Luxury Apartments to Rise in Brentwood

A pair of vacant mid-century residential buildings in Brentwood will soon meet with the wrecking ball, to be replaced by a modern rental development.

Later this month, Elite Real Estate will begin work on a luxury apartment complex at 11965 Montana Avenue.  The five-story development, designed by an in-house architect, would comprise 49 residential units and amenities including a pool and a rooftop deck.  The proposed building would occupy an approximately half-acre site, located mid-block between Bundy Drive and San Vicente Boulevard.

Plans call for a mixture of two- and three-bedroom dwellings, each averaging approximately 1,600 square feet in size.  Rents in the low-rise complex will average $4,750 per month, excluding four units reserved for low-income households.

Demolition of the existing structures at 11965 Montana Avenue is scheduled to begin in one week, with all materials expected to be harvested and reused.  Construction of the new building is expected to occur over one-and-a-half years, with delivery currently scheduled for the third quarter of 2016.

Shabby Section of Palms Getting Mixed-Use Development

The Roy @ Overland

According to a mitigated negative declaration published by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, an approximately half-acre site in Palms may birth to a new mixed-use development

Plans were filed with the city last December for the Roy @ Overland, a six-story residential-retail complex at 3644-3658 South Overland Avenue.  The project, slated to replace a series of one-story commercial structures, would include 92 residential units, roughly 1,600 square feet of ground-floor restaurant space, and an underground garage with parking accommodations for 105 vehicles and 109 bicycles.

The proposed low-rise building would offer a mixture of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, including eight units reserved for very low income households.  These uses would be supplemented by amenities such as a fitness center and an open-air roof deck.  Additional open space would be created by private balconies in over half of the the apartments.

Designs for the project from Killefer Flammang Architects (KFA) call for strong vertical and horizontal elements.  Like a similar KFA-designed project on Motor Avenue, the Roy's street-fronting facade would open to a central courtyard.  The private gathering space would be situated on the building's second level, offering greenery, outdoor seating and water features.

Construction of the mixed-use development is expected to occur over approximately 18 months, with full occupancy anticipated in 2017.  A groundbreaking for the project is contingent on multiple discretionary approvals from the City of Los Angeles, including two on-menu density bonus incentives.

Apartments Headed for Marina Del Rey Arts District

Image: PK Architecture

According to an agenda from last week's meeting of the Del Rey Neighborhood Council's Community Planning, Traffic and Transportation Committee, a large mixed-use complex is planned in the Del Rey Arts District.

California Landmark, the developer of several loft projects in the neighborhood, intends to construct another low-rise residential development on a current parking lot at 4210 Del Rey Avenue.  Plans the approximately two-acre property call for a five-story structure, containing 134 dwelling units and slightly under 15,000 square feet of office space.  The apartment complex, to be known as D1 Living, would also offer 359 parking spaces for use by residents and tenants of an adjacent office building.

A case filing from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning states that California Landmark has requested a 35% density bonus, indicated that subsidized housing will be included in the development.

The project is being designed by Woodland Hills-based PK Architecture, a firm has collaborated with California Landmark on several of their other Del Rey developments.  Elevation plans included with the presentation indicate that the low-rise structure would be clad with plaster, glass and metal screening.  The building would be centered around two courtyards, with further open space provided by a rooftop amenity deck.

An exact construction timeline for D1 Living is currently unclear.  Records from the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety currently show no permit applications on file.

Another Office Complex Begins Work in Playa Vista

Google's impending arrival in Playa Vista has set off a monumental shift in the West Los Angeles office market.  After years of searching for space in traditional creative hubs such as Santa Monica and Venice, numerous tech firms are now looking further south in order to situate themselves closer to the Bay Area heavyweight.  With this changing landscape in mind, a New York-based developer has broken ground on a speculative office complex directly across the street from Google's future twelve-acre campus.

According to commercial real estate publication Bisnow, Tishman Speyer is currently in design development for 407,000 square feet of office space Playa Vista Parcels 1 and 2.  The project, slated for completion in late 2016, will be split between five- and six-story structures at 12126 and 12099 West Waterfront Drive.  As of this week, preliminary grading and site preparation is underway for both of the low-rise buildings.

