundings by providing slots through which visitors can look out on Grand Avenue, and passersby outside the museum can get glimpses of what's inside. Visitors will enter the museum at ground level, take an escalator bathed in natural light to the top-floor galleries, and return via a staircase from which they'll have views into what she has dubbed "the vault" — the storage facility on the first and second floor that will house all the art from the 2,000-work collection that's not on display or on loan to other museums.

"This is 40 years in the making," Broad said in an interview Wednesday at the Westwood offices of the Broad Foundations, alluding to the time when he and his wife, Edythe, began collecting art.

Last year, as Broad secured the various government approvals needed to change plans for the economically stalled Grand Avenue Project so that the museum could replace previously planned high-rise condos and stores on one of the project's parcels, the museum's working title was the Broad Collection.

"The idea was, if we called it the Broad Collection, people would say, `I saw the collection. Thank you,'" Broad said, fearing that the name would invite them to take a been-there, done-that attitude rather than considering the museum an attraction worth repeat visits.

The plan is to open in 2013 with about 200 of the best works from a collection that dates from the 1950s onward and is built around such luminaries as Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Then a cycle of rotating special exhibits will begin, each focusing in-depth on one of the artists the Broads have collected and occupying up to a third of the 33,000 square feet of exhibition space. Curators eventually may augment works from the collection with borrowed pieces that help fill out the story of an artist or a strand of contemporary art history.

The point of having a museum of one's own — assuming one has an estimated worth of $5.7 billion, as Forbes magazine estimates Broad does after having built his fortune building and financing homes — is to ensure that the art is seen and not stowed away.

"If you look at history, too many great collections ended up in storage and not being shown," Broad said. He noted that Glenn Lowry, director of New York's Museum of Modern Art, where Broad is a trustee, advised him not to donate his collection there because "I'll only show 30 or 40" of the works.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art would have welcomed the collection, but in 2008, shortly before it opened its Broad-financed Broad Contemporary Art Museum, the philanthropist said his aim was to create a museum to house the art.

Factoring in construction costs, a $200-million endowment Broad is donating to the museum (it is expected to generate investment returns of $12 million a year, enough to cover its operating expenses) and the estimated market value of the collection, Broad says the gift comes to about $2 billion.

Broad says he hopes to begin construction on the museum itself by midyear, with a projected opening two years later. Construction on its $30-million parking garage will start sooner, he said. Broad is advancing $30 million for the garage, but the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles will gradually pay back his foundation and take ownership of the parking structure.

"I'm impatient," said Broad, who is 77. "I'm not getting any younger. We don't want this to be a memorial building."

With an eye to the museum's future, Broad also is announcing a 12-member board of governors that will oversee the museum. Eli and Edythe Broad will serve, along with three of their key advisors: Joanne Heyler, the Broad Art Foundation director and chief curator who will serve as museum director; Paul Frimmer, the Broads' estate planning attorney; and Cindy Quane, senior financial advisor to the Broad Foundations (there are separate foundations for each of Broad's chief philanthropic interests — education reform, science and medical research, and art).

Others are William J. Bell, a television executive whose wife, Maria Bell, is co-chair of L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art; L.A. art dealer/collector Irving Blum; Deborah Borda, president of the L.A. Philharmonic; restaurateur Michael Chow; Howard Marks, chair of Oak Tree Capital Management; Robert H. Tuttle, a former MOCA chairman, auto sales executive and U.S. ambassador to Great Britain; and Jay Wintrob, an AIG insurance executive who is on the board of the J. Paul Getty Trust.

A key governance issue will be making the Broad dovetail smoothly with its across-the-street neighbor, MOCA, whose mission of collecting and displaying post- World War II art is the same as the Broad's.

"There's no formal written agreement" between the two institutions, said Broad, who helped found MOCA in 1979, eventually shifted his philanthropic attention to LACMA, then made a crucial return to MOCA in 2008 with a $30-million bailout that rescued the museum from a financial meltdown that threatened its independence.

The Broad will offer free admission to MOCA members, excusing them from the regular $10 admission charge. "What we're doing is very complementary," said Broad, who thinks the two collections reinforce each other more than they overlap. Together, Broad said, he hopes that the two museums will draw more than 500,000 visitors a year, doubling what MOCA has been able to do on its own.

Over the years, Broad's impact on Southern California's built landscape as a key donor, fundraiser or prime mover has extended from Claremont's Pitzer College to the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. In between are BCAM, MOCA, Disney Hall and the unnamed downtown LAUSD arts high school.

A medical research center at UC San Francisco designed by Rafael Vinoly is due to open next month, and also in the works is an art museum by architect Zaha Hadid on the campus of Broad's alma mater, Michigan State University. Then comes the Broad.

"Enough buildings," said Broad. The museum will be his last. When he steps inside it, he said, "I want to feel it's something the public is going to enjoy, while learning about contemporary art. I want to feel pride."

mike.boehm@latimes.com

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times



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Freakin Love it! also love the fact that the downtown connector subway will be incorporated into the parcel and that they will widen the sidewalks and so forth! Grand is fast becoming amazing. Just build the Grand Project, remove the two county buildings and add some landscaping to the section between disney hall and 5th and were set

A cool flythrough.

http://broadartfoundation.org/press/Broad-fly-through.mov

Feels a bit like a revved up 21st century version of Marcel Breuer's Whitney Museum. A gem for LA! :cheers:

That's a good lookin' "Broad!" Nice gets, Soups!

You'd think this was a crappy building judging by all the armchair architects/naysayers on Curbed, but I love it! Especially, the honeycomb-looking outer skeleton...:)

THANK YOU MR. ELI BROAD!!!

We need more philanthropists like him, that actually care and want to contribute to the civic improvement/well-being of this city. He certainly puts his money where his mouth is, unlike all the other millionaires/billionaires who are nothing but a bunch of tightwads.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Avenue_Project

Love the Broad too. A couple of thoughts:

Grand Ave. should have decent tourism and business people during the day but be rather quiet at night (except before and after shows at the various venues). The real nightlife will be mostly away from that area. Widening the sidewalks is OK as long as something is happening on them (outdoor cafes, landscaping or sitting areas?). An alternative is a center median that can add some greenery to the look. The whole area is somewhat analogous to Unter den Linden in Berlin which is monumental, but on the whole needs less paving.

It seems that the Regional Connector plaza will eliminate a couple of hundred surface parking places. This makes the new places in the Broad almost a net zero.

Love the Broad too. A couple of thoughts:

Grand Ave. should have decent tourism and business people during the day but be rather quiet at night (except before and after shows at the various venues). The real nightlife will be mostly away from that area. Widening the sidewalks is OK as long as something is happening on them (outdoor cafes, landscaping or sitting areas?). An alternative is a center median that can add some greenery to the look. The whole area is somewhat analogous to Unter den Linden in Berlin which is monumental, but on the whole needs less paving.

It seems that the Regional Connector plaza will eliminate a couple of hundred surface parking places. This makes the new places in the Broad almost a net zero.

