LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[caligrad]

LAs trash problem is trash collection. LA needs NEW types of trash cans on every corner/block that lock and cannot be opened or ran through by the homeless and people looking for recyclables. LA needs a subdivision under Trash where its people's jobs JUST to clean up the street. Have an age limit of 18-21 to gain "work experience" with a career path that may lead to a city job. Tell a bunch of 18–22-year Olds that they can get paid 20 an hour just to drive around collecting trash from the streets and trash bins throughout the city and see how clean LA gets in a week.

The LAX train situation .... I feel like we go over this at least once a year ..

There will never be a direct line from LAX to DTLA within our lifetimes. LA in a sense blew it with the Crenshaw line. If you don't believe me, just look at google maps and follow the route. When the line meets Crenshaw in Inglewood. There's actually an empty right of way not being utilized right there. If you follow it, it goes all the way to Slauson where it then still has a dedicated right of way. They then could have had a tunnel boring machine go under fig or use the cut/cover method for those 2 miles and linked it up with the expo line in exposition park for a straight shot to downtown. Instead......We got the "easy" Crenshaw line that took 3 years longer to complete.

As for "well maybe they can do that in the future". They can't. From my understanding parts of the empty right of way have been sold to neighboring lots and the portion that runs along Slauson is being turned into a "walking path". Gotta love LAs way of thinking *Sarcasm*

[Jun]

Originally Posted by caligrad

LAs trash problem is trash collection. LA needs NEW types of trash cans on every corner/block that lock and cannot be opened or ran through by the homeless and people looking for recyclables. LA needs a subdivision under Trash where its people's jobs JUST to clean up the street. Have an age limit of 18-21 to gain "work experience" with a career path that may lead to a city job. Tell a bunch of 18–22-year Olds that they can get paid 20 an hour just to drive around collecting trash from the streets and trash bins throughout the city and see how clean LA gets in a week.

Yeah we need solar trash compactors everywhere, more enforcement on illegal dumping and getting more aggressive on single use plastic. Oh and raise the CRV for bottles and cans to make it more attractive for recycling.

The LAX train situation .... I feel like we go over this at least once a year ..

There will never be a direct line from LAX to DTLA within our lifetimes. LA in a sense blew it with the Crenshaw line. If you don't believe me, just look at google maps and follow the route. When the line meets Crenshaw in Inglewood. There's actually an empty right of way not being utilized right there. If you follow it, it goes all the way to Slauson where it then still has a dedicated right of way. They then could have had a tunnel boring machine go under fig or use the cut/cover method for those 2 miles and linked it up with the expo line in exposition park for a straight shot to downtown. Instead......We got the "easy" Crenshaw line that took 3 years longer to complete.

Metro states the ridership isnt there and that it wouldn't be cost effective, and I actually have to agree with them here. Lets face it, union station is in a shit location. Most people want to get to the west side or valley asap, not to a location where they will transfer and extend the commute another hour+.

As for "well maybe they can do that in the future". They can't. From my understanding parts of the empty right of way have been sold to neighboring lots and the portion that runs along Slauson is being turned into a "walking path". Gotta love LAs way of thinking *Sarcasm*

I guess some kind of elevated monorail system could work if it came down to it.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by caligrad

The LAX train situation .... I feel like we go over this at least once a year ..

There will never be a direct line from LAX to DTLA within our lifetimes. LA in a sense blew it with the Crenshaw line. If you don't believe me, just look at google maps and follow the route. When the line meets Crenshaw in Inglewood. There's actually an empty right of way not being utilized right there. If you follow it, it goes all the way to Slauson where it then still has a dedicated right of way. They then could have had a tunnel boring machine go under fig or use the cut/cover method for those 2 miles and linked it up with the expo line in exposition park for a straight shot to downtown. Instead......We got the "easy" Crenshaw line that took 3 years longer to complete.

As for "well maybe they can do that in the future". They can't. From my understanding parts of the empty right of way have been sold to neighboring lots and the portion that runs along Slauson is being turned into a "walking path". Gotta love LAs way of thinking *Sarcasm*

I can't say whether or not there will ever be a direct train line from DTLA to LAX, but I can say that it's probably not quite as unlikely as you make it seem. Metro has already stated that the rail-to-rail path will be built so that it won't preclude a future rail line. Also, the property that was sold is on a wider part of the right of way and isn't needed for a future rail line.

