Wilshire| Development News

[milquetoast]

Condos are lifeblood of Wilshire Boulevard's rebirth


Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times
A view from the rooftop of the new Solair development looking east toward downtown. The Wilshire corridor was once a center of commerce, but has been remade into a fashionable address for residences over the last five years.
By Cara Mia DiMassa, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
8:43 PM PDT, March 10, 2008
The 22nd floor of the new Solair building, a residential, retail and transportation hub at Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue, is still just a concrete platform -- the building's official opening is months away.

But from that high up, it's easy to see how the building stands at the crossroads of change along the storied boulevard.

Wilshire Boulevard as it stretches west from downtown was for decades a center of commerce, with a row of high-rise buildings once occupied by business powerhouses like Union Bank, Texaco, IBM and Getty Oil.

Those corporate logos disappeared from the tops of the towers long ago. But in the last few years, Wilshire has been reborn as a stylish residential address -- catering at least in part to monied Koreans who have flocked to the area.

There are more than two dozen residential developments -- adding up to thousands of new housing units -- either completed or proposed along the boulevard between downtown and the Miracle Mile district.

Some of the projects are rehabs of shuttered office towers, such as the 1100 and 1010 Wilshire towers and the Mercury, the old Getty Oil headquarters across the street from Solair. Others are brand-new projects, sleek glass-and-steel towers like the Solair, where officials gathered Monday to mark the building's "topping off"--the point in construction when the roof's concrete is poured and the structure itself fully enclosed.

"We expect this to be a hub, a focal point for the Wilshire corridor," said L.A. County Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, of the project, which sits atop a Purple Line station.

But the building boom is meeting with growing concerns from some residents. There is particular alarm over new projects planned near the corner of La Brea Avenue and Wilshire, already a major traffic bottleneck, where hundreds of new housing units have been proposed.

"All we are seeing is growth and not the infrastructure," said Jim O'Sullivan, president of the Miracle Mile Residents Assn.

"All of these projects have what they call ground-floor commercial. What you get is Jamba Juice or Subway or Starbucks. That flies in the face of what the city calls smart growth," O'Sullivan said. "Smart growth is supposed to combine living and office spaces [to cut down on commutes]. No one who is moving into these new apartments is going to go down and work in Jamba Juice or Starbucks."

He and others said the city should encourage more office development on the sites, because those would bring in jobs where new area residents might work.

But other city leaders strongly support the revitalization. They note that some buildings that are being rehabbed had long been either empty or in decay -- like the Art Deco building that once housed Desmond's department store west of LaBrea, and the midcentury Colwell Co. building north of Vermont.

The stretch of Wilshire was once one of L.A.'s most fashionable districts, home to the Ambassador Hotel, Bullocks Wilshire department store and close to the mansions of Hancock Park. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Mid-Wilshire area took on the feel of a city center, with a canyon of high-rise office buildings between downtown and Hancock Park (where residents insisted on height limits).

But by the late 1980s, the area was showing signs of decline. The riots of 1992 -- and a recession in the early '90s -- hit the area hard, as companies vacated some of the buildings.

The current revival is being sparked in part by investment from Koreans and Korean Americans, which is fueling a shift in the area toward more upscale housing.

This demographic shift is apparent to George W. Mantor, community sales manager for the Mercury, a 1963 office tower designed by Claude Beelman. Condos in the building are now selling for $400,000 to more than $1 million.

"In my profession, we're not supposed to notice," Mantor said, "but interest in this area is primarily driven by Koreans."

One reason: South Korea has allowed its residents to invest more and more capital abroad, and Mantor has seen many of those dollars invested in residential housing in Koreatown.

John Kwon, 70, moved to Los Angeles from Chicago with his wife and bought in the Mercury because, he said, "It was the first high-rise in the Korean community. It's convenient. Everything is here."

Still, Kwon has set his sights on another Wilshire project. He is eyeing the Solair's construction project with the eye of a concerned parent, because he recently bought a unit on the building's top floor.
John Kwon, 70, moved to Los Angeles from Chicago with his wife and bought in the Mercury because, he said, "It was the first high-rise in the Korean community. It's convenient. Everything is here."

Still, Kwon has set his sights on another Wilshire project. He is eyeing the Solair's construction project with the eye of a concerned parent, because he recently bought a unit on the building's top floor.

"It's beautiful up there," he said.

The Wilshire corridor west of downtown is one of the few areas in the city -- along with downtown and Hollywood--that is exempt from a city law passed in 1986 aimed at stopping high-rise towers that had made certain parts of Westwood and the Valley resemble urban canyons.

The law cut in half the allowable size of future high-rises in about 70% of the city, but allowed a higher floor-to-area ratio for the exempt areas.

Christopher Pak, one of the partners in the Solair project, said the change "is driven by the sheer nature of the city evolving. It's becoming more metropolitan than suburban."

In addition, Wilshire is seen as one of the city's few transportation corridors, with bus lines and rail stations helping to whisk residents from there to other parts of the city.

