LA County Looks to Facilitate Crenshaw Line TODs

3606 West Exposition Boulevard

In an effort to stimulate economic growth in South Los Angeles, County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas is pushing for the redevelopment of government-owned land near the upcoming Crenshaw light-rail line.

According to a motion submitted by the 2nd District Supervisor, the Los Angeles County Probation Department intends to relocate the operations of its current Crenshaw Area Office at 3606 West Exposition Boulevard.  The dated one-story structure is situated next to to a future transfer station between the Expo and Crenshaw Lines, and thus occupies a critical juncture in the Metro Rail network.

Under plans detailed in the motion, the County intends to partner with Metro in redeveloping the one-and-a-half-acre property as a mixed-use complex with possible residential and commercial components.  The Probation Department's operations would be moved to another county-owned building near the University of Southern California.

Lots of Progress on Expo-Adjacent TOD

Amidst the rumble of passing Expo Line trains, construction pushes ahead for the highly anticipated development known as Access Culver City.

The mixed-use complex from Greystar Real Estate Partners broke ground just over one year ago at the intersection of Washington and National Boulevards, directly across the street from Metro's Culver City Station.  When completed in July, the five-story structure will offer 115 apartment units above 30,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a subterranean parking garage.  Proposed amenities include a swimming pool and an on-site recreation center.

The building, designed by architecture firm Togawa Smith Martin, will feature a stucco exterior accented by metal siding and steel canopies.  Access, which is seeking LEED Silver certification, will also feature lush landscaping, a private courtyard and a street-fronting plaza.

New Renderings Revealed for Martin Expo Town Center

A draft environmental impact report published by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning has revealed new details about Martin Expo Town Center (METC), a large mixed-use development proposed in West Los Angeles.  The project, designed by architecture firm Togawa Smith Martin, would create three low-rise and mid-rise structures with a combination of office, residential and retail uses.  Located at 1201 W. Olympic Boulevard, METC would rise from the current home of Martin Cadillac, just one block north of a future Expo Line Station at Bundy Drive.

Expo Line Bringing Zoning Changes to Westside Neighborhoods

Various developments near Expo Line Stations. Image credit: Abramson Teiger Architects, VTBS Architects, Killefer Flammang Architects, Togawa Smith Martin

A sea change is underway on the Westside, where multiple neighborhoods are reorienting themselves around phase two of the $1.5 billion Expo Line.  The 6.6-mile light rail extension, spanning between Downtown Santa Monica and Culver City, has already spurred an uptick in development activity near several station sites.  However, due to the freight railway which once traversed the Expo Line's route, many station-adjacent parcels feature zoning that is inconsistent with the walkable, mixed-use communities that the city seeks to create.  Thus, LADCP has partnered with Metro to create the Los Angeles Transit Neighborhood Plan (LATNP), a $7.5 million campaign to shape development policy around the city's newest light rail lines.  This undertaking will repurpose several blocks surrounding the Westwood/Rancho Park and Expo/Sepulveda Stations, as detailed in a document from the Westside Neighborhood Council.

Runyon Group's Platform Takes Shape in Culver City

The above image should be a very familiar to all passengers coming to and from the Expo Line's current Culver City terminus.  Nine months after breaking ground at the corner of Washington and National Boulevards, the Runyon Group is still roaring ahead with construction on their mixed-use development known as the Platform.  The Abramson Teiger-designed  project will feature an eclectic mixture of retail, restaurant and office space.

Steel framing is now in place for Boxcar, a four-story creative office building located at northeast corner of Washington Boulevard and Landmark Street.  Across the street, rebar and concrete is still rising for the Washington Arts Building, a five-story parking that will be structure obscured by murals on upper floors and commercial stalls at ground level.  Out of frame to the left, other buildings that will contain additional retail and restaurant establishments now rise above the the elevated Expo Line tracks.

A significant portion of the complex's commercial stalls have already been leased, with announced tenants including Aesop skin care, Blue Bottle Coffee and a signature restaurant from renowned New York chef Michael White.  As the Platform quickly moves to become a major destination for for shopping and dining, it becomes increasingly difficult to believe that this was still an abandoned car dealership less than one year ago.