I think that Bunker Hill (read: Grand Ave) is Los Angeles's cultural center. With the Disney Hall, Dorthy Chandler Pavillion, Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, MOCA, Colburn, Our Lady of the Angels, and LA High School for the Preforming Arts. Now with The Broad, Grand Ave will be THE place for culture seeking people from all over the world.

With that said however, Grand Ave still needs a retail/residential aspect to it. If not Gehry's design then someone else. There are a smattering of residential towers on that side of downtown. There needs to be something truly iconic on the parking structure across from the Disney Hall.

Personally, I much prefered the original design of The Grand. Even though I can't make a concrete opinion of it because Gehry uses blocks for his models, it looks more put together (so to speak) than the more recent model.
http://www.theslatinreport.com/content/pictures/Grand+Avenue_overall+view.JPG
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Thanks Mr Broad! This should be a great addition to Downtown.

There is, however, a need for a clean, inviting place to hang out / dine alongside the museums and stages. IMO, today, the only place that fits the bill is LA Live, and that's not within easy walking distance. For this reason, both The Grand and Civic Park need to be completed as soon as possible. Otherwise, the museums / stages will remain as isolated architectural gems without a vibrant urban foil. Furthermore, in addition to building these new public spaces, they will have to kept clean and welcoming...which cannot be said of some other parts of Downtown nearby. All in all, however, things are looking up for Downtown, and I look forward to the next decade.

The parking lot across from the Disney IS iconic! Just not in a good way.

More seriously, Tanzirian is right. Some portion of the remaining open area has to be an area for young people and average tourists to sit and hangout. Given the music and art already there, open air exhibits, small concerts, buskers, even a skateboard area will bring the needed life to the area. The concert goers will generally not hang out except in cafes so indoors/outdoors venues might be good; I have little hope for residential since you're surrounded by govt., office and institutions; retail would just die there.

The area just north and west of the Disney is like a little racetrack, but there have been high rise condos there from almost the beginning. No chance for even pedestrian only retail though.

I was thinking about Woori. It is located only a block from Zen Fusion, Wurstkuche and the Arts Dist., and just across 3rd, so it's almost connected to the center of Little Tokyo activity (1st, 2nd from San Pedro to Alameda). I assume the new owners picked it up with the intent of refurbing it, hopefully by opening it up more to the street.

What is needed is a redo of the corner of 3rd and Alameda, which right now is the wrong stuff in the right place. Just as a thought, a plaza, some outdoor dining at the Angel City Brewery and easier flow from 2nd to Woori and the Arts Dist. could create a really cool neighborhood or series of 'hoods. (At the other end, Weller also needs to open better to the street).

As usual, a few parking lots need to go and maybe Alameda needs to be reduced in size as well. But the growth of business and housing in that areas is very impressive and it could be a serious nightlife AND tourist district.

http://la.streetsblog.org/2011/02/09/cra-unveils-draft-plans-for-south-figueroa-public-mostly-positive/

After 20 years of spending money and no action, it's nice to see something specific re the Fig Corridor. A couple of comments:

1. rule of thumb: put in the minimum improvements (consistent with the rest of the city) unless the local businesses vote to tax themelves for the rest. This eliminates free-riders and gets the business community to think about whether the expenditure is really worth the money in terms of business generated.

2. re-imagining Fig is nice but the emphasis on transit seems unnecessary. The Expo Line is there and Blue Line in portions and DASH for the entire length. Extending the DT trolley makes some sense but only after it is established in DT proper (from around Pico to the Music Center, as is currently proposed). I would love the rest, but that's a lot more money).

3. Parking and the effect on the parallel streets on either side needs to be looked at. Elimination of dead spaces and surface parking is a high priority.

Lots of other twesking will be needed but a nice start.

How is the probability of this project being reconciled with the soon-to-be-cut CRAs? What is the funding source(s) on this?

The way I read it, I think the emphasis on transit was there not because planners are advocating for massive additional transit infrastructure, but rather to make the point that public transit (and not the personal vehicle) will be what drives this project and makes it a success. It seems implied that there is plenty of connectivity already, and that the 'New Fig' is not a destination designed to be driven to, but rather to be biked and ridden to. As a result, I don't agree that parking will be a critical issue here. That's not what it's for.

The questionability of funding is what gives my note its luke-warm tone. I am afraid that local levies will be required even to get sidewalks repaired, benches, lamps and such in place.

Re-designing Fig for rail when the money for even the baic DT trolley line is uncertain (especially when cars are already heavy users of this corridor) is an argument that doesn't need to happen yet. Discussing it and the best approaches is certainly OK and should yield interesting ideas. But personaly I would worry more about Flower and Grand and the intersecting "number streets" and what the impacts will be on them.

Bike lanes are a no-brainer, given the demographics (SC students, low-wage workers heading DT, etc.).

Article on the museum.
Eli B talks to Fox NEws.

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4534346/eli-broad-investing-300m-to-build-la-museum/?playlist_id=87087

'The governor’s office responded to the vote, saying Brown hoped the Community Redevelopment Agency was not planning on "squirreling money away for the indefinite future when our schools, police and firefighters are in need of this funding. . http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/ocregister333333333.jpg OCREGISTER CRA SCRAMBLES TO SOCK AWAY NEARLY 1 BILLION FOR PROJECTS . How anxious is the Community Redevelopment Agency feeling right now? Following a hastily-called meeting, this morning the Community Redevelopment Agency Board of Commissioners moved to freeze nearly $1 billion to pay for more than 200 planned CRA projects, developments ranging from the parking garage at Eli Broad's new downtown museum to the controversial 1601 Vine office tower in Hollywood. .
http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/broadmuseum.jpg . With the entire agency facing elimination under Gov. Jerry Brown's budget cuts, the CRA quickly put together a draft agreement with the city that socks away $930 million for future projects. (Update: Agreement and list of all the CRA projects, plus cost per project is here. Also the final amount is $930 million, not $938 million, which we originally wrote.) The City Council will vote on the agreement next week, according to Jim Dantona, Chief Deputy to CRA CEO Christine Essel.

According to Dantano, the urgency of introducing the document was prompted by chatter that legislation may be introduced to effectively neuter all CRAs immediately, rather than phase out the agencies in July, which was originally proposed in Brown's budget. "We are hearing from our associates in Sacramento that we may be impeded from working," said Dantona.

In his budget proposal announced Monday, Brown argued that redevelopment agencies are irrelevant, that development would happen regardless of the agencies, and that collected redevelopment money--which comes from property tax increments--should be diverted towards schools, cities, and counties. The specifics of what would happen to the agencies has been broadly outlined (California Planning & Redevelopment Report has a breakdown), while debts would be gradually retired by local successor agencies, according to Brown's budget.

The CRA agreement approved today by the board would have no impact on the city's general fund, and the city could cancel it at any time. The contract covers 200 plus CRA projects, all of which fall under the agency's five-year plan, which runs through 2015-2016. Each project is assigned a cost, which makes up the nearly $1 billion figure.

