K-Town Apartments Finally Shooting Upwards

685 New Hampshire Avenue

In Koreatown, construction forges onward for phase two of K2LA, a low-rise apartment complex from developer Century West Partners.  The project, designed by Los Angeles-based architect David Forbes Hibbert, will consist of two seven-story buildings at 680 Berendo Street and 685 New Hampshire Avenue.  Phase two, which is replacing back-to-back surface parking lots, will offer a total of 347 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments.  Each building will feature a fitness center, conference rooms and a rooftop amenity deck.

The first phase of K2LA, located on an adjacent property at 688 Berendo Street, opened this past May.  With 130 apartments, the seven-story structure offers a similar blend of dwelling units and residential amenities to its phase two counterparts.

K2LA is one of several new multi-family residential developments which have recently sprung up on the eastern periphery of Koreatown.  Less than a half-mile southwest, a team of local investors plans a 27-story apartment tower at the intersection of 8th and Catalina Streets.  Further east, Century West Partners has proposed a seven-story mixed-use development on a property near Lafayette Park.

685 New Hampshire Avenue (Image: David Forbes Hibbert)

Second Phase of K2LA Still Inching Along

680 Berendo Street

Construction is slow but steady in Koreatown, where developer Century West Partners is (still) working on the 347-unit phase two of their K2LA apartment complex.  The two seven-story buildings, designed by local architect David Forbes Hibbert, have progressed slowly since breaking ground in late 2013.  After nine months of construction, the structure at 685 New Hampshire Avenue protrudes just one floor above ground, while its companion at 680 Berendo Street has yet to reach street level.  Both buildings were previously scheduled for completion in late 2014, a target date which is now highly unrealistic given the project's current status.

On the other hand, the more punctual phase one of the development opened its doors this past May.  Located at 688 Berendo Street, the seven-story building offers 130 studio, one and two-bedroom apartment units.  The low-rise structure features similar amenities to its phase two counterparts, including a fitness center, conference room, club house, and two roof decks with outdoor grills and fire pits.  Although 688 Berendo Street does contains no street-fronting retail space, the building does utilize a green wall to obscure its podium-level parking garage.

Over the past several years, Century West Partners has emerged as a prolific developer of multi-family residential buildings throughout Los Angeles County.  Besides K2LA, the company is also in the midst of construction on multiple mixed-use complexes both in Downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica.  The developer is also in the planning stages for a second project in Koreatown, which would replace an unused property at 6th Street and Virgil Avenue with 399 apartments and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

680 Berendo Street, rendered. Image credit: David Forbes Hibbert

K2LA's Last Two Buildings Under Construction

K2LA.  Renderings from of David Forbes Hibbert, AIA.

When we last checked in on Century West Partners' K2LA development, the project's first 130-unit building had topped out near the intersection of 7th and Berendo Streets.  Just two months later, the landscape south of Wilshire Boulevard has changed dramatically.  Construction crews are now busy excavating former parking lots to create the subterranean garages for the project's second and third structures, located at 680 Berendo and 685 New Hampshire Avenue.  The two buildings, both designed by architect David Forbes Hibbert, are expected to open in the second half of 2014, combining to create 347 apartments within walking distance of the busy Wilshire Vermont subway station.  680 Berendo and 685 New Hampshire will provide residential amenities including roof decks, pools, fitness centers and club rooms.   K2LA is just one of several projects underway on the eastern edge of Koreatown, which is in the midst of a development boom highlighted by the J.H. Snyder Company's skyline changing Vermont Towers.  A large mixed-use development designed by the Archeon Group is also proposed at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and James M Wood Boulevard, featuring two mid-rise structures with 411 apartments and 44,000 square feet of commercial space.  However, that project remains in pre-development at this point in time.