Image credit: Abramson Teiger Architects

Whoa: Eric Owen Moss's Expo-Adjacent Tower Pulls Permits

Expo Line passengers in-between the Culver City and La Cienega/Jefferson Stations might be getting some very noticeable eye candy in the not-so-distant future.  Believe it or not, LADBS permits appear to be in the works for (W)rapper, the poorly-named, Eric Owen Moss-designed creative office building slated for the intersection of Jefferson and National Boulevards.

Due to an extremely high floor-to-ceiling ratio, the 12-story tower would stand 230 feet tall, giving it a monolithic presence within the primarily low-rise Baldwin Hills neighborhood.  Consisting of just over 150,000 square feet of office space, (W)rapper's design would utilize a "continuous system of curvilinear ribbons," to allow for completely open floor plans.  The tower would rise above three levels of parking -- one at-grade and two below ground.

The project is being developed by Samitaur Constructs, landlord of the Conjunctive Points creative office haven.  The firm has engaged in a successful partnership with Eric Owen Moss Architects over the past several decades, creating a multitude of undulating structures that fascinate potential tenants and passersby alike.  (W)rapper would be their most ambitious collaboration to date, and one of only a handful inside Los Angeles city limits.

Former Atomic Café Making Way for Regional Connector Station

Utility relocation for the upcoming Regional Connector has caused more than a few Downtown traffic snarls in the past year.  With a funding agreement in place, the $1.4 billion project is now set to make its presence felt above ground.  Earlier this week, Metro erected protective fencing around the future site of Little Tokyo Station, which will soon be cleared in preparation for subway construction.  By the end of the decade, the 1.9 mile tunnel will eliminate one of the most glaring deficiencies in the Metro Rail network, unifying the Expo, Blue and Gold Lines.

Located across the street from the Japanese American National Museum, the property is currently developed with surface parking and low-rise commercial buildings.  One of those structures, located at the corner of 1st and Alameda Streets, was previously home to the Atomic Café, a "bastion of Los Angeles' '70s-era punk scene."  Following the intercession of the LA Conservancy, Metro unsuccessfully attempted to preserve the 19th-century building, placing it on the market for just $1.  However, with no buyers willing to absorb the unavoidable relocation costs, the Atomic Café will instead be relegated to memory lane.

Concrete Rises for the Platform at Culver City

While foundation work for Access Culver City moves slower than molasses, the Runyon Group is making quick work of their mixed-use development across the street.  The Platform at Culver City broke ground in November 2013, and is slated to offer more than 80,000 square feet of high end retail, destination restaurants, and creative office space when complete.  Designed by Abramson Teiger Architects, the project entails several new buildings, in addition to the adaptive reuse of two existing low-rise structures.  In the upper right hand corner of the above image, we see the beginnings of the Washington Arts Building, a five-story edifice which will feature parking, art lofts and street level commercial space.  The dirt lot under excavation at center left will make way for Boxcar, a modular four-story office building above two signature restaurants.  Just south of Boxcar, the Landmark Repair Shop repurposes a former auto repair building into additional restaurant space.  Platform is rounded out by two additional buildings, located out of frame to the left, and a landscaped central courtyard known as the Conservatory.  A significantly larger development from Lowe Enterprises is also planned for the opposite side of Washington Boulevard, to be located on Culver City Station's current park-and-ride lot.

Two Crenshaw Boulevard Game Changers in One Shot

We're one month into construction on the $2 billion Crenshaw/LAX Line, and the view from Exposition Boulevard has already changed significantly.  With Earlez Grille safely relocated two blocks south, the low-rise commercial structures which previously stood next to Expo/Crenshaw Station are no more.  By 2020, this now vacant lot will sit above the northern terminus of Metro's newest light rail line.  Set to add 8.5 miles of track and seven new stations to the Metro Rail network, long term plans call for extensions of the Crenshaw Line to Wilshire Boulevard and even as far north as Hollywood.  But that kind of talk is putting the cart way before the horse.

In the background of the above picture, green construction fencing is visible surrounding the future site of District Square.  The 300,000 square foot shopping center, designed by the Irvine-based KTGY Group, will bring a variety of large chain retailers to the Crenshaw neighborhood.  While perhaps not the ideal development for a parcel near the intersection of two rail lines, District Square is certainly an improvement upon the strip mall that it replaces.  Pedestrian friendly, street fronting buildings beat acres of surface parking any day of the week.

