LOS ANGELES | Downtown Project Rundown 6.0

[Zapatan]

I wonder what the odds of that one happening are...

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

Set to be built on a site between Hill Street and California Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles, the development will have two mixed-use towers, street-front retail and restaurants, as well as a multi-storey outdoor park that integrates Angel's Flight, a trolley built in 1901..."

About 2 yrs ago, I thought equity residential's apt bldg across Hill st from the angel's landing proj would have been well underway by now. One devlpt relies on another devlpt for full impact & to give a sense of completeness.

Same thing applies to how the mitsui apt tower at 8th & Fig works together with its neighbor across the street, brookfield's Fig at 7th & beaudry apt tower....


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at least the salvation army bldg on 9th st has had its tagging painted over:

https://youtu.be/zpLbCZWKcxI?t=418

^ that bldg was quite a mess not too long ago. But areas south of 9th are another example of how devlpt in one area, such as the metropolis proj & its indigo hotel, depends on devlpt across the street from it. The Olympia proj next to the fwy can't come a day too soon...although as with the Oceanwide proj, Olympia is connected to Chinese sources.


visualhouse

9th St between Fig & the fwy is an example of LA city govt not exactly being on the ball in making dtla as clean looking & presentable as possible.

[Zapatan]

^^ Yea, Olympia would have been really cool, same with 333 Fig.

Why don't developers actually build skyscrapers in Los Angeles like they do in virtually every other major / developed city on earth? Hopefully that changes soon.

[citywatch]

^ I'm more impatient about the pace of devlpt in dtla....in improving it....because I want ppl like this & who are mentioned in these vids to be around when their goals come true...

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btw, this is a joke...

https://youtu.be/HsH1AADpuRA

A town may have a lot of sidewalk life, ground floor retail & lots of tall bldgs, but I'm increasingly less & less impressed with that when it also doesn't go with other things. A cold weather climate & a Mediterranean type climate also play a role in the way a city is shaped. But devlprs....& East coast funders, investors & mortgage companies....aren't too interested in that.

[BrandonJXN]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

^^ Yea, Olympia would have been really cool, same with 333 Fig.

Why don't developers actually build skyscrapers in Los Angeles like they do in virtually every other major / developed city on earth? Hopefully that changes soon.

What a dumb question. Seriously. What is a skyscraper if not a tall building? Which LA has plenty of and are building plenty more?

[Zapatan]

Originally Posted by BrandonJXN

What a dumb question. Seriously. What is a skyscraper if not a tall building? Which LA has plenty of and are building plenty more?

It wasn't a dumb question, and I was somewhat exaggerating. Obviously LA has some tall buildings but for a North American / US city of such scale and importance globally it should have way more and taller than it currently does.

Again, I hope to see that change.

[caligrad]

^^^ So many reasons why LA doesn't have a skyline that doesn't match its size. I personally will always blame the city government at the end of the day. The fact that dozens of developers felt the need to throw cash at Huizar to speed up the process is a telling sign. Instead of the city asking why or trying to figure it out, they instead punished those developers and added MORE red tape to get anything done in this city. The same politicians that go on the news crying "we don't know why LA has a housing shortage, we're trying".

Too much red tape. Too many rules. Too many committees to navigate. TOOOOOOO much community input .TOO many regulations. Too much too much too much.

1. Fire proof

2. Earthquake resilient

3. Will stand with strong winds

4. Great Street level interaction and overall isn't totally fuggly.

BUILD IT.

should be the only 4 requirements.

"Well supportive housing, well parking, well helipads, well shadows, well the community has opinions, well why is the facade not Vancouver blue like we like, well where is the daycare center for struggling families? well where's the balconies that most will use for storage?

I can only imagine the BS these developers go through in LA. Just so that these politicians when all said and done beg for a photo op at the groundbreaking ceremony.

It shouldn't take YEARS for a building to go through the approval process. I think we're currently on average of 3 years before the city "wants changes" then another year before it breaks ground. Long Beach is a little better but for some reason gets stuck with unsure/shaky developers.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

^^ Yea, Olympia would have been really cool, same with 333 Fig.

Why don't developers actually build skyscrapers in Los Angeles like they do in virtually every other major / developed city on earth? Hopefully that changes soon.

