LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by Easy

But to add to reasons why more people might take the regional connector, the D line extension will be a huge ridership generator if metro hasn't already chased riders away permanently. I know a few that rode for years that say that they'll never ride again because of safety concerns.

That's certainly the hope. Although adding more stations may not actually increase ridership that much if it's not perceived to be safe. Especially if most of the new ridership is simply people who normally take the bus opting for more convenient train routes, which would end up being a wash in terms of overall transit users.

[nmkef]

Anecdotally I see many more riders on local downtown buses and the blue/expo lines than I did 6-12 months ago. Definitely had a top 3 worst public transit experience around that timeframe too on the red line through downtown so I certainly agree that it "bottomed" or at least it appears so.

Oceanwide non-news but they had their NYC property seized that they were trying to offload for 200M after failing to make loan payments. Sure seems like if they can't find a partner by the end of the calendar year the same thing might happen here, but I know nothing about actual development and its related financing legal bs...

https://therealdeal.com/la/2022/05/1...sed-developer/

[MAC123]

Yup. Oceanwide lost of all their projects in the US except for the LA one. Good thing for the NYC one as well, I'm trying to see something actually get built there.

[citywatch]

At the start of this vid, the land on Flower,east of the Mitsui apt bldg & across from the Bloc, is one of those surface parking lots that has long been a gap in dtla. At least the Fig side is finally being filled in, although there's still some open land north of it.

The apt tower proj from brookfield....the beaudry....can be seen in a few segments. The oceanwide proj too....now that it's the owner's last property in the US, does that mean they can move faster on completing it? Or does it mean they'll have to give it up it soon too?


• Video Link


I didn't know the Fig hotel has a reputation for being haunted....I watched a recent vid made by two guests staying there & I think the real ghosts are the deadzone parking lots that surround it. lol.

Ppl should watch vids of the various hoods throughout LA...Socal....& other cities in the US & world to get a better handle on what dtla...LA....is all about. I'm reminded that it's one of the few major cities in the world that has Mediterranean type weather, major beaches, a growing cultural scene & interesting economics. Other places in America...world....have mainly one or the other of those feature, but not all of them combined.

I won't deny that Dtla also has a world class amt of homelessness....skid row predates Rodeo drive by over 80 yrs....so there's that. Have to take the bad with the good.

[nmkef]

Even more ominous oceanwide "news"

The buyer for their Hawaii property backed out 3 days before the deadline. Would have been a paltry $92M related to what they need for the LA project but still not good, especially days after they had the NYC property seized.

https://media-oceanwide.todayir.com/...0260000_en.pdf

This is right after they had some assets in China seized by arbitration due to an unpaid ~$30B in debt.

https://www.mingtiandi.com/real-esta...operty-seized/

Maybe we really will see it get auctioned off in the next year or two...?

[ChelseaFC]

Originally Posted by nmkef

Even more ominous oceanwide "news"

Maybe we really will see it get auctioned off in the next year or two...?

It's probably best that they liquidate their assets and move on.

[citywatch]

i personally think that super talls....such as the one that was proposed by Oceanwide for lower manhattan....have given a comical look to NYC's skyline. So the Oceanwide proj not being actually built in dt nyc is a good thing to me. The height of new devlpt is even lower on my list of priorities than it was in the past, even more so after looking more closely at what makes a city work or not work.

Cities or any hood...lowrise or highrise....is most affected by just how active its sidewalks are. The key cities of Europe don't have many tall bldgs, but the appeal of their sidewalk life seems better than that of a NYC or chicago.

For dtla, when too much land is still parking lots or vacant...like where the Olympia proj is supposed to go up....the number of floors of a new proj doesn't even register. Although great design is preferable, if things like a parking podium or material used for the facade aren't great, it's still the basics that are more important.

Taking care of the amt of graffiti, unclean sidewalks or lowering the level of chaos should remain the top priority.....


https://youtu.be/DdT3V5zGmHs


^ First the pandemic, then the drought & now things like that....smh.

[MAC123]

^Gonna have to disagree, but regardless a 1,450 ft - 1,500 ft will rise there as soon as it's acquired by another developer.

[craigs]

Via LA Reddit, downtown from a window seat:

[colemonkee]

Moderator edit - I have deleted quite a few off-topic posts - including some of my own. To everyone, citywatch included, this thread is about development in downtown. Please limit the conversation to development projects downtown. General discussion about downtown LA can and should take place in the City Discussions section of the forum. I will start issuing suspensions if we can't keep things on track.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Moderator edit - I have deleted quite a few off-topic posts - including some of my own.