Expo's Venice Boulevard Bridge: Six Months Later

Last summer, the two bridges that will carry Expo Line trains over Venice Boulevard were little more than a couple of empty rebar cages.  Just over half-a-year later, the concrete has cured and the only things missing from the above picture are steel rails and catenary wiring.  Now carrying over 27,000 passengers on a daily basis, the Expo Line officially surpassed its 2020 ridership projection seven years ahead of schedule.  That's a positive sign, given that extensions are currently in the works at both ends of the line.  Expo's Phase II, which extends rail service into the heart of Downtown Santa Monica, is expected to open sometime between 2015 and 2016.  Fifteen miles east in Downtown Los Angeles, Metro expects construction to begin on the Regional Connector later this year.  The Regional Connector, which received a $670 million grant from the Federal Government this past week, will link the Blue and Expo Lines to the Pasadena and East LA branches of the Gold Line.  Traveling 1.9 miles between the Financial District and Little Tokyo, the new subway tunnel is anticipated to generate an additional 17,000 daily riders.

More Upgrades for 7th Street/Metro Center Station

Over the past year, Metro Rail's increased passenger load has coincided with a slew of ugrades to the Financial District's 7th Street/Metro Center Station.  The latest in the ongoing series of improvements is the addition of next-train monitors on the station's upper platform.  Utilizing a large, ADA-compliant font size, these monitors display countdown timers for trains on Metro's Blue and Expo light rail lines.  These relatively simple upgrades can go a long way, given the hectic (and claustrophobic) rush hour environment within the station.  7th Street/Metro Center is set to become even more crowded over the next several years, with a variety of new projects getting underway both above and below ground.  The Ratkovich Group is gearing up for construction on it's $160 million remodel of Macy's Plaza, which will create a new subway portal on the southern side of 7th Street.  One block west, the 73-story Wilshire Grand Center will add 400,000 square feet of office space and 900 hotel rooms by 2017.  Most importantly, the Regional Connector will eventually create a new 1.9 mile subway tunnel in-between the Financial District and Little Tokyo.

Hard at Work on Access Culver City

The future site of Access Culver City, seen from a westbound Expo Line train.

My oh my, that is a lot of dirt.  Kitty-corner to the Expo Line's Culver City Station, construction crews are busy with excavation work for Access Culver City.  The mixed-use development from Greystar Real Estate Partners is slated to open its doors in 2015, creating 115 apartments above ground floor commercial space.  The five-story structure, designed by Togawa Smith Martin, will greet the intersection of Washington and National Boulevards with a 7,000 square foot public plaza.  However, Greystar Real Estate's project is just one of three developments either planned or under construction in Culver City Station's immediate vicinity.  A short walk west on Washington Boulevard, the Runyon Group is hard at work on "The Platform," which will will transform a former Hyundai dealership into retail, restaurant and office space (take that, Southern California car culture!).  Culver City Station's park-and-ride lot is also slated for a massive development from LA-based Lowe Enterprises, featuring a four-story/200,000 square foot office building, 200 apartments, a 150-room hotel, 75,000 square feet of ground floor retail, a tranit plaza, and a park "roughly the size of a football field."  The LA Business Journal reports that Lowe has commissioned the Minneapolis-based Cunningham Group to design the project.

Video Flythrough of Eric Owen Moss' Creative Office Tower

All images from Eric Owen Moss Architects

The Eric Owen Moss designed (W)rapper tower is nothing more than a proposal with a stupid name at this point, but developer Samitaur Constructs has nonetheless created a promotional video for their creative office project.  Although standing just 12 stories, high floor-to-ceiling heights would result in a building over 200 feet tall.  The tower would feature a "continuous system of curvilinear ribbons," allowing for open 15,000 square foot floors, completely free of columns.  (W)rapper would utilize an existing bike path to provide direct pedestrian access to the Metro Expo Line's La Cienega/Jefferson Station.  Just down the street from Samitaur's project, Cumulus Media recently put the KLOS/KABC radio broadcast facility up for sale.  The 10-acre site, located just east of the Culver City border, is one of the largest development opportunities on the Westside.  Turning the broadcast facility into a mixed-use community could provide the necessary catalyst for a more urban West Adams neighborhood.  (W)rapper could certainly use the shot in the arm: leasing advertisements have stood at the project site for well over a year, but not a single shovel has hit the ground.