But in some cases, the list contains projects that have already been completed. For instance, Plaza Pacoima, a big box project that celebrated its grand opening last summer, is listed, as is Rosa Parks Villa, an affordable senior housing project near the 10 Freeway and Crenshaw Boulevard.

Because all projects in the five-year plan were included, some projects that are finished may have been inadvertently included, or perhaps those projects have outstanding work issues, said Dantona.

Only a handful of public speakers showed up at today's meeting, held at the Community Redevelopment Agency's headquarters on 7th Street, but those who did griped about the short notice of the event--the notice of the meeting was only posted to the city's web site on Wednesday night. “Moving a billion dollars in 24 hours tends to get some attention,” said Tony Butka, a Glassell Park resident who questioned whether the agreement was simply intended to block the seizure of funds by the state. "There is no reason for this haste," agreed neighborhood activist Ron Kaye, asking the board if the CRA was "doing the job" the public wants it do with this move. (Kaye also videotaped parts of the meeting.)

Board members acknowledged that their actions could be seen as hasty. “It is kind of disconcerting that we are proposing to have this special meeting within 24 hours,” said Joan Ling, Treasurer of the CRA Board. “But given the importance of what we have to take care of in terms of the budget, I don’t think we have a lot of choices.”

City Councilwoman Jan Perry, whose downtown district has greatly benefited from the CRA-led development, but who also hasn't been afraid to publicly criticize decisions made by the agency, had this to say after the vote: "The Council will be considering the CRA action to consolidate and transfer tax increment to the city next week. The CRA board's action today will ensure that local funds stay within the city and that we maintain control over how they are used locally."

And at next week's City Council meeting, she added, there "may also be an opportunity for us to look at the possibility of consolidating or restructuring the redevelopment agency. It is an important discussion that I think we need to have now."

Calls to Brown's office weren't returned. Meanwhile, there was a lively debate yesterday on KCRW's "Which Way, LA" show on shutting down redevelopment agencies. The show featured Perry, former LA Times editor Bill Boyarsky, among others. . DAKOTA SMITH CURBEDLA

Jerry is correct on the "development would occur anyway" part of his thinking. Or, more correctly, the market would decide where development would take place.

But that misses a key point. City officials are not supposed to be helpless bystanders to events. The city was organized to provide various services to its citizens and it seems highly probable that attracting businesses was one of them. The city is expected to tax its people and use the funds to carry out these goals. Some may chose lower taxes, some may channel the money into parks or schools or roads, health services, welfare payments, etc. Many have decided that their city needs quality employers of one kind or another. I don't see that this is theoretically different from lower taxes, parks, etc.

In practice, I suspect that "redevelopment" is over-used since there are specific pressure groups that will want the money spent on attracting or keeping their business in town. But that's a decision for local city's and their residents to work out. There is no reason that these need to be eliminated and even less reason why the state has to decide local city policy.

Unfortunately, Jerry's choice of what to do with the money is just more bail-out. It is virtually impossible to find anyone who believes that the key to fixing education is to throw more money at it. This is because everyone from Scandinavia to Singapore to India to China has shown that reforms focusing on local innovation and initiative work BETTER and CHEAPER than the current system. In fact, California is just about the most "conservative" (that is, clinging to old, obviously failed policies) place there is for education reform. But Jerry is deeply in debt to the school and state unions.

If you're going to eliminate CRA's, the funds need to go back to the community. Siphoning off millions of locally-generated monies to the state when municipalties are suffering and streets are crumbling simply to cover his ass with the unions is borderline criminal.

Angel City lands downtown
The craft brewery's owner, Michael Bowe, has plenty of plans for the enormous space at his new spot, starting with his grand opening this weekend.
By Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times
March 18, 2011

When Michael Bowe opens the front door of Angel City Brewing in downtown Los Angeles, he points to the logo on his black polo shirt.

"See this?" he says excitedly. The design is a simulacrum of the distinctive pointed top of L.A. City Hall. The real thing looms on the horizon just northwest of Angel City's brick entryway.

"I started in Culver City 14 years ago, then bought the brewery in Torrance, but I always knew I'd move to downtown L.A.," he says of the now-omniscient logo, which he created back when Angel City was just a little upstart craft brewery that could.

Now it is poised to open in its new location on Friday as a massive 27,000-square-foot project in the works, with the capacity to brew 1,500 barrels a year. Plans include a full-service restaurant, a VIP lounge with pool tables, a special-event room, two stages for live music, a tasting bar, a beer garden and a gift shop.

If Bowe — who began home brewing in the mid-1990s, winning the award for California home brewer of the year twice in a row — follows through with his game plan, L.A. will have a worthy new tourist destination. And one that locals can't help but embrace.

Bowe's timing could not be more perfect. Craft beer is a hot libation in L.A. these days, with a host of new bars and restaurants, including the soon-to-open Mohawk Bend in Echo Park, the Federal Bar in North Hollywood and Public School 612 in downtown L.A., specializing in small-batch varieties.

Adding to the excitement is the slew of craft beer crawls and festivals that have cropped up in the last two years.

"Like the logo, it was meant to be," says Bowe, whose strong jaw and lean physique make him look like he just stepped out of the pages of an L.L. Bean catalog. "I'm in the right brewery, in the right place, at the right time."

Then there's the beer itself. Strong, rich, nuanced and flavorful, it comes in thick brown bottles with clever labels often devoted to Bowe's jazz heroes (he is a jazz saxophonist and released an album of Cole Porter favorites seven years ago). Rahsaan Roland Kirk Stritch Stout and Lester Young Porkpie Hat dark lager round out a varied line that also includes Angel City Vitzen (hefeweizen) and Belgian Night Train.

In the last two years, Angel City has taken home seven gold medals and two silver at the L.A. international beer competition at the L.A. County Fair.

The German-built brewing system, including a brew house, fermenters and bright tanks, was transferred to the three-story 1913 John A. Roeblings building from their former home in the Bavarian fantasyland that is Alpine Village in Torrance. The facility, with its original tile work, molding and exposed brick, should be fully operational in a month, with the restaurant coming within the year. But for now, Bowe is just excited to welcome his neighbors to Friday's celebrations and Saturday's grand opening.

Lots of beer, live music, local art and food trucks will be on offer. And on Saturday, Bowe's brother Matthew will cook tri-tip and sausage for the crowd.

"L.A. may not have a pro football team," says Bowe. "But at least now we'll have a great microbrewery."



Read More: http://www.latimes.com/theguide/bars-and-clubs/la-et-night-angel18-20110318-1,0,4801274.story

Angel City Brewery
216 S Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
http://www.angelcitybrewing.com/

An evocative building and space. I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that this almost links the Arts District and Jtown into a single commercial and shopping area. Some opening up of the Jtown fortress shopping centers and some thinking about Alameda and its traffic, could really link this into a major, visibly attractive, walkable area that gives tourists and Angelenos something more to do DT.

Activating two or three more of the theaters (like the Belasco, which is re-opening) would add a similar area on Bway and Hill. I can easily see these as venues for jazz and other performers that attract 200 to 1000 people and add a bit more to the dining and bar scene. Broadway style shows are a ways off, but smaller rock, blues, jazz, and contemporary singer-songwriter could be do-able.