The speculative development begins work as Tishman Speyer nears completion on a nearby campus-style project known as the Collective at Playa Vista.  Slightly over 130,000 square feet of the five-building complex is already leased, thanks to Yahoo's recent decision to relocate from its current Santa Monica operations.  Bisnow also reports that Tishman Speyer is in negotiations with 72,000-square-foot tenant who would bring the development to full occupancy.

More Housing Coming to Howard Hughes Center

Construction underway on Altitude at Howard Hughes Center

Nearly three decades after work first began on Westchester's Howard Hughes Center, construction is slated to begin soon on a low-rise residential development which would complete the build-out of the mixed-use campus.

Earlier this month, Dallas-based Mill Creek Residential Trust announced plans to build the Village at Howard Hughes Center, a 375-unit apartment complex.  The project will rise from an approximately three-acres of land at 5901 and 6055 Center Drive, creating three six-story buildings with ground-level parking garages.  When completed in 2018, the low-rise development will feature spacious outdoor courtyards and multiple rooftop entertainment decks.

New Condominium Complex Headed to Burton Way

Construction is scheduled to begin next month on a high-end residential development adjacent to L'Ermitage Beverly Hills.

Empire at Burton Way, a luxury condominium complex from Los Angeles-based Empire Property Group, will rise from a roughly quarter-acre property at 9265 Burton Way.  Plans for the five-story edifice call for 23 residential units -including two reserved for very-low income households- and underground parking accommodations for up to 48 vehicles.

Empire Property Group will entice potential residents with their project's close proximity to a variety of high-end stores and restaurants.  Prominent shopping districts along Rodeo Drive and Robertson Boulevard are both located within a one-mile radius of the development.  Further incentives will include hotel-like amenities and a a scenic rooftop common area.

More Apartments and Retail for Santa Monica Boulevard

11407 W. Santa Monica Boulevard

Santa Monica Boulevard's nascent construction boom is slowly pushing eastward.

According to a case filing from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, a new low-rise apartment complex is slated for a nearly half-acre property at 11407 West Santa Monica Boulevard.  The project calls for a five-story building, featuring 51 residential units above 1,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space.  An unspecified number of units would be reserved as either affordable or low-income housing.

11407 Santa Monica was once home to the Dolores Restaurant & Bakery, a longtime West Los Angeles landmark which closed in mid-2012 after more than six decades in business.  After a fire later that year spelled the end of a replacement tenant, the one-story building sat vacant until this past August, when it was finally sold to a developer.

Another Big Apartment Complex Proposed in Westchester

6733 S. Sepulveda Boulevard

As Playa Vista gradually booms into one of Southern California preeminent tech hubs, a new wave of multi-family residential development is flowing into the adjacent Westchester neighborhood.  According to a document from the Neighborhood Council of Westchester and Playa Del Rey, the latest example of this burgeoning trend is slated for an approximately two-acre parcel at 6733 South Sepulveda Boulevard.

Land owner 6733 So. Sepulveda Blvd. Associates recently presented plans to the council's Planning and Land Use Committee for a new five-story apartment complex on the property.  The proposed development, which has not been filed with the city, would feature 200 rental units, a residential amenity deck and a two-level underground parking garage.  6733 Sepulveda Boulevard is currently improved with a two-story Class-B office building and a surface parking lot.

The project would sit directly across the street from the Howard Hughes Center, a 70-acre mixed-use campus which consists of multiple office towers and a shopping mall.  The sprawling Hughes complex still features several vacant parcels of land, two of which are currently being developed into apartments by Chicago-based Equity Residential.

Sawtelle Japantown Getting More Mixed-Use

More development is slated for the freshly rebranded Sawtelle Japantown.

According to an early December case filing from the Department of City Planning, a new residential-retail complex is proposed for the corner lot at 1854 South Sawtelle Boulevard.  Plans call for a five-story structure, consisting of 23 apartments, two ground-floor live-work units, four above-grade parking levels and two underground parking levels.  The new building would replace a century-old bungalow, one of the few remaining single-family dwellings along the bustling commercial corridor.