Sepulveda Boulevard IHOP Gets a Next Door Neighbor

Travelers along the 405/10 interchange may have noticed a wood structure sprouting up on the vacant lot next to Sepulveda Boulevard's kitchy, mid-century IHOP.  This would in fact be a mixed-use development from Century West Properties, dubbed "The 2900."  The six-story structure features 48 residential units above roughly 1,500 square feet of ground floor office space.  Upper levels consist of two-story loft units, offering private sundecks with sweeping views of the Westside (seriously, check out the picture below).  Units also feature double paned windows, a necessity given that two of the busiest freeways in the United States intersect just across the street.  However, there is a more environmentally friendly transportation option in the works nearby.  Metro's Expo/Sepulveda Station is under-construction just a half-mile north, providing one-seat rides to Downtown LA and Downtown Santa Monica by mid-2016 (fingers crossed).  Locally based Plus Architects designed the project, which was originally known as "The West End," when it began working its way through City Planning back in 2008.  With Metro Rail finally pushing towards the Pacific, the 2900 joins a slew of mixed-use residential buildings springing up along its path.

Here's What a Palms Station TOD Might Look Like

As the Expo Line marches west to Santa Monica, so do the opportunities for transit oriented developments surrounding its stations.  The under-construction Palms Station already sits within one of LA's most densely populated neighborhoods, but that hasn't stopped the folks over at Los Angeles Transit Neighborhood Plan from drawing up a conceptual design for an adjacent mixed-use TOD.  In LATNP's vision, the strip mall located on National Boulevard just north of the 10 freeway would be demolished to make way for apartments above a pedestrian friendly retail complex.  Two residential buildings would front National, with small scale commercial establishments lining their ground floors.  The southernmost segment of the parcel would feature a supermarket below an above-grade parking garage, creating a buffer between the residential buildings and the adjacent freeway.  New structures would range from three to seven stories in height, staying in scale with the neighborhood's existing multi-family buildings.  Of course, I can't emphasize enough that this is nothing more than a hypothetical vision.  Still, the strip mall occupies valuable real estate, and probably represents the only chance for a large scale TOD near Palms Station.  Some non-fantasy developments in the neighborhood include the proposed Hughes Apartments, the under-construction Motor Avenue Apartments, and the super fugly Palms Point mixed-user.

First Look at the Martin Expo Town Center

Martin Expo Town Center.  All images from Popularise.

Density averse Westside residents may object, but the Martin family continues to press onward with ambitious plans to convert their Cadillac dealership into a mixed-use development.  Although Martin Cadillac has been a West LA landmark for decades, the coming of the Expo Line motivated the family to re-envision their property with retail, office and residential space.  The Martins have set up a page for the Martin Expo Town Center on Popularise, providing neighbors a venue to offer critiques and suggestions for the project.

Altogether, the Martin Expo Town Center (METC) plans for just over 800,000 square feet of total floor area.  The project's 516 residential units range from studio to three bedroom apartments, divided between low-rise and mid-rise structures.  The tallest residential building would stand 11-stories, featuring roughly 60,000 square feet of street level retail space.  METC's 200,000 square foot creative office component would rise within a 10-story building, towering 160 feet above the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Bundy Drive.  At ground level, the office tower would contain a 10,000 square foot showroom for Martin Cadillac.

Of course, we have yet to see how METC navigates its way through the approvals process and the inevitable fight with the locals.  The West LA Neighborhood Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee voted unanimously to oppose the project back in June, citing concerns over traffic gridlock and the height of the proposed buildings.  While the mid-rise structures are hardly out of scale with the neighborhood (there are multiple 10-story office buildings within a quarter mile radius of the project site), the concerns about traffic aren't completely unreasonable.  The Olympic/Bundy intersection comes to a standstill at rush hour, and the relocation of Riot Games next-door will likely exacerbate the current mess.  METC is also difficult to accept as a "transit oriented development," considering that the full build out of the proposal creates nearly 1,800 parking spaces.

• Martin Expo Town Center (Official Website)
• What Would You Like to See at the Martin Expo Town Center? (Popularise)
• Martin Town Center (WLANC)

27 Apartments Coming to Palms

3627 Hughes Avenue

A residential development will take the place of three single family homes in the densely populated Palms neighborhood of West Los Angeles.  Details read as follows:

3627-3637 Hughes Avenue

The project is the construction of a 27-unit apartment building on the southeast corner of Hughes Ave. near Tabor St....The applicant is requesting 2 on-menu incentives.  They are: A) height increase from 45-ft. to 56-ft., and a 32.5% increase in the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from 3:1 permitted by the R3-1 zone to 3.1:1.

