Controversial Arts District Complex Begins Work

After successfully navigating an unanticipated level of neighborhood resistance, work is finally getting underway on another large mixed-use development in Downtown Los Angeles' burgeoning Arts District.

Yesterday, while walking the neighborhood with Downtown icon Brigham Yen, a small crew was spotted prepping the dirt lot at 950 East Third Street for construction.  The six-acre site, which is being developed in tandem by Associated Estates Realty and Legendary Development, will eventually birth a series of five-and-six-story buildings containing 472 apartments and 21,000 square feet of retail space.

The design of the 400,000-square-foot complex, crafted by Kava Massih Architects, is intended to match the existing feel and aesthetics of the Arts District.  Renderings indicate that the project would include numerous murals, as well as industrial-themed exterior finishes with metal accents.

A Blurry First Look at the Arts District's 950 Third

Image credit: CityGro.ws

Thanks to CityGrows, take a first look at 950 Third, the mixed-use development slated for the vacant lot adjacent to SCI-Arc.  The low-rise project - originally slated to break ground this summer - is being developed by a team consisting of Ohio-based Associated Estates Realty and Glendale-based Legendary Development.  Renderings from Kava Massih Architects portray multiple brick-clad structures, standing between five and six stories in height.  Residential buildings would contain a total of 472 apartments, centered around a 922-vehicle parking garage.  The developers intend to mitigate the project's sprawling footprint by creating a new road through the the property.

Although the empty, 5.6-acre lot represents a major hole in the northern Arts District, some residents have expressed discontent with the the proposed residential-retail development.  In an open letter to City Councilman Jose Huizar, CityGrows creator Stephen Corwin blasted the project's design as "soulless....cheap and uninviting."  He further notes that the project's copious parking accommodations - nearly double what is required by code - run counter to City Hall's effort to build a more walkable, sustainable Los Angeles.

Past development schemes at 950 East 3rd Street have also been met with criticism.  Nearly a decade ago, Downtown-based Meruelo Maddux Properties (since rebranded as EVOQ Properties) proposed two 40-story condo towers for the lot.  Arts District residents staunchly opposed that plan, which was deemed to be out of character with the surrounding neighborhood.  Legendary Development experienced similar difficulties with their first attempt at the project two years ago, producing a design that was described to the Downtown News as "banal [and] boring."

New Residential-Office Complex Proposed in Warner Center

The Warner Center 2035 Plan was designed to transform the sleepy business district into an active mixed-use community.  In a positive sign for the neighborhood's future, developers are swooping in left and right to make this vision a reality.  The latest large scale mixed-use project headed to the West Valley comes from Associated Estates Realty Group, in the form of a low-rise and mid-rise development in Warner Center's College District.  According to a document from the Woodland Hills - Warner Center Neighborhood Council, the Ohio-based developer has plans for 379 apartment units and 71,000 square feet of office space, to be located at 21221 Oxnard Street.  Residential buildings would range from five to seven stories in height, with plans calling for 82 live-work units.  The office portion of the project would rise in a nine-story tower, standing approximately 150 feet tall with an unspecified amount of ground floor retail space.  A full build out of the development, which would occur in two phases, calls for a total of 680 parking stalls.  The project site is currently developed with a two-story office building that once housed the offices of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Miracle Mile Apartments Gradually Moving Forward

Last September, Ohio-based Associated Estates Realty Group broke ground on a 175-unit apartment building adjacent to Desmond's Tower on the Miracle Mile.  Now eight months later, construction crews are busy with excavation for the building's subterranean infrastructure.  Designed by Architects Orange, the Desmond on Wilshire will rise seven stories above three floors of underground parking.  The building will consist of one and two bedroom units, supplemented by residential amenities such as a pool, spa, fitness center and rooftop deck.  Last year, representatives of Associated Estates told the Park La Brea News that their $70 million project is expected to open in Summer 2015.  The Desmond on Wilshire is located just a few blocks west of BRE Properties' Wilshire La Brea, a 480-unit development whose architecture has engendered a great deal of humorous criticism from Skyscraperpage forumers and commenters onCurbed LA.  Of course, as the long-awaited Purple Line extension comes closer to reality, more residential developments like these are inevitable on the Miracle Mile.  Add in a new office tower and nearly $1 billion of proposed upgrades for LACMA and we're looking at a legitimate boom.

Construction progress as of this week.

The Desmond on Wilshire Has Shovels in the Ground

Possibly outdated image of the Desmond on Wilshire.  Image from ZAR.com

The Park La Brea News reports that Associated Estates Realty has broken ground on a 175 unit apartment building at the parking lot behind the 1928 Desmond's Department Store at 5500 Wilshire Blvd.  The building is appropriately named "The Desmond on Wilshire."  Completion is expected by summer of 2015.

Image from Architects Orange

Image from Architects Orange

The Desmond on Wilshire joins a slew of other developments on the Miracle Mile, including the under-construction Wilshire at La Brea apartments and the upcoming 13 story Museum Square Office Building.

• Construction begins for The Desmond on Wilshire (Park La Brea News)
• Developer begins construction of Wilshire at La Brea complex (LA Times)
• Office building proposed for Museum Square site (Park La Brea News)