I don't think your eyewitness description of dtla over the weekend....at least when it comes to the fountains in grand pk...should have gone to the cyberspace graveyard. That was indirectly related to this new devlpt since its just a block away. Also, how dtla is being properly maintained...or not maintained....will have some effect on the area in general. I'm still assuming that the moat & fountains of the dwp bldg have been shutdown because city officials wants to make a point. Or: WE'RE IN A DROUGHT!!! I'm guessing that's their version of deleting messages in an internet forum.



thegrandla.com


https://www.thegrandla.com/the-grand-hosts


^ The vids posted to that site give some insight on the planners & users of the proj.

[colemonkee]

I deleted it because my comments on the fountain not working quite literally has zero effect on any proposed or completed developments in or around that area. Yes, it may have some small effect on how pedestrians use the park directly, but it won't make or break any nearby projects on it's own.

[citywatch]

lol. I'll self edit.

I still believe the moat & fountains of the dwp bldg are dry & not working...as has been the case for months, not wks....because city officials want to make a point: WE'RE IN A DROUGHT!!!

[edale]

Originally Posted by citywatch

lol. I'll self edit.

I still believe the moat & fountains of the dwp bldg are dry & not working...as has been the case for months, not wks....because city officials want to make a point: WE'RE IN A DROUGHT!!!

ok...and!? Why the hell do you need to post multiple times about a fountain being dry during a drought?

[citywatch]

Just a footnote....I'm a native of LA & originally had close ties to dtla in particular. I'd go to a warehouse leased by my family back when what's now known as south pk was light industrial or commercial.

I'm old enough to remember when dt was a weak link in the city....Socal overall....& wasn't pulling its fair share of the city's weight. So seeing work start several wks ago on the onni apt tower at Hill & Olympic....& the announcement over a month ago of a proj like the new concert hall for the colburn school....are both a relief & a welcome change to me. Ppl who don't have similar ties to dt may be more apathetic towards or less interested in it. They may also find the main thing interesting thing about it is whether its bldgs...new or proposed....have 10 stories, 40 stories or 90 stories.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by edale

ok...and!? Why the hell do you need to post multiple times about a fountain being dry during a drought?

So you don't think it's because of repair or maintenance. Colemonkee said when he was there during the weekend, a sign near the main fountain in Grand park said it was being worked on. The smaller jets around the main one are still on, so maybe that sign is legit. But the moat of the dwp bldg has been dry for several months. I don't believe that has ever been true in the over 50, 60 yr history of that bldg.

[homebucket]

I'm not sure what is the issue with the fountains being turned off. Everyone knows we're in a prolonged drought, so it makes sense for them to be turned off.

[citywatch]

When the Super bowl was held at the new stadium in Inglewood earlier this yr, city officials made an extra effort to clean up the sidewalks & fwy underpass of the area. When guests are invited over to ppl's homes, the host often puts some extra effort into making things presentable.

The Grand ave proj is going to be formally opened in the next several wks....things like the dwp bldg are just a few blocks away. But it isn't just the completion of new devlpt across from Disney hall. DT is sort of presenting itself to visitors & day trippers on a daily basis. Not being concerned enough about that in past decades has undercut dtla's image or reputation.

[BrandonJXN]

I mean unless the moat of the DWP Building is filled with mana from heaven and the fountain at Grand Park sprays park goers with gum drops and rainbows, then who cares when and why they are not working. Lord have mercy.

[homebucket]

Speaking of landscaping...

First phase of Pershing Square revamp is now permit-ready
L.A. officials plan to revamp the Olive Street side of the park
MAY 17, 2022, 6:30AM STEVEN SHARP

After a decade of discussion, the latest makeover of L.A.'s oldest and most-frequently revamped park is just about ready for construction.

At its meeting scheduled for May 19, the Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners is slated to sign off on final plans for Phase 1A of the Pershing Square renovation. The proposed improvements, focused on the five-acre park's western face along Olive Street, include the removal of the existing cafe structure and vertical circulation elements, making way for new landscaping, a street-level entry plaza, and two new glass elevators to access the parking garage below.

Not included in the current scope of plans, which will cost approximately $6.7 million to complete, are proposed edge improvements along the park's northern and southern frontages along 5th and 6th Streets. Likewise, a second phase of the renovation, which would close garage entrances and exits along Hill Street to create a new entrance promenade on the park's eastern face, remains in the planning stage, and will not move forward until funding becomes available.

...

Pershing Square, which originated as a public square in the 1860s, has undergone a number of changes in its more than 150 years as a park. According to the L.A. Conservancy, its original layout was created in the 1880s by city engineer Fred Eaton, which was followed by a Beaux Arts design by architect John Parkinson in the early 20th century. That look was discarded in the 1950s, when the parking garage which now sits below the park was excavated, thus requiring raising the plane of the park above street level.

The current look of Pershing Square, created by architect Ricardo Legorreta in the early 1990s, includes a stylized earthquake fault and installations which reference the aqueducts which famously have supplied much of the city's water. However, the existing format has been criticized for its "maze of walls," which cut the park off from its surroundings.

https://la.urbanize.city/post/first-...w-permit-ready