Anyway once CAHSR and Brightline to LV are completed, rail connections to LAUPT will be much more important than connections to LAX and those are already in place.

[craigs]

Eyes on the Street: Downtown L.A. Bikeways on 1st, 3rd, and 7th Streets

Joe Linton
StreetsBlog LA
October 3, 2022

Downtown L.A. has one of the best bike lane networks in Southern California, and it’s gradually getting better. The city recently added new bike lane stretches on First and Third Streets, while continuing construction underway on curb-protected bike lanes on Seventh Street. Streetsblog checked out the new facilities yesterday.

The new First Street bike lanes are located between San Pedro Street and Alameda Street. These connect with existing bike lanes on First Street along City Hall and over Bunker Hill, and also connect to the recent bike lane that extends east across the L.A. River.

The First Street bike lanes are part of Metro’s larger Eastside Access Improvements which makes walking and bicycling connections to Metro’s under construction Regional Connector Little Tokyo subway station. The new connector subway is nearly completed and expected to open in early 2023.

Readers can check out the new First Street lanes on this Sunday’s CicLAvia route. When CicLAvia debuted in 2010 on a variation of route known today as “Heart of L.A.,” that original 7.5-mile route had no bike lanes at all. Since then, the city has added bike lanes along much of the original route: 7th Street, Spring Street, and now the entire CicLAvia stretch of 1st Street.

Along the south end of Little Tokyo is 3rd Street, where the city of L.A. City Transportation Department (LADOT) recently announced bikeway upgrades. That project upgrades the existing westbound 3rd Street bike lane to parking-protected, and closes a network gap by extending that lane to connect to the Main and Spring Street bikeways. Construction appears to be more-or-less complete, with plastic bollards added this week.

Between Main and Spring Streets, the 3rd Street project upgraded the formerly one-way protected lane into a two-way facility.

Lastly, a few blocks south, in Skid Row, construction is continuing on curb-protected bike lanes on 7th Street – the city’s first significant length curb-protected bike lanes. The curb work is done for just one block (between San Pedro Street and San Julian Street), but now a couple more blocks appear nearly done. Ultimately, the facility will extend from San Pedro Street to Figueroa Street.


New First Street bike lanes in Little Tokyo.


Newly parking-protected bike lane on 3rd Street in Little Tokyo.


The one-way 3rd Street protected bikeway between Main and Spring was upgraded to two-way.


7th Street streetscape construction continues westward into downtown L.A.

[hughfb3]

Originally Posted by caligrad

The LAX train situation .... I feel like we go over this at least once a year ..

There will never be a direct line from LAX to DTLA within our lifetimes. LA in a sense blew it with the Crenshaw line. If you don't believe me, just look at google maps and follow the route. When the line meets Crenshaw in Inglewood. There's actually an empty right of way not being utilized right there. If you follow it, it goes all the way to Slauson where it then still has a dedicated right of way. They then could have had a tunnel boring machine go under fig or use the cut/cover method for those 2 miles and linked it up with the expo line in exposition park for a straight shot to downtown. Instead......We got the "easy" Crenshaw line that took 3 years longer to complete.

As for "well maybe they can do that in the future". They can't. From my understanding parts of the empty right of way have been sold to neighboring lots and the portion that runs along Slauson is being turned into a "walking path". Gotta love LAs way of thinking *Sarcasm*

It’s still possible to get a downtown to LAX direct train if we make sure Inglewood’s People Mover uses the same rolling stock as the Sepulveda Pass’s. If they go with Bechtel, then it could be Vancouver Skytrain rolling stock, which is the same base technology as the JFK airport people mover. If they go with the Chinese monorail, then go with that. The Monorail proposal already tries to factor in using the people mover as one full concept. Also, yes, they have given up part of the right of way for the soon to be Rail-to-River bike path. That still leaves space for an elevated train along the corridor.

https://thesource.metro.net/2022/07/...h-los-angeles/

Map my friend Stanford made


Map from BYD monorail proposal

[ocman]

Originally Posted by Easy

I can't say whether or not there will ever be a direct train line from DTLA to LAX, but I can say that it's probably not quite as unlikely as you make it seem. Metro has already stated that the rail-to-rail path will be built so that it won't preclude a future rail line. Also, the property that was sold is on a wider part of the right of way and isn't needed for a future rail line.