As Palms is already a sea of low-rise apartment buildings, 3627 Hughes is a run-of-the-mill development for the neighborhood.  What's more interesting to me is the major infrastructure project occurring just two blocks north.  Sometime in 2015 or 2016, the Expo Line's Palms Station is expected to open above the intersection of Palms Blvd and National Blvd.  When the station is complete, residents of 3627 Hughes will have easy transit access to Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Monica.

Rendering of Palms Station from BuildExpo

Other developers are also looking to take advantage of Palms' upcoming Metro Rail station.  Curbed LA reports that locally based Frost/Chaddock is building a 115 unit mixed-use development on nearby Motor Avenue.

3425 Motor Avenue, image from Killefer Flammang Architects via the Los Angeles Times

• Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration (City of Los Angeles)
• Palms Station (Build Expo)
• Motor Makeover: Second Mixed-User Starts Work in Palms (Curbed LA)

Affordable Housing Development Coming to Parcel Near USC

1077 W 38th Street

A mixed-use development consisting almost entirely of affordable housing is planned for a parcel located down the street from Exposition Park.  Details read as follows:

Rolland Curtis Partners, LLC is the owner of a site located at 1077 West 38th Street in the South Los Angeles Community Plan area in Council District 8.  The Owner is proposing a mixed use project containing 140 residential units, including 138 deed restricted affordable units and approximately 8,000 square feet of commercial space ("project").  The project is proposing a commercial space programmed with philanthropic uses providing medical services to the local community and office space.  The site's proximity, located within 500 feet of the Expo Light Rail stop at Vermont Avenue provides a great transit opportunity.

This new development would take the place of an existing 48-unit affordable housing complex known as the Rolland Curtis Gardens.  T.R.U.S.T. South LA and the non-profit developer Abode Communities purchased the housing complex last year for $9 million.

It's not exciting, but affordable housing is important.  Abode has done good work in the past, and I hope they can churn out a quality product on the Rolland Curtis site.  This location provides ample transit access, with the well patronized Vermont bus lines one block east and the busy Expo/Vermont Metro station right across the street.

The existing Rolland Curtis Gardens, viewed from across the Expo Line tracks.

• TRUST South LA (Official Website)
• Abode Communities (Official Website)
• Land Trust and Developer Save Affordable Housing Complex (California Health Report)

Watch Metro Build the Expo Line's Downtown Santa Monica Station

A few weeks ago, Transit Coalition Forumer Gokhan linked to a Santa Monica website featuring a live construction camera for the Expo Line's future Downtown Santa Monica Station.  This location will soon become an epicenter for pedestrian activity in Santa Monica, with the Expo Line expected to carry 64,000 passengers per day by 2030.  Downtown Santa Monica Station will be in close proximity to the Santa Monica Pier, Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Place.  A slew of proposals for new mixed-use developments have also emerged within walking distance of the station.

Artist's rendering of the Downtown Santa Monica terminus of the Expo Line; Image from BuildExpo.

Several of the developments planned or recently opened near the Downtown Santa Monica Station.  Clockwise from the top right corner: Related California's Village at Santa Monica, Tongva Park, the proposed 15-story re-development of the Wyndham Santa Monica, 500 Broadway.  Images from Related California, City of Santa Monica, Jerde Partnership and Curbed LA.

• Transit Coalition Forum
• Expo Light Rail (City of Santa Monica)

Killefer Flammang Designed Apartments Rise in Culver City

NMS@Culver City in 2013

The Killefer Flammang designed NMS@Culver City continues its slow but steady ascent from the corner of Washington Blvd and Hughes Avenue.  When completed in 2014, the project will create 131 apartments above 12,500 square feet of ground floor retail.  All of this in highly walkable Downtown Culver City, just fifteen minutes from the current Expo Line terminus.

NMS@Culver City in 2014.  Image from NMS Properties.

• Work's Begun on Killefer Flammang's NMS@Culver Mixed-Use (Curbed LA)
• And Onward to Santa Monica... (Building Los Angeles)
• NMS@Culver City