With a cumulative six floors of garage space, the proposed development is clearly informed by the parking crunch which frequently envelops the residential neighborhood to the west.  Customers of trendy restaurants located on Sawtelle Boulevard often inundate street parking on adjacent blocks, leading some homeowners to call for the creation of a preferential parking district.

Finishing Touches on Culver City Apartments

In Culver City, construction is wrapping up on the Oliver Apartments, a residential-retail complex from the Vancouver-based Bastion Development Corporation.  Standing three stories at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Marcasel Avenue, the building will include 30 one-and-two-bedroom apartments above 8,700 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space.  The low-rise structure, clad mostly in smooth-finish stucco and wood paneling, features private balconies on three sides.

Bastion's project is slated for completion in March 2015.  It may be joined in the near future by a larger neighbor which would straddle the Los Angeles-Culver City border.  Plans filed with the city at 11925 Louise Avenue call for a five-story building, containing 97 apartments and 15,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space.

Plans Emerge for Playa Vista's Remaining Office Parcels

12099 and 12126 W. Waterfront Drive

With Yahoo! on the cusp of signing a 130,000-square-foot lease in the under-construction Collective campus, Tishman Speyer Properties is now forging ahead with plans for their remaining Playa Vista real estate.

According to a November case filing from the Department of City Planning, the New York-based developer intends to construct two low-rise office buildings adjacent to Playa Vista Central Park.  The first, a six-story structure, would rise from a nearly four-acre site at 12126 West Waterfront Drive.  Directly across the street, plans call for a five-story building and associated surface parking on the six-acre property at 12099 West Waterfront Drive.

City records do not currently indicate the exact footprints of the proposed buildings.  However, a January article from the Los Angeles Times reported that Tishman Speyer had entitlements to build up to 400,000 square feet of office space on the two properties

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.

An Overhead Perspective on Playa Vista Phase Two

Only from above can one fully appreciate the massive amount of construction underway throughout the Playa Vista neighborhood.  The thousand-acre expanse, formerly a component of the Howard Hughes aerospace empire, is now giving birth to creative office space, pricey chain retailers, and thousands of luxury apartments, condominiums, and single-family homes.  Take a quick photo tour through phase two of the planned community, from a vantage point high up in the Westchester Bluffs.

UCLA Medical School Expansion Takes Form

Photo credit: Daniel Castro

More than one year after breaking ground at Tiverton Drive and Le Conte Avenue, UCLA's new Teaching and Learning Center for Health Sciences is finally climbing upwards.  The $120 million facility, funded with a combination of cash reserves and philanthropic donations, constitutes a 110,000 square foot expansion of the David Geffen School of Medicine.

The low-rise structure, designed by architectural giant Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, will consolidate a significant portion of the medical school's classroom space, which is currently dispersed in eleven outdated buildings.  Renderings portray a six-story building, clad with glass and red brick, which shall serve as a new southern gateway to the UCLA campus.

When completed in 2016, the TLC will incorporate technology-enabled classrooms, a clinical skills training center, flexible teaching labs, administrative offices and student gathering space.  The university is seeking LEED-Gold certification for the facility.

Photo credit: SOM

Low-Rise Residential Pops Up on Santa Monica Boulevard

According to a set of pictures sent in by e-mail tipster Daniel, construction is nearing completion on a the Century Park Apartments, a new multi-family complex on the southern fringe of Westwood.  The five-story building, located at 10475 Santa Monica Boulevard, will contain a total of 24 rental units above a two-level, partially underground parking garage.  Future residents will live in close proximity to a variety of major employment nodes and entertainment districts.  Century City's skyline looms just a few blocks east, while the commercial hub of Wilshire Boulevard lies approximately one mile north.

The low-rise development was designed by West Los Angeles-based Plus Architecture, and features an exterior consisting mostly of plaster and glass, accented by yellow-colored elements on upper levels.  The firm's previous work includes the 2900, a 48-unit mixed-use development on Sepulveda Boulevard, and the Palms, an Art Deco-inspired apartment complex planned across the street from Sony Picture Studios.