Anyway once CAHSR and Brightline to LV are completed, rail connections to LAUPT will be much more important than connections to LAX and those are already in place.

What's a rail to rail path? Like a single train on the green line taking the blue line up to DTLA? That's a possibility.

I think a faster option that can be implemented now is a bus rapid transit from LAX that hops on the silver line all the way to DTLA. To go further, let a bunch of DTLA hotels use it for their shuttle access if they open it wider to non-guest public to increase frequency.

[Easy]

Originally Posted by ocman

What's a rail to rail path? Like a single train on the green line taking the blue line up to DTLA? That's a possibility.

I think a faster option that can be implemented now is a bus rapid transit from LAX that hops on the silver line all the way to DTLA. To go further, let a bunch of DTLA hotels use it for their shuttle access if they open it wider to non-guest public to increase frequency.

Rail to rail is a metro bike/pedestrian path project that will connect the K and A lines along Slauson. I was disagreeing with the assertion that this project will necessarily prevent a direct connection from LAX to DTLA from being built. https://www.metro.net/projects/railtorivera/

The backstory is that metro owns an abandoned rail ROW that parallels Slauson and then turns diagonally SW at Western. You can see it on Google maps. An old idea was to use that ROW to connect DTLA and LAX. The part West of Crenshaw is where the K line was built.

[citywatch]

For just about any major city in the world, scenes like this are no big deal...same thing with a city's busy sidewalks. But in LA, it's mainly fwys that are full of ppl...or clogged with cars.

Although even cities with busy transit & crowded sidewalks have crowded highways too, LA is always ranked as having the most congested highways in the US & world. That's why I always wonder how many ppl jamming the fwys of LA do that because they can't afford to live closer by, don't want to live closer by, are stuck between living arrangements, have recently changed jobs or are traveling to a dental, medical, work related appointment? Or maybe they're tourists or day trippers going to a concert, museum or sports event?


• Video Link

The only ppl on LA's crowded fwys who I feel sorry for are the ones whose budgets don't allow better options....& I don't expect any person to want to live in an overly sketchy house, sketchy apt or sketchy area. In comparison, I still recall reading several yrs ago how a well paid executive relocated from the midwest to take a job in dtla. He chose to live in manhattan bch. I'm sure certain employees of the Music ctr who make good salaries & work for some of its performing groups could easily afford to live in dt...such as the new Grand LA proj across the street....but they choose not to.

[caligrad]

Originally Posted by Easy

I can't say whether or not there will ever be a direct train line from DTLA to LAX, but I can say that it's probably not quite as unlikely as you make it seem. Metro has already stated that the rail-to-rail path will be built so that it won't preclude a future rail line. Also, the property that was sold is on a wider part of the right of way and isn't needed for a future rail line.

Anyway once CAHSR and Brightline to LV are completed, rail connections to LAUPT will be much more important than connections to LAX and those are already in place.

So, what was even the point of turning using it for that temporarily. They could have saved us all a headache. Tunneled under fig like they did Crenshaw, probably could have saved money with the above ground right away with less tunneling ( one tunnel instead of two) and had significantly less issues as they did now. I didn't say that it will NEVER happen. I just think not in our lifetimes and later down the line they will be forced to do something different as the area gets denser and people will undoubtedly give metro major pushback which will require a new location and a ballooned price tag.

Metro = easy and backwards. I'm sure they will want to try out a "bus route" along that stretch for at least 50 years to see if its viable.

[hughfb3]

Originally Posted by caligrad

So, what was even the point of turning using it for that temporarily. They could have saved us all a headache.
Metro = easy and backwards. I'm sure they will want to try out a "bus route" along that stretch for at least 50 years to see if its viable.

Well... the Rail-to-River bike path is already making a significant impact for the residents in the neighborhood and it just started construction. My sister & her husband own and occupy a home 3 blocks from this right of way in South LA near Slauson and Broadway (image above) and I went to visit her today. Although it's not being built as a new rail line, the clean up and getting rid of the derelict tracks and piles of trash (visible in Apple Maps satellite pic) is already much better than leaving it the way it was for another (+20 years) until money comes for a train. Sis has complained of those "ugly abandoned tracks" and the things it attracts for years and is just so grateful something is being done. If its anything like the Expo line bike path and greenery, it will be a drastic improvement for the residents who hardly ever get any new amenities from the city/county in their neighborhood.