How's the beer? Is it any good?

I like that: a man that cuts to the chase.

I don't know, it was closed.

L A LIVE GETS COMPANION HOTEL http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee192/trolltoast/album%203/60995775.jpg . THE 22 STORY HOTEL WOULD BE RUN BY MARRIOT UNDER THE BRANDS COURTYARD AND RESIDENCE INN - THE 120 MILLION PROJECT IS SLATED TO BEGIN IN A YEAR . An Oregon developer plans to build a 22-story hotel near the L.A. Live entertainment center to serve a growing number of visitors to downtown Los Angeles.

Marriott International Inc. would operate the proposed 377-room hotel on Olympic Boulevard under two of the company's brands: Residence Inn by Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott. Construction on the nearly $120-million project is set to begin next March and be completed by 2014.

It would be built and owned by a consortium led by Williams/Dame & Associates, the Portland, Ore., developer that built the condominium towers Evo, Luma and Elleven near Staples Center in the South Park district of downtown.

Maryland-based Marriott already operates a JW Marriott and a Ritz-Carlton in a skyscraper across Olympic on the campus of L.A. Live as well as a Marriott Hotel about seven blocks north on Figueroa Street.

It is not unusual to have multiple Marriott products so close together, company executives said.

"We have a portfolio of brands that cater to different demands and price points," said Tony Capuano, executive vice president of development for Marriott. "This gives us the opportunity to serve a variety of guests who come for a variety of reasons."

The hotel plan is not contingent on the construction of Farmers Field, a proposed professional football stadium and convention facility that L.A. Live owner AEG is seeking approval for to build nearby, Capuano said.

"We feel very good about the bet we have made with our brands," he said, in large part because there are already about 300 events a year at Staples Center and L.A. Live venues including the Nokia Theater.

"We think Farmers Field would continue to grow the appeal and profile" of downtown, he said.

Downtown already is experiencing a burst in hotel visits. With the opening of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton last year, the supply of rooms went up 16% and demand grew 24% in 2010, said Bruce Baltin, a hospitality industry consultant at PKF Consulting USA.

"This is obviously very healthy in a down economy," he said. Downtown hotel occupancy has averaged almost 70% this year, compared with 61% in 2009 and nearly 65% last year.

Baltin attributed the uptick in downtown hotel occupancy to an increase in the number of people who come downtown and stay overnight after attending events. Downtown also is capturing business travelers who might have opted for hotels in Pasadena or the Westside in the past.

"Downtown has kind of reached a critical mass as a destination, and the more you add to it the more it will grow, to a reasonable extent," Baltin said. Marriott's no-frills Courtyard and extended-stay Residence Inn, with its larger units and kitchens, would add types of rooms that don't exist downtown, he said.

Williams/Dame & Associates would develop the hotel at the northwest corner of Olympic and Francisco Street with American Life Inc., a Seattle investment firm. Financing would be through the federal EB-5 program, which provides green cards to immigrant investors who put up a minimum investment of $500,000 for development in targeted areas.

The immigrants would be considered limited partners and thus co-owners of the project. If the project produces enough jobs to meet standards for the program, as expected, they would qualify for green cards granting residency. Marriott said the hotels would create about 100 jobs.

Building a high-rise hotel is less difficult than building a condominium tower because the units are more uniform, said Homer Williams, chairman of Williams/Dame. Williams has developed thousands of condos in Oregon and Los Angeles.

L.A. Live's effect on South Park has been more significant than he expected, and he predicts development in the area will continue to grow.

"We are going to ride some shirttails, hopefully," Williams said. His team acquired the hotel site, which is now a parking lot, from AEG.

The planned project is "another crucial milestone in Los Angeles' thriving downtown renaissance," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement. "This project will create countless local construction and permanent jobs and will expand Los Angeles' infrastructure to support large-scale conventions that generate significant revenue for the city."
roger.vincent@latimes.com
. ROGER VINCENT LOSANGELESTIMES

Cool thing

Well, not the Hard Rock or W or Mandarin or whatever. But there are a Courtyard and Residence near Times Sq., so it's a move in the right direction. Like the man says, it takes all types.

Baltin says that building effects growth in South Park only "to a reasonable extent". Not sure what that is driving at. Maybe he doesn't want more competition.

The project is independent of the football stadium. I guess this makes sense since I never caught the connection between football and taking the family to a hotel.

Folks on skyscraperpage are complaining about the design and up in arms because it's stucco. Frankly, I don't think it's that big a deal. Think it looks fine.

It is a hotel, not a condo or office tower. They are somewhat limited in what they can design considering the rooms are more uniform. LA is not vegas.

The project is independent of the football stadium. I guess this makes sense since I never caught the connection between football and taking the family to a hotel.

The connection would be the stadium also resulting in the renovation/expansion of the convention center. That would result in the need for more hotel rooms, not the football.

Stucco? :)

The connection would be the stadium also resulting in the renovation/expansion of the convention center. That would result in the need for more hotel rooms, not the football.

"The hotel plan is not contingent on the construction of Farmers Field, a proposed professional football stadium and convention facility that L.A. Live owner AEG is seeking approval for to build nearby, Capuano said."

Actually, Capuano is saying that the new hotels are not contingent on either the football stadium or the convention center expansion.

So apparently, The Broad will spawn 2 buildings next to it. One will be 21 stories and the other will be 6.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5644527426_c03c3c7ba7_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5644527434_87e3984f4d_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5146/5644527444_b99be44801_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5101/5644527430_677b4fa5ae_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5644527436_4e049fe2f9_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5182/5644530328_4aa341554e_o.png

Nice design for both buildings, I do wish the condo building (Parcel L) would have add least 20 more stories because I remember reading that the site was ok'd for up to 35 stories. And maybe 10 more stories on the apartment bldg (Parcel M) Either way hopefully this gets started sooner than never.

The Grilled Cheese Invitational at Downtown LA
http://grilledcheeseinvitational.com/

Dunno. They both look pretty ugly. They should be a foil for the Broad, but I'm afraid that they'll distract from it. A refined curtain wall would have been my preference. Has anyone seen the new blue colored office building on North Beverly Drive in downtown Beverly Hills? It's like a mini-LA Live (minus digital projections) and looks terrific in the sunlight. I'll take a better picture of it sometime, but for now here's a small picture from the net. This is the kind of foil I was thinking of.

http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/MGM1.jpg

The renderings from Flickr on Soup's post worry the hell out of me! That design for The Broad had better not have devolved from where it was a few months ago!

Those two buildings remind me of Le Corbusier...and I am not a big fan.

Join the supporters of Farmers Field
http://www.farmersfield.com/



Magic calls on fans to sign petition for L.A. football stadium
NFL.com Wire Reports
Published: May 17, 2011 at 04:24 p.m.

Sports and entertainment company AEG is reaching for star power in its quest to bring a football team to downtown Los Angeles.