Because it takes this dumb city years to approve and entitle projects when it should take 6 months

[caligrad]

^^^ Thank You!

Originally Posted by 202_Cyclist

dezeen has a good article with several renderings about the Angles Landing skyscraper.

Los Angeles' third tallest skyscraper to be a "modern interpretation of an Italian hill town"

3rd tallest ?

Wilshire Grand

Us Bank

Aon tower 858 ft.

Angeles landing 854 ft ....... Unless they plan on adding a "spire" for an extra few feet? lol.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Because it takes this dumb city years to approve and entitle projects when it should take 6 months

I've gotten to the point where I'm relieved if city govnt...& dtla....can at least keep things somewhat safe, somewhat clean. Keep both the jacking & tagging to a minimum. Beyond that, I don't have a lot of confidence that both the economy....local, state, national...& LA city hall will be encouraging to new devlpt & real estate investors over the next many yrs.

But good things somehow manage to survive, hopefully This is a recent rundown on clifton's on broadway. I'm sure the pandemic created a world of hurt for this & other businesses.

https://youtu.be/F6XxReWzlPE?t=28

[citywatch]

someone suggested on the dtla townsq facebook pg that it would be nice if AEG took over the oceanwide proj across the street. Someone, anyone, needs to get that devlpt completed.


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[LAisthePlace]

Hopefully someone can post the full article, but some exciting updates coming to Staples Center (I still can't call it that godawful new name)...

including most exciting to me (finally!) closing Chick Hearn Court to traffic (or better said, opening it up to pedestrians) and providing true connectivity between the arena and LA LIVE.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story...arena-upgrades

[JDRCRASH]

If they can activate the Figueroa facing side of the arena with retail/restaurants that’d be awesome.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LAisthePlace

Hopefully someone can post the full article

I notice more & more media websites require log ins & passwords to see an entire article. Posting most of an article, however, is against ssp TOS rules. Not sure if this snippet from the Hollywood reporter is getting close to that...

aeg/hollywoodreporter.com


On Monday, arena owner AEG unveiled details of its “nine-figure investment” in improvements and property-wide upgrades to the 23-year-old building and adjacent L.A. LIVE Xbox Plaza.

The project, which began in May and is being done in phases, is expected to be completed by fall 2024, but some of the enhancements will be in place when the 2022-23 NHL and NBA seasons kick off in October.

A reimagined City View Terrace with flexible indoor-outdoor dining and entertainment opportunities where fans can gather while overlooking the downtown L.A. skyline to the north and the arena bowl to the south

New main concourse suites near in the corners that will provide guests with the closest view of the action on the court, ice or stage

The development of a multilevel Tunnel Club that will feature new hospitality spaces and an exclusive viewing experience that affords some season-ticket holders and VIPs a backstage window to watch players and performers as they enter and exit the locker rooms;

A reimagined Chairman’s Club downstairs in the arena’s most exclusive location

Two new LED screens and ribbon boards inside and two new electronic marquees outside

An upgraded restaurant on the main level

A refresh of entrances

New food offerings

Plus, the expansion of the Xbox Plaza on Chick Hearn Court will create an outdoor community space that connects with the arena and eliminates automobile traffic.

The renovations will be overseen by the former Staples Center’s original architects, Ron Turner and Dan Meis, even though they now work at unaffiliated firms (Turner is principal/global director of sports for Gensler, while Meis leads his own firm, MEIS). PCL Construction will reprise its role as general contractor.

^ as with the galen ctr at USC, it appears the former staples ctr will now also have an opening in the arena itself that has a view to the outside.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by JDRCRASH

If they can activate the Figueroa facing side of the arena with retail/restaurants that’d be awesome.

They need to use that corner space as a bar and then extend the sports shop to the fig side and add windows

[Blesha13]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

It wasn't a dumb question, and I was somewhat exaggerating. Obviously LA has some tall buildings but for a North American / US city of such scale and importance globally it should have way more and taller than it currently does.

Again, I hope to see that change.

Facts. Besides, LA needs at least 3 or 4 more 1000+ footers (excluding current supertalls) if they’re really building 400-500’ skyscrapers like few on here suggest.