"Wilshire Boulevard is one of the great streets for mixed use," said development consultant Kate Bartolo. "With its wide boulevard streets, light rail and bus service, Wilshire is an ideal corridor to creatively mix uses that result in both job creation and housing. Focusing growth on streets built to accommodate it can also better preserve residential neighborhoods."

Roger Moliere, chief of the MTA's Real Property and Development division, said the transit agency has partnered in two residential projects above subway stations along Wilshire -- the Solair and the rental-retail project at Wilshire and Vermont, jointly developed by Urban Partners and MacFarlane Partners.

The idea, Moliere, said, is to "bring attention to using public transportation." But he added that the MTA is fussy about what gets built there: "We try to get a project that fits in with what the area needs. We don't just plop something down."

Critics, however, have questioned whether building housing near transportation lines gets motorists out of their cars. For example, the subway under the Solair does not make the link to the Westside, a key L.A. destination.

Officials want to extend the subway west to Santa Monica, but it remains unclear how they can afford the $6-billion cost.

Nonetheless, some city leaders and residents see progress on the boulevard. Many said they lived through years of crime and neglect -- graffiti on buildings, little pedestrian life -- and are encouraged that some of the old office buildings are being reused.

Wilshire Boulevard, especially on the Miracle Mile, has "one of the greatest collection of Art Deco buildings in this city, or in any city," said Ken Bernstein, manager of the city planning department's Office of Historic Resources. "We are seeing renewed interest in those buildings."

Bernstein pointed to the American Cement Co. tower near MacArthur Park, a landmark of mid-century architecture that was recently rehabbed into live-work spaces.

Standing on the pool deck atop the Mercury, Brian Watson, the building's assistant manager, swept his hand over the vista, pointing out the FaithDome in South Los Angeles, the Hollywood sign and other highlights.

Actor Scott Baio was married next to the pool recently, he said, and Rich & Skinny Jeans held a party there.

"High-rises are popping up everywhere," Watson said. "The whole mantra of L.A., from here to downtown is live, work and play."

cara.dimassa@latimes.com

[JRinSoCal]

I'm surprised there hasn't been a Wilshire picture update in a while.

[milquetoast]

Miracle Mile Construction: Know Your Developments
Wednesday, March 5, 2008, by Dakota

The Larchmont Chronicle has published a tidy round up of all the projects cropping up on the 'old Miracle Mile, including the forthcoming The Viridian, a new apartment building--with an interesting name--that's pictured above. Since Wilshire traffic can leave the most patient Angeleno teary and hysterical, lets skip the car and walk the mile to check out what else is on the Chronicle's list, shall we?


1. The Viridian: This 60-unit apartment building at 5659 W. Eighth Street (located on the former Citibank parking lot site) will be finished in April. One and two-bedroom apartments will be available, according to the Chronicle.


2. 5550 Wilshire Blvd: Mixed-use, here we come. This will be a 163-unit condo building with 15,000 square feet of retail space. Completion: Summer 2009, according to the Chronicle.



3. Wilshire & La Brea: This one is BIG and (judging from the comments left on the site) CONTENTIOUS. A 645-unit rental building with a whopping 41,500 square feet of commercial space.


4. 5600 Wilshire: A 284-unit, mixed use project . Our favorite Asshat.


5. Desmond's: Courtesy of Legacy Partners, the historic building at 5500-5528 Wilshire Blvd. is getting a $1.5 million restoration, according to the paper. (Just $1.5 million? That seems small.)

6. Olympic Blvd: A 10-unit building at 948 S. Not pictured; we are naked and renderless. Also mentioned by the Chronicleunsmuir Ave and a nine-unit building at Burnside Ave, according to the paper.

7. 727 S. Dunsmuir: 50 artist lofts are planned.
MIRACLE MILE DEVELOPMENT [Larchmont Chronicle]


Filed under Koreatown/Mid-Wilshire Curbed LA

[milquetoast]

Columbia Square Project Update: Cranes Coming!
Friday, April 11, 2008, by Dakota

A reader points out errors in today's Slatin Report story about Hollywood development, (Katyusha instead of Katsuya, and there is no such thing as Madrone Street), but here's a nugget--the reporter mentions a Spring 2009 ground-breaking for the $850 million Columbia Square project, a mixed-use development at the corner of Sunset and Gower, the site of the CBS Studios. Add in the nearby Hollywood and Vine project, and the Hollywood and Vine/the W hotel, and yes, Hollywood is hopping.
Via the Slatin Report:

---400 dwelling units
---125 hotel rooms
---380,000 sf of office space
---12,000 sf of ground floor retail
---22,500 sf of restaurant space,
---The project will also incorporate about 105,000 sf of the original CBS Studios
CurbedLA

[milquetoast]

L.A. councilman proposes new billboard district in Koreatown

3deearts.com

Ginza

Anti-billboard activists are alarmed by a plan to allow signs along a 17-block area, saying the city should first crack down on illegal ones.
By David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 18, 2008
A Los Angeles city councilman has proposed the creation of a new billboard district in Koreatown, one that would run 17 blocks from east to west and take in major corridors such as Wilshire and Olympic boulevards.