Big Century City/Beverly Hills Developments Get Moving

Your eyes do not deceive you: construction cranes have returned to Century City.  10000 Santa Monica Boulevard, a $300 million residential tower by developer Crescent Heights, is about to begin the two-year climb to its eventual 40-story apex.

When completed in 2016, the project will offer 283 luxury apartments along the border between West Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.  Units will range in size from one-to-three-bedrooms, and are being built to condo specifications in the event of an uptick in the local for-sale market.

Designs from New York-based Handel Architects call for the building to have a shimmering glass exterior.  Jagged angles and a sloping roofline will give the tower a unique presence within Century City's otherwise staid, modernist skyline.  With a 483-foot height profile, 10000 Santa Monica is currently the second tallest building under construction in Los Angeles, following the monumental Wilshire Grand hotel and office development.

Mixed-Use Upgrade for Venice Boulevard

Palms's shabby three-mile stretch of Venice Boulevard is flanked by an assortment of strip malls and drive-thru restaurants.  Perhaps a new mixed-use development will finally begin the process of converting the auto-centric corridor into a more liveable environment.

Earlier this month, plans were filed with LADCP for a residential-retail complex at 10300 Venice Boulevard.  City records indicate that the low-rise structure would vary from four to five stories in height, containing 34 residential units above 2,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space.  The proposed multi-family complex has requested a density bonus from the city, which implies the inclusion of affordable units within the building.

The approximately quarter-acre development site, located between Goldwyn Terrace and Vinton Avenue, is currently improved with a series of one-story duplexes.  It is one of several nearby properties in Palms which have recently been targeted for development.  Three blocks east, an 86-unit apartment building is planned on Dunn Drive.  Roughly four blocks west, a 126-unit mixed-use complex is in the works for Overland Avenue.

Playa Vista Spec Office Complex Takes Form

Seven months after breaking ground in Playa Vista, construction is going vertical for the Collective, an $80 million office complex from developer Tishman Speyer.  The speculative development, designed by local architect Joey Shimoda, will create approximately 204,000 square feet of office space within a series of two-story structures.

Each of the Collective's five buildings are designed to emanate an "inviting yet industrial feel," with an open floor plan and exposed double-height ceilings.  Building materials are further in line with this warm, industrial look.  Interiors will feature wood flooring, steel columns and floor-to-ceiling windows.  Exteriors will be clad with precast concrete and wood paneling.

The 6.3-acre campus will feature a series of private garden patios, designed by landscape architect James Burnett.  These small pockets of green space will include a welcome court, event lawn, shared courtyards and gravel seating areas.

Recent growth in the Southern California office market may bode well for Tishman Speyer's speculative development.  With limited options remaining in creative hotspots such as Venice and Santa Monica, many businesses in the media, technology and entertainment fields have turned south to Playa Vista.  Consequently, the neighborhood's office vacancy rate now stands at 24.8%, a marked improvement from the previous year's 40% figure.

Image credit: Tishman Speyer

Del Rey Getting Two Low-Rise Apartment Complexes

11811 Culver Boulevard (Image: Lido Equities Group)

Take a quick trip out to the oft-forgotten Del Rey neighborhood, where the Beverly Hills-based Lido Equities Group is working on plans for a pair of low-rise apartment complexes.  The first of the two developments, a five-story building designed by Shubin + Donaldson Architects, will replace a cluster of mid-century buildings at 11811 Culver Boulevard.  Each of the project's 27 loft-style apartments will come complete with concrete floors, designer finishes, and private balconies.  Communal amenities will include a fitness center, entertainment lounge, and a rooftop deck with panoramic views of the cityscape.

According to a page on the Lido Equities Group website, 11811 Culver is slated to open its doors in Spring 2015.  However, recent events could delay that ambitious timeline.  Although LADCP has approved the project in its current form, records indicate that the Department of Building and Safety has yet to give Lido Equities the go-ahead to start construction.  At this time, 11811 Culver is also being appealed by an abutting property owner, who argues that the city erred in granting the project its density bonus.

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.