In an email sent to Staples Center ticket purchasers and supporters, former Laker legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson made a plea for fans to sign a petition in support of Farmers Field stadium, which would be constructed over half the existing Los Angeles Convention Center in a rapidly-rejuvenated part of downtown that includes LA Live, an AEG-owned entertainment complex with concert venues, restaurants, a bowling alley, movie theaters and the Staples Center, which has housed the Lakers, the Clippers and hockey's Kings since 1999.

"For sports fans, Farmers Field makes L.A. one of the top sports cities in the world, giving us the stadium we need not only to host a football team, but the Super Bowl, Olympics, NCAA Final Fours and other major events," the statement reads. "And for business folks like me, Farmers Field brings more than 18,000 permanent, good paying jobs to the city -- building our urban communities and bringing pride back to our neighborhoods.

"It's about time that we finally give our city a football team -- and bring "Showtime" back to Los Angeles, not just on the basketball court, but on the football field."

AEG often touts LA Live's role in helping rejuvenate downtown Los Angeles as a preview of the impact its stadium proposal could have when promoting its plan to city residents and officials.

The AEG stadium plan is one of two competing proposals that aim to bring football back to Los Angeles some 15 years after the Rams and Raiders left the nation's second-largest market within months of one another.

AEG has said it would pick up the entire $1 billion construction tab for its stadium. The venue would be constructed over half the existing convention center, which would be rebuilt to attract more conventions. The company's plan calls for the city to issue some $350 million in bonds to finance the demolition and relocation of the contention center hall displaced by the stadium.

AEG officials have said they would ask the city to let AEG use stadium ticket taxes and new venue-related revenue from city-owned parking lots to service the debt on the bonds but would make up an estimated $6-million-to-$8-million shortfall.

Warehouse magnate Ed Roski has permits in place to build a separate 75,000-seat stadium about 15 miles east of Los Angeles, in the city of Industry.

Both camps have said they hope to recruit a team -- and possibly two -- from among those that need a new stadium to maximize revenue but are unable to get one built in their current locations.

The San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars are among the teams often mentioned as possible candidates to play in the proposed venues.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Read More: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d81fe108e/article/magic-calls-on-fans-to-sign-petition-for-la-football-stadium

Anyone catch this?

CurbedLA (http://la.curbed.com/)


Friday, June 3, 2011, by Neal Broverman

http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/Union_Station_7310.jpg

Metro: Development Coquettes The LA chapter of the Urban Land Institute held a gathering yesterday to work on the future of transit-oriented development in the city, reports The Source (http://thesource.metro.net/2011/06/03/metro-officials-talk-planning-at-tod-conference/).

The most interesting nugget was a tease about Union Station, which was recently bought by Metro. "Along with the station itself, Metro recently purchased 38 acres surrounding it and roughly 5.9 million square feet in entitlements — in other words, the development rights to build the equivalent of several large towers," The Source writes. "In the near future," Metro will have an open call for developers to submit their interest; four or five companies will be winnowed down and asked to expand on their visions before the public weighs in. [The Source]

Anyone catch this?

CurbedLA (http://la.curbed.com/)

Yeah, this sounded good. It points out that Expo is attracting a lot of building from Fig to Santa Monica, which the Times seems to have missed. Same for Red and Purple. Conversely, they note that the "outlying" areas of the system have not attracted much development.

The Union Station area plans should be interesting and controversial for years if not decades. I am afraid that the politics of it will get grim, with ethnic groups, unions, special interest groups, environmentalists, etc., all trying to grab money and publicity (similar to the 101 Park). Should be interesting to see what restrictions the developers get saddled with.

The area surrounding Union Station especially the Vignes side is in dire need of some super development. If I recall the MTA already has plans to revamp the bus depot back there and wouldn't HSR connect there as well? Yes I believe so.

That whole area is ugly. Union Station is the only building in that area that isn't an eyesore

It is quite depressing until you get to US. Especially the Vignes side that used to face an awful suburban style Denny's and now has been even more downgraded believe it or not as Denny's has gone out of business and a "Nibblers" has moved in. C'mon! Nibblers??? Knock it down! Also on the "front" side of US please do something about that front facing parking lot. There is a 6 level underground gargantuan parking structure underneath the structure now.

I'm curious to see what developers propose for the area east of US. High-rise seems doubtful since only the jail and MTA building are tall; up-market seems doubtful (too many jails and bail-bonds in the vicinity).

I'm not sure what precise lots they control, but that area is not in general that run-down. Much of the rest of the area is nondescript commercial, but not dilapidated slums. It's hard to picture it being anything other than low to medium rise and transit-related.

A football stadium would be an interesting thought, although closer to County General would make more sense since larger space is available. I have trouble imagining anything very nice there at all, other than down-market chain hotels and food.

Some help, please?

it would be nice to replace the front surface lot with a plaza and vendors/kiosks so the image of union station is still preserved and not blocked off.

I'm not sure I can get excited about kiosks ruining that view above. Getting rid of the cars yes, there are enough vendors inside at on Olvera St.

In any event, the big problems are on the other side.

if you want to get rid of the cars, something has to be there. i'd prefer a plaza in front of union station rather than a 5-story residential/office building blocking one of our most historic monuments from the street. what else can be done? vignes has lots of potential, but alameda is pretty limited.

Get rid of the parking and leave it as park area. It's just the kiosks that I object to since they detract from the view.

While we're on the subject, maybe take Alameda below street level and turn the whole thing into park and plaza. Some kind of rethinking of car access is necessary anyway as part of the expansion of the station.

^^ ah... even better

I'm curious to see what developers propose for the area east of US. High-rise seems doubtful since only the jail and MTA building are tall; up-market seems doubtful (too many jails and bail-bonds in the vicinity).


I don't think the jails will have an effect on "up-market" housing. I mean when was the last time that you heard of a jail break? Anyway if not "up market" we can build dense medium-priced to affordable housing towers. These would work actually very well in this area. Just please get rid of the Nibblers.

Construction has began at the NW corner of Bixel and Wishire Blvd., is this another skyscraper??

Is it going to be this one??

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2830807481_503566b111_o.jpg

If you guys are not aware, Citigroup Plaza just finished renovating their plaza. Looks nice. If not a bit bunkerish.

From SSP:


Of course Pershing Square was the perfect square right before it was turned into the roof of an underground parking lot in the early 1950s. It has gone through several iterations since then.