With a separate downtown billboard district scheduled for a vote next week, the proposal by Councilman Herb Wesson has alarmed anti-billboard activists. They said the city should not allow any more outdoor signs until it can show that it is cracking down on the illegal ones.

One foe warned that a billboard district would force Koreatown residents to keep their blinds closed at night to avoid the glare, especially if some of the signs display electronic images.

"All the side streets are heavily residential," said Dennis Hathaway, a board member with the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight. "If you turn those streets into something like the Ginza [in Tokyo] or Times Square, people in their apartments and houses are going to be experiencing all that light and color."

Wesson argued that a sign district would be a good fit for Koreatown, which has a hopping bar scene and a number of nighttime attractions, such as the Wiltern Theater. With new multistory residential projects going up on and around Wilshire, those who move into the neighborhood won't be surprised to see a greater number of outdoor signs, Wesson said.

"In the event that you do have billboards there, if someone buys a condo or rents an apartment that we build there, they'll know that going in," he said.

The council banned new billboards in 2002 in an attempt to reduce visual blight from city streets. That law created a provision that allowed new signs to go up in entertainment districts and areas with large numbers of pedestrians. At the time, proponents of the ban said the new districts should be used as leverage to persuade advertising companies to remove billboards from other, quieter streets.

Wesson's proposal would join three other sign districts in Los Angeles. Hollywood's sign district takes in eight major corridors, including Hollywood, Santa Monica and Sunset boulevards. Downtown Los Angeles has special zoning that allows billboards around Staples Center and the Nokia Theater. And the council is expected to give final approval next week to a one-block billboard district next to the 10 Freeway.

The city's politicians and business interests have stepped up their interest in outdoor advertising in recent months, looking for ways of bringing new signs to new locations.

Last month, Councilman Ed Reyes proposed a sign district on the west side of the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles, on such streets as Beaudry, Boylston, 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

Wesson, whose district includes parts of Koreatown, also is working with a developer to create eight to 10 vinyl signs at Midtown Crossing, a new shopping center between Pico, San Vicente and Venice boulevards. And a private developer, Astani Enterprises, is seeking to establish a second district near Staples Center that would allow at least one 14-story animated sign.

The Koreatown plan is easily the largest of the proposed districts, taking in stretches of Normandie, Vermont and Western avenues.

Wesson's proposal calls on the planning department to prepare the maps and documents necessary to create a sign district bounded by 6th Street on the north, Olympic Boulevard on the south, Shatto Place on the east and St. Andrews Place on the west.

Planning Commission President Jane Usher, who voted against the billboard district planned next to the 10 Freeway, had no position on the Koreatown proposal. But she suggested that city officials exclude Country Club Heights, a residential neighborhood on the western edge of the proposed district. "It seems to me that the boundaries bear looking at, and I think the council office will agree," said Usher, an appointee of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Wesson said the boundaries of the proposed district could change as the planning department spends the next year processing his request. But he argued that, if done right, Koreatown could derive an economic boost from a billboard district.

"It brings a pop and flash to a certain area," he said.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

[Westsidelife]

^ Sounds intriguing, but I don't know how it will pan out. As the article pointed out, most of the side streets are residential.

[BEATSLIM]

Make, this, happen!!

Its LED signs that produce the most light but those colorful billboards like in that ginza picture is not that bright at all.

[phattonez]

Isn't there someplace better that's all commercial so no residents get annoyed?

[omgitsroy326]

Beverly and Wilshire...http://photos-458.ll.facebook.com/ph...03588_7029.jpg

[milquetoast]

Oh, no! He's all over the place. Have you been previously banned? This is interesting, but.....we're gonna need more

[omgitsroy326]

It's a 5 story building.. with underground parking structure... the overhang your see is about 25' on the far side...

[omgitsroy326]

no.. i have not been previously banned~

[Westsidelife]

Where is it located at? Wilshire and Beverly?

[omgitsroy326]

yes...

[Westsidelife]

The Westside always gets the good stuff.

[klamedia]

Originally Posted by phattonez

Isn't there someplace better that's all commercial so no residents get annoyed?

Funny there is residential all around Times Square and we're not really talking on that level. This is a good idea but I would like to see this really pushed along Hollywood Blvd between Vine and La Brea.

[milquetoast]

..Then we have the poor babies up in the hills saying they can't see the city because Hollywood Blvd. is too bright. They're just gonna have to bite it,.or suck it! Either way, I don't care

[Kingofthehill]

Today

image hosted on flickr


Western and Wilshire is a pretty hip place to be right now

[Westsidelife]

^ It's a shame they're not building more since they already have the transit to accommodate heavy density.

[JRinSoCal]

Anyone know the status of the Wilshire Center Towers project on Wilshire and Vermont. I know the old hideous structure was razed but has construction started yet?

The renderings on the first page of this thread should be categorized into U/C, Proposed, approved and completed sections. I have no idea what the status on Wilshire projects are (aside from Solair).