The more neighborhoods get "nicer" around downtown, the easier it is for companies to justify offices there and increased investment. Much like how Century City is surrounded by upscale neighborhoods that support the high occupancy office districts nearby. This is creating more of a solid belt around DTLA

In other news... the Da Vinci fountain is ON!!!

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by hughfb3

In other news... the Da Vinci fountain is ON!!!

I realize they're all clones of one another, but that's actually been given the name of ferrante. I guess as with many things, covid slowed down the proj by quite awhile....this apt proj broke ground in early 2019, meaning it has taken almost 4 yrs to complete it. Although somewhat large, it's still a wood framed proj, & to require 4 yrs to build is quite slow.

I believe the empire state bldg back in the 1930s...without today's type of technology or conveniences....took less than 2 yrs to start & finish. btw, that bldg had so much vacant space for yrs afterwards...with good timing since it opened around the great depression....it soon became known as the 'empty state bldg'.



la.urbanize


la.urbanize


adding a new fountain to dtla helps make up for the fact this one has been switched off....

• Video Link

[citywatch]

this youtuber gives a tour of the 888 grand hope pk apt bldg finished about 4 yrs ago, west of the embassy auditorium bldg. Or one of the cherit group's 2 major properties in dtla...the clark hotel on Hill St being the other one....that has been sitting closed for yrs. That's even though its rms have been furnished & interior renovation did occur some yrs ago. You can also see the mitsui apt tower from the youtuber's apt window.

888 was originally one of dt's many parking lots that for yrs were a gap undercutting the hood's sense of place. the bldg's large rooftop pk is the type of amenity that wouldn't be as easy to maintain in a colder weather climate....although I saw a newer apt complex in chicago that had a large rooftop rec area too.

https://youtu.be/WL4Y4zahPHE?t=457



downtownla.com

[Zapatan]

Some updates for Angels Landing

https://www.archdaily.com/989926/han...wn-los-angeles


Also, is there a live webcam for 1000 Hill? Would love to see how that's progressing.


1045 Olive still appears on Crescent Height's website so I guess that's good, but I don't understand why they don't go ahead and build since it's been approved. I'm assuming it's not an issue of the market since there seems to be huge demand for high end condos in downtown LA. Are they currently looking for financing?

My biggest hope at the moment is to complete Oceanwide though, it'd really help an otherwise grungy part of downtown, and stop being an eyesore on the skyline.

[BrandonJXN]

I wouldn't call directly across the street from Staples Center 'grungy' but Oceanwide indeed needs to be finished.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Some updates for Angels Landing

https://www.archdaily.com/989926/han...wn-los-angeles

Is there any sign of activity on the site? I imagine they'll need to break ground soon if they want to finish by 2027.

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by BrandonJXN

I wouldn't call directly across the street from Staples Center 'grungy' but Oceanwide indeed needs to be finished.

Maybe an overstatement sure, but that part of town could be nicer and this would help.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

Are they currently looking for financing?.

that's the key to just about everything. Most ppl can't do anything without financing.....from buying a car to buying a house. As with the average person, even large companies don't have enough liquidity to fully cover all their expenses....to have enough $$ for a new proj from start to finish.

The youtuber jsocal walks by the site of one of the few projs in dtla...the one from mitsui fudosan....that has managed to get financing over the past 2-3 yrs...

https://youtu.be/blZIu6UGzEw?t=215

I'm guessing funders through the decades have been even more skittish about dtla because it has gotten alot of bad publicity, started seeing mkt share decline from over 70 yrs ago, suffered from ppl moving their homes or businesses away from it since at least the 1950s...even 1920s. So ppl of LA...in dt itself, other hoods & at city hall...have made life more difficult for the historic center of the city.

[MAC123]

^So many words just to say nothing at all.

To actually try and answer the question, as far as I know they are still trying to secure financing. Of course my information is from back in May and I can't seem to find anything sooner than that. So it's probably outdated.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by MAC123

^So many words just to say nothing at all.

That's citywatch's specialty.

[scania]

Though I live in DTLA, there are some streets I don’t frequent as much as others. We decided to go to Cara Cara and I was amazed with how much new retail had opened on Broadway within the past year. It was extremely vibrant from the Apple Store all the way down to Cara Cara. And the quality of retail blew me away. I live here and had no idea so many businesses had opened within the past year. This was around 7:30pm. It was awesome. So many people walking and having a good time.