I went to the Citigroup Center plaza today to take pictures of it. The article that was posted about it says that the designers didn't want the remodeled plaza to turn its back on the city; I feel it definitely does turn its back on the street.
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/2381/p1170638.jpg
Photo by me


It also feels more cluttered.
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/516/p1170637.jpg
Photo by me

http://img855.imageshack.us/img855/6178/p1170640.jpg
Photo by me


Definitely a different feel and look from the original design of the plaza, which I liked; gone are the stainless steel accents that used to be there among the geometric pattern that was the theme of the paving.
http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/6506/p1170645.jpg
Photo by me


The design does have its positives. At least it'll be a gathering place for people who can take advantage of the places to sit, and of course office workers etc. who'll be using the space for their lunch breaks. I like the use of the palo verde trees (which always look exotic to me); those will look really nice when they grow in more and provide shade.
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/4466/p1170641.jpg
Photo by me


Off topic, but here's a pic of what used to be a traffic light standard for northbound traffic on Flower back when this stretch was a two-way street, before it was turned one way for the 1984 Summer Olympics; you can see the stub of the mast arm. Also, I noticed that LA's LED streetlight installation project has reached the downtown area.
http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/135/p1170650t.jpg
Photo by me


And is it just me, or does the Citigroup Center building look really nice? In the 1990s and most of the 00s I thought it looked dated, but I like the way it looks now, I think it's aged pretty well for a late Modern building. Maybe the use of stainless steel paneling and green tinted glass has helped it age well (compared with the mirrored/reflective tinted windows that are on the Bonaventure Hotel, which now totally look discolored and oily)? It's from that period in Modern architecture when the skin of the building really was literally treated like skin, with the windows being flush with the curtain wall panels (to maximize leasable floor space square footage). I'm thinking it looks better than the US Bank Tower, which I now think looks horribly dated; I still like the way it looks from a distance, but now up close it's looking kinda dowdy, especially next to the Citigroup Center. At least that's my opinion.
http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3050/p1170652f.jpg
Photo by me

Compare the new to the old.

http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/3262/thelocationportalcom.jpg
http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/3262/thelocationportalcom.jpg

Nice camera. I like the Library Tower still and am always surprised how identifiable it has become as a downtown LA icon....I guess after that Will Smith movie. Unfortunately downtown still looks sterile and dead.

^ Pff. Must not have been there in a while. Downtown is very much alive and well. Speaking of upgrading, The Met (not to be confused with the Met Lofts) is undergoing a much needed paint job. Gone are the gay pride balconies and a really awful shade of gray. Now it's being painted a dark gray (almost black). The new color makes the building look totally different and so much better. It really makes the building pop.

http://brighamyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_6718.jpg

Compare to before.

http://brighamyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/IMG_6730.jpg
brighamyen.com

Nice camera. I like the Library Tower still and am always surprised how identifiable it has become as a downtown LA icon....I guess after that Will Smith movie. Unfortunately downtown still looks sterile and dead.


Klams, DTLA is hardly "sterile" or "dead" these days.

I hear more and more ppl. everyday (who used to never venture east of La Brea) now mention how cool it is to go down there these days. There are always new restaurants and pubs popping up every month. In the Historic core especially...

I think community events like Art Walk and CicLAvia (which I loved), has had a ripple effect and opened a lot of eyes to the potential of DTLA; I say this cos a friend of mine who joined me back in this past April's CicLavia, has been raving about DTLA ever since. She lives on the Westside but makes trips to DT every other week now to dine with friends, when maybe in the past, she would've avoided it like it was some kind of a venereal disease. Hopefully, more ppl like her will continue to be exposed to the virtues of DT and see that it's really not as scary a place as they had initially thought/heard.

Don't get me wrong though, DTLA still has a ways to go and is hardly saturated...it still lacks a lot of the amenities/luxuries many ppl still find in the burbs, but things are really looking up in DT!

I'm regularly in Dwtwn and perhaps I should have been more specific. I think as more people move downtown it will lose some of its sterility which it has. Better comparison is Hollywood vs Downtown. It may be the urban form that makes these two places different not the activities but I prefer Hollywood much over Downtown. Lack of trees in downtown? No that can't be it. Lack of eateries and vibrancy? Could be but that's subjective. Lack of transportation? Defitnetly not. I dunno......Downtown is lacking something.

I'm looking through the development threads. There were like 27 towers either proposed or approved. Only 3 or 4 were built. Kind of disappointing. Imagine if all were built...

I share the vision, and a nice one it is.

But the reality is that if they were built there would have been a huge glut, more developer bankruptcies, more bankruptcies of old buildings due to low occupancy, more banks in trouble and a bigger federal bail-out. This is a perfect example of why you let developers and lenders decide when to build and NOT the government and unions.

I'm looking through the development threads. There were like 27 towers either proposed or approved. Only 3 or 4 were built. Kind of disappointing. Imagine if all were built...

As I've said before, DTLA has a lot of existing buildings that are being converted/going to be converted into condos/lofts/apartments. Which is why we didn't have a slew of skyscraper construction during the last boom. Which is fine to be quite honest. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have all these unused buildings laying around while new skyscrapers are being built.

Speaking of conversions, this is actually pretty significant:

From Bringhamyen.com


What has been an abandoned and derelict office building for many years, sitting strategically between LA Live/Staples Center and the Financial District at 845 S Figueroa St, has begun major renovation work that will transform the defunct and obsolete structure back to an attractive Class A commercial property.

According to James R. Meyer, the principal architect at LeanArch designing the renovation work, the current nondescript 5-story office building owned by The L&R Group of Companies–”one of the largest parking property owners in the nation”–has already completed some interior renovation work as part of Phase I, including an aesthetic update to the front entrance and remodel of the lobby. In addition, the 5th floor was completely renovated a few weeks ago and is now the corporate headquarters for L&R. The company relocated their office from City National Plaza just up the street.

Meyer informed me about the future plans for this office building, which entail some exciting new design features that will contribute to the Downtown LA renaissance by helping to activate this section of Figueroa St, and therefore, create a stronger pedestrian connection between South Park and the Financial District. As part of Phase II, the entire ground floor (about 25,000 square feet) will be converted from office space to retail use. The space can either be leased out to one large tenant, or be divided up into 3 separate spaces. The owner, L&R, is marketing the retail space to restaurants or even a grocery store.

Because there are plans to have outdoor dining along Figueroa (if a restaurant takes part of the ground floor retail space), the large ficus trees will be replaced with more attractive species within the “LA Live/Staples Center guidelines.”

In addition, the north and west facades with existing blank walls will be “punched out” and new glass curtain walls will be installed, giving the building more transparency and an updated modern look (less bunker-ish). As a result of removing much of the north and west facing walls, retrofitting enhancements will be implemented.

Exterior renovation work will begin before the end of the year and is slated to complete construction by summer 2012.

Before:
http://brighamyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_7088.jpg

After:
http://brighamyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/845-Fig-1-sm.jpg
http://brighamyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/845-Fig-2-sm.jpg

^^I think it's awesome to see all these defunct properties being brought back to life with a fresh new look. This should happen all over DTLA before any new buildings start to rise. The renovation of 845 Figueroa will dramatically liven up that section of the Figueroa corridor. I always found it dreadful to even walk past that property.

As I've said before, DTLA has a lot of existing buildings that are being converted/going to be converted into condos/lofts/apartments. Which is why we didn't have a slew of skyscraper construction during the last boom. Which is fine to be quite honest. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have all these unused buildings laying around while new skyscrapers are being built.

Speaking of conversions, this is actually pretty significant:

From Bringhamyen.com




Before:
http://brighamyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/IMG_7088.jpg

After:
http://brighamyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/845-Fig-1-sm.jpg
http://brighamyen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/845-Fig-2-sm.jpg

Looks like mostly they are bringing slim women into the neighborhood. Maybe there's a gym or yoga center on the first floor?

what was that building used for before? looks like a former government building.