[Steve8263]

Originally Posted by caligrad

^^^ So many reasons why LA doesn't have a skyline that doesn't match its size. I personally will always blame the city government at the end of the day. The fact that dozens of developers felt the need to throw cash at Huizar to speed up the process is a telling sign. Instead of the city asking why or trying to figure it out, they instead punished those developers and added MORE red tape to get anything done in this city. The same politicians that go on the news crying "we don't know why LA has a housing shortage, we're trying".

Too much red tape. Too many rules. Too many committees to navigate. TOOOOOOO much community input .TOO many regulations. Too much too much too much.
.

That was a very good rant, bravo!

You did however miss two biggie drivers of delays and cost drivers that scare off most developers-

Having to spend 18 months to complete an environmental impact report on a brownfield site in the dead center of town. This is absolutely absurd.

Having to settle multiple lawsuits from the likes of (1) hotel workers union (SEIU) for condo projects?!?! Or worse (2) a zealous, very well funded healthcare foundation chief far from his primary mission of helping sick people, etc.


This is $$$ and time wasted, ultimately making housing more expensive for everyone.

I know people like to hate on Geoff Palmer for his ridiculous Italian villages but we should be grateful he's nuts enough to invest in the area. And his buildings are safe, clean, and fully occupied with good people willing to risk living in the downtown hellscape...

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Steve8263

I know people like to hate on Geoff Palmer for his ridiculous Italian villages but we should be grateful he's nuts enough to invest in the area. And his buildings are safe, clean, and fully occupied with good people willing to risk living in the downtown hellscape...

although I don't care for the way his company duplicates the exterior design of every apt bldg they put up in dtla...other than the one on broadway, due to that street's design code....I'd also say that of all of the judged flaws of dt, palmer's are way down the list.



westside rentals

^ palmer's newest proj sits next to the west side of the 110 fwy, whereas his other apt devlpt sits on the other side, across the street from the LA county health dept bldg. It was a narrow parking lot for decades, as was the adjoining site north of it on temple st. I recall all the yrs I'd drive by such parts of dtla & know they weren't ready for prime time...they gave dt a sad & abandoned vibe.

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Palmer has several apt complexes throughout dtla & their websites indicate they're mostly leased up...I notice they're now not listing the rental rates for more of them, which I don't think was the case in the past....so I'm not sure if they're playing sleight of hand with the rent inflation that's occurring throughout the US.

Even if they're doing that, the greed associated with landlords in LA can't hold a candle to what's occurring in this city, the one sspers tend to love because of all its street life & tall bldgs.

https://www.youtube.com/c/CashJordan

^ sorry, I'm not impressed...I'm actually turned off. Street life, busy sidewalks & lots of tall bldgs don't offset the rental rates being quoted, the size & age of some of the apts being shown, the downbeat look of a 4 seasons weather city versus the friendlier, sunnier look of at least the newer parts of dtla. this may be faux tuscan, but I think it beats nyc greedster ....



thedavinciapts.com

[Yackemflaber69]

Originally Posted by Zapatan

^^ Yea, Olympia would have been really cool, same with 333 Fig.

Why don't developers actually build skyscrapers in Los Angeles like they do in virtually every other major / developed city on earth? Hopefully that changes soon.

Was Olympia canceled?

[caligrad]

Originally Posted by Steve8263

That was a very good rant, bravo!

You did however miss two biggie drivers of delays and cost drivers that scare off most developers-

Having to spend 18 months to complete an environmental impact report on a brownfield site in the dead center of town. This is absolutely absurd.

Having to settle multiple lawsuits from the likes of (1) hotel workers union (SEIU) for condo projects?!?! Or worse (2) a zealous, very well funded healthcare foundation chief far from his primary mission of helping sick people, etc.


This is $$$ and time wasted, ultimately making housing more expensive for everyone.

I know people like to hate on Geoff Palmer for his ridiculous Italian villages but we should be grateful he's nuts enough to invest in the area. And his buildings are safe, clean, and fully occupied with good people willing to risk living in the downtown hellscape...

100%. I was talking about that as well but didn't my rant to be too long It's just insane. The city needs to sit down and cut 75% of the red tape asap or we're going to be stuck like this forever.

It's amazing that they make developers go through hoops just to build anything downtown but thought miles of urban sprawl was ok.