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| 904 La Brea Avenue (All images: Shubin + Donaldson Architects) |
A recently published environmental report from the Department of City Planning has revealed new details about the 904 La Brea Project, a mixed-use development planned near the border between Los Angeles and West Hollywood.
The seven-story development, slated for a roughly one-acre site at the corner of La Brea and Willoughby Avenues, would feature 169 apartments and approximately 37,000 square feet of of ground-floor retail space. Proposed dwellings would include studio, one-and-two-bedroom units, with approximately 14 apartments set aside for very low income households. Residential amenities would include a pool, gymnasium and a communal outdoor deck.
A partially-underground garage would be included with the project, providing parking accommodations for up to 303 vehicles and more than 200 bicycles. Residents would be afforded 192 total parking spaces, situated on two above-grade levels. 111 basement parking spaces would be available for use by retail tenants and their customers.
Designs from Shubin + Donaldson Architects call for a variety of high quality exterior finishes. Elevation plans included with the environmental report indicate that materials would include glass, steel trowled plaster, and color coated perforated metal panels. Renderings of the building bear a slight resemblance to 925 La Brea Avenue, another Shubin + Donaldson project which would rise across the street.
The project, which is being developed by a subsidiary of Hollywood-based CIM Group, received media attention last year due the controversial demolition of the Art Deco Mole-Richardson Building. The one-story structure stood at the corner of La Brea and Willoughby for more than eight decades before being leveled in 2014.
Construction of the mixed-use development would occur over roughly 21 months, with project delivery expected by 2018. However, CIM Group will need to overcome several legislative obstacles prior to breaking ground. This includes a general plan amendment which would re-designate the one-acre project site from limited manufacturing to neighborhood commercial, as well as a concomitant zone change.
The proposed low-rise complex stands as yet another example of the shifting landscape along the La Brea corridor, which has added numerous residential and commercial developments in recent years. Case in point: a five-story building with apartments and a ground-level supermarket is currently under construction directly across the street from the 904 La Brea project site.
- 904 La Brea Project (LADCP)
- 904 La Brea Mixed Use (Shubin + Donaldson Architects)
- Second Mixed-User Headed to La Brea/Willoughby (Building Los Angeles)
Should be taller.
ReplyDeleteThat would be a difficult idea to sell to the neighborhood. The La five-story Brea Gateway project that's currently under construction across the street was originally planned as a seven-story building, but ran up against opposition.
DeleteWilloughby is a very narrow street at La Brea and during rush-hour it's not fun if you have to drive or even bike along this avenue. Now, with these new projects it's gonna get worse. I'm all for development but this neighborhood was never planned for big projects like these.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that makes Hollywood's side streets very appealing is that most were never widened to mini-arterial status. Not great for driving, but very pleasant to walk with the right built environment (i.e. Selma between Vine and Wilcox).
DeleteExactly. Its not always about cars and driving. The narrow streets are precisely why Hollywood is a great walking neighborhood
DeleteExactly. Its not always about cars and driving. The narrow streets are precisely why Hollywood is a great walking neighborhood
DeleteAgreed. That and they get more human-sized development because there aren't tons of parking lots owned by single entities.
DeleteThe area I commented on is quite far from Selma, Vine and Wilcox. At least those areas are within the commercial/business areas of downtown Hollywood. The above projects are located on a major north-south street with only a minor east-west street for access. I have commuted and lived in in this area for over 35 years and I hate to see how some neighborhoods have been so densely developed. The above projects do nothing to enhance the quality of life in this area but rather just add to the density of massive apartment blocks. What was once charming, laid-back and peaceful has become noisy, congested and stressful.
DeleteMy point is that street widenings permanently change the built environment, but rarely (if ever) solve the problem of traffic congestion.
DeleteObviously I can't understand the feeling of watching my neighborhood of 35 years quickly evolve around me, but issues about "quality of life," are a matter of opinion. A lot of the people who live in those "massive apartment blocks," probably have a different take on the situation than you do.
It's too bad they decided to tear down the art deco building that stood there instead of designing something which incorporated or reused it. But, what's done is done. I just hope all this housing density on and near La Brea Ave gets people talking about a Metro extension through the area.
ReplyDeleteAlthough a one-story building at a fairly prominent location had clearly outlived its usefulness, the facade definitely should have been preserved. I think something similar to the Pershing Hotel project in Downtown would have been manageable.
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