If they are marketing to grocery stores, Can we please get a hold of Trader Joes or Fresh & Easy to maybe eye the spot? I imagine a TJ for that location (also Medallion in OBD & maybe the Arts District) The building does have good logistics as the loading docks are located on 8th Place, so that shouldnt be a problem for a mid size grocery stores (10,000 - 25,000 sq ft!) next up is the plot on SW corner of 9th/Figueroa & Metropolis!!!

Something else I'm noticing more and more. I'm all for trees and landscaping but I think these ficus trees downtown, when they get big, tend to close in on the flow on the sidewalk and even overly obstruct the front of these buildings. Save these trees and move them to Downtown Disney (like the Santa Monica ones) and replace them with palms.

Palms are now a dirty word.

Oh, Klams! What,... they don't provide enough shade or their photosenthical water to oxygen production ratio is too high? In the property above I think those ficus can be replaced very wonderfully with palms. Tsk tsk ..Klams Klams Klams!

I agree. I like palms. But everytime I say that I hear people groan about not providing shade and not doing anything for anyone. I think they are majestic, beautiful and are Southern Cali.

Agreed! And I think you can provide both at the same time in parks as well as streets since they don't seem to compete with each other.

Living in Miami and walking and using public transit in a very hot and humid climate I am growing to hate palm trees. They are everywhere and provide little to no shade. They are only really good to look pretty in pictures, other wise useless.

Updates?

While I'm excited for all the future big projects coming downtown (most of them won't start until next year) I haven't heard anything from the city addressing the homeless population and drug problem on skid row. That entire skid row area needs to be cleaned up, and needs a complete makeover just like Broadway and Figueroa streets will soon get.

skid row went through a deep cleanse in the last few years (a challenge, considering the homeless level has risen on a national level since then). figueroa was never bad (just boring bunker hill) and broadway has always been changing for the better (just not in the direction the early part of the 20th century intended).

AEG is a saint in terms of bringing in more jobs and development downtown. even small, attractive businesses are finding their way here and are not closing. i was surprised to find a fruiti yogo in santee alley within the last few months and grand central market has a surprising crowd throughout the week compared to 5 years ago. the arts district has lines and lines of people waiting to see galleries and are hanging out for hours (not including art walk).

and with the gold line extensions and expo phase 1, more riders can make their way into downtown more easily. even the streetcar will get locals to rid themselves of private automobiles.

beggars can't be choosers (even now in this economy) and i can just summarize that i'm glad we're getting some of the things done on downtown's to-do list

speaking of Broadway, is there any progress on the trolley, other than the repair of deficient basements and such? This seems to have gone the way of the 101 Parks (DT and Hollywood).

The pace of downtown feels comfortable to me and is one of building a firm foundation. The goal is to essentially change downtown LA from a sea of parking lots to a livable center city. There are big things happening like Farmer's Field but those bigger projects must have the supporting actors in place e.g. small business, vibrant street scene, better accessibility etc.

http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/plans-revealed-for-grand-avenue-tower/article_2bb223c8-de2f-11e0-b27e-001cc4c03286.html

I think it's ugly and I don't want them matching it to the Broad anyways. The Broad is a unique design that I want to remain unique to the museum. There are looks that work for a museum that I don't think work for other buildings. This is one of them.

i just didn't want this to get smaller than 35 stories

I wonder why they didn't put balconies on this apartment building. I wonder if you can open the windows at all because it looks like an office building.

When I compare this to what Aquatechtonica is doing in Miami, I cry. Sunk so low, literally! A box is a box is a fucking box ........ and not a very grand one at that!

When I compare this to what Aquatechtonica is doing in Miami, I cry. Sunk so low, literally! A box is a box is a fucking box ........ and not a very grand one at that!

Looks like they were asked to make it like the Broad and seriously, what can they do with a building that has to look like the Broad? I wish they'd just give Aquatechtonica the green light to do something completely different and new, ignoring what the Broad looks like. If it's going to be as small as it is going to be it can at least be gorgeous. This is certainly not gorgeous.

From the "Occupy LA" protest. I'm guessing that's the site of the broad museum.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/6206664384_949229e74b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/harolda/6206664384/)
Occupy LA Day 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/harolda/6206664384/) by Harold Abramowitz (http://www.flickr.com/people/harolda/), on Flickr

Corner of Wilshire and La Brea. Noticed excavation starting, they've been pulling up the concrete that was there before.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/VladVerzeni/Buildings/image131.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/VladVerzeni/Buildings/image130.jpg

Not sure if this is the correct area of Los Angeles to post this in.

Artisan House Restaurant opening soon at 6th and Main in dt L.A.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6114/6346342526_1631e05583_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6229/6346343750_d47eb2b939_b.jpg

Umamicatessen, a cafeteria-style "modern-industrial" space that will be opening up at 852 S. Broadway in dt L.A., will be composed of "four or five different restaurants that are all under our umbrella. On top of Umami's signature burgers, available at their existing locations, Umamicatessen will feature a tapas menu, a deli, and a dessert menu. Great location, right on the ground level of the Orpheum Theater.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6236/6345587005_f873870f94_b.jpg

The Los Angeles Brewing Company will soon open at 750 S. Broadway
in dt L.A. This place looks really nice.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6102/6345583341_18eb37699e_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6098/6345582715_9b5f3d8e07_b.jpg

This space at 618 S. Broadway will become Figaro Broadway. It will take over the space once occupied by Schaber Cafeteria. The restaurant is awaiting design approval from the city. Once that occurs, construction will begin to transform the 9000 sq foot ground floor space into a restaurant with a retail bakery and patio dining. A second phase would create an 8,600 square foot mezzanine.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6112/6345580543_88c494502e_b.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6060/6345581211_fd3fff68b9_b.jpg

Figaro on Vermont is a good solid place; hope the quality and vibe stay the same at the DT branch.

It's always amazing how much care and love was put into buildings in those days. Even with just a cleaning and removal of later additions you get a beautiful area. With respectul updating you could get a world-class urban area.

Downtown Civic Park: Trees and Lucrative Starbucks Arriving, Barriers Leaving
Tuesday, November 8, 2011, by Neal Broverman

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2011_11_zevcivipark-thumb.jpg
Image via Zev Yaroslavsky

We were a bit concerned last month by the less-than-verdant construction shots we took of Downtown's new 12 acre Civic Park. But County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky allays our fears slightly--"the downtown park project is definitely entering its green period," according to a story on his website. That means trees are being trucked in, with 50 (of 373) new trees planted since July. Many of the trees are palms, but there will also be dozens of California sycamores, Tipuana tipu trees, coast live oaks, and other varieties when landscaping is done; supposedly in May. There's also a new Starbucks going up at the north end of the Rios Clementi Hale-designed green space. The coffeehouse--bigger than the previous incarnation at 1,195 square feet--is getting a slanted green roof and a new ten year lease agreement with the County. Rent "will go to $3,585, from $2,250," Yaroslavsky's site says. "Since business is expected to increase once the new park is open, the county--which will receive 6% of the coffee concession's annual gross sales above $717,000--anticipates that its take will go up as well. The total annual revenue for the county, including the rent, is projected to be about $70,800 a year."

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2011_11_civicpark2-thumb.jpg
Image via Zev Yaroslavsky

If you're still not convinced that progress being made, the restored Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain will be tested around the first of the year, while barricades that closed off the project from Grand Avenue will be coming down soon--the Grand Ave. sidewalk, which has been annoyingly inaccessible, opens on Monday, "along with a mid-block crosswalk that leads to the Music Center and the Grand Avenue ramps to the Hall of Administration parking lot."


Read more: http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/11/downtown_civic_park_trees_and_lucrative_starbucks_arriving_barriers_leaving.php

You do realize that article is about 12 days old?
I could have linked it the day it came out, it is long from that state, I just passed by it this morning.

You do realize that article is about 12 days old?
I could have linked it the day it came out, it is long from that state, I just passed by it this morning.

Yeah, I do realize it's a bit old. But no one had posted it to my knowledge and had some photos that show progress, so what the hell.

Have you been able to take photos?

I will this coming weekend, although it's still a bit blocked from view.

Good news... Looks like Brigham was right! Downtown is getting an Ace Hotel!

they will renovate the entire building including the theater!

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/1..._ace_hotel.php

These boutique hotels are exactly what we need

That's a pretty big boutique hotel, but who's complaining? Great news; I look forward to an exterior worthy of Chicago or NY.

Is the theater going to be live performance or movies? It's quite a large venue.

I wonder if it's looking for entertainment people or hip Europeans? It's a bit south of the core but fairly close to LA Live, so business travellers are not impossible either.

Good news... Looks like Brigham was right! Downtown is getting an Ace Hotel!

they will renovate the entire building including the theater!

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/1..._ace_hotel.php

These boutique hotels are exactly what we need


Here's a repost of that link, it wasn't working for me. (http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/12/united_artistsjesus_saves_building_will_be_las_first_ace_hotel.php)

not sure why it wasn't working? It must have to do with how the forum shortens it?

Good news though!

And hopefully some of those old theaters on broadway will be future high end hotels as well. Broadway is the most embarassing part of downtown in my opinion.

^^

Hey, that's terrific news! The UA building is perhaps my favorite of all the buildings in downtown...but currently in a shabby condition, like many old buildings in downtown. I only hope that the new owners treat the historic details of the building with respect and not destroy them in process of renovation. I will look forward to the result!

broad

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/VladVerzeni/Buildings/20120106_134340.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/VladVerzeni/Buildings/20120106_134519.jpg

Smell that? There's action in the air this January and the latest movement is at One Santa Fe, the sinewy Arts District mixed-use project that's been in the works for half a decade now. We've been teased before, sure, but a press release out today says that Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund (Magic Johnson is a partner) has "closed the financing gap for the four-acre project" and that ground will break this month. The $160 million One Santa Fe was designed by architect Michael Maltzan and will sit on a Metro-owned site along Santa Fe Ave., between First and Fourth Streets, across from SCI-Arc. The project will be six stories and have 438 apartments (20 percent affordable), 50,000 square feet of public outdoor space, and 78,620 of office and retail space. And who knows how firm the retail plans are, but they're sure to get Downtown worked up: the project is "currently planned to feature an outdoor terrace that provides views of downtown and the river, along with a grocery store, additional retail, an art gallery, a multi-use theater and a garden on the ground floor."

The developers have a 78 year ground lease with Metro, which is considering linking the project up with a new Red Line station. Metro also plans to lease about 35,000 square feet of commercial space back from One Santa Fe.

The press release says that CJUF "has provided preferred equity capital to a joint venture among The McGregor Company, Polis Builders Ltd. and Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group (UIG) to jumpstart the development." It adds that executive architects KTGY Group have already finished construction drawings and that contractor Bernards Brothers Inc. has started predevelopment work at the site. So while we once heard that One Santa Fe would be finished "in the distant-sounding year of 2010," things don't look too bad for the latest projected completion date of December 2014.

http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2012.01_onesantafe1.jpg
http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2012.01_onesantafe2.jpg

This is of course good news. The overall look may be a little monotonous, but it's still a great improvement over any other proposals for that area.

My one complaint: why does MTA have to take half the office space? Is this just the city subsidizing the project through hidden means? In general, the city should be cutting people and cutting space.

The red-line stop sounds ambitious but great; the eastern-most part of the subway system! 20% affordable apartments is also great.
Design wise, the landscape could use more greenery. The focus is building horizontal but dense, lively developments in these ample blocks.

broad

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/VladVerzeni/Buildings/20120106_134340.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v208/VladVerzeni/Buildings/20120106_134519.jpg

Thank you for the update!...I had not noticed it till today. Such a shame we do not have a dedicated thread for this building. Instead people post updates on a number of threads - Parks and Museums, Downtown Development, the Grand, etc....so it's hard to know where new pics will pop up. I would start a thread myself, but I generally I don't unless I can personally contribute pictures consistently...which I cannot now, living in Long Beach and working in OC. Anyway, I'm glad to see the progress! To me this and the new Bradley terminal are the most significant projects currently under construction.

Not quite new development, but definately good news for downtown Los Angeles. After leaving DTLA in the 90's, the prominent S.O.M. firm will open a new office. This and the proposal to move the Oscars to DTLA (which is questionably a good move) serves as hard evidence of the area's economic cultural resurgence. Article is taken from the Brigham Yen blog and already posted on SSP.

Global Architect Giant SOM Returning to Los Angeles with Corporate Headquarters in Downtown LA

http://brighamyen.com/2012/01/13/global-architect-giant-skidmore-owings-merrill-returns-to-downtown-los-angeles/

Don't know much about SOM, but from that article, it seems like really great news for downtown LA. :)

We have a good number of elite architectural houses.
The trick is to have them build something for us!

This is big news. It seems to imply that they are expecting commissions from Southern California. It may also go to the greater visibility you get DT from the sports, entertainment, cultural, etc., venues.

On the other hand, it could just be they are bidding on something for the City of LA and needed to have some presence DT to be considered.

Don't know much about SOM, but from that article, it seems like really great news for downtown LA. :)

Really? Some of SOM's works. Some might be familiar to you.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Jin_Mao_Tower.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Sears_Tower_ss.jpg


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2f/Burj_Khalifa_building.jpg

eventually locate to bunker hill?! and they say with a "strong street presence"!! about time for bunker hill to get some street activity going on.

eventually locate to bunker hill?! and they say with a "strong street presence"!! about time for bunker hill to get some street activity going on.

It's hard to picture how a 30-40 person office creates a strong street presence on Bunker Hill, unless it is in a stand-alone low-rise, say, on Grand or Hope. Could they be considering funding and developing a small bit of the Grand Project?

If you head toward civic center, Hill, Olive, a lot more room for expansion and establishing street presence.