Final Phase of South Park's Avant Apartments Rising

As South Park's latest mixed-use development starts work on Olympic Boulevard, why not head a few blocks south to check in on an earlier arrival to the Downtown development party?  Directly across the street from the LA Convention Center, construction on the second and final phase of the $170 million Avant Apartments has now progressed to the fifth floor above ground.  Located at 1500 South Figueroa Street, the mixed-use development from Century West Partners will top out at seven stories, containing 193 market rate apartments above 9,500 square feet of street level retail space.  Designed by Downtown-based GMP Architects (801 Olive Street), the low-rise building will offer future residents two floors of underground parking, in addition to amenities including a pool, a spa, and a five minute walk to Pico Station.  No need to mention the enviable rooftop view of the expanding Downtown skyline.  1500 Figueroa Street will reportedly be completed sometime in late 2014 or early 2015.  Phase one of Avant, which consists of two buildings linked by a pedestrian bridge, is currently pre-leasing for its first move-ins next month.  That portion of the project creates a cumulative 247 apartment units, in addition to 11,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space along Figueroa Street.

1500 Figueroa Street; Image Credit: Avant South Park

Downtown's Libeskind Killing Avant Reveals Itself

Scaffolding is coming down, and the stucco is coming out on the first phase of Century West Partners' Avant mixed-use development.  The GMP Architects designed project, which began construction in September 2012, will bring just over 240 apartments and 11,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space to the growing South Park neighborhood in 2014.  A second phase of the project broke ground earlier this year, and will create an extra 193 units and 9,500 square feet of retail by early 2015.  The seven-story complex stands on surface parking lots previously intended for a 43-story high-rise designed by bespectacled architect Daniel Libeskind.  While the design of the now cancelled tower project had its own share of critics, Avant is a posterchild for Downtown's low-rise building spree during the past calendar year.  These projects have raised concerns amongst community stakeholders about lost opportunities for high-rise towers, and even prompted a proposed interim control ordinance regulating wood-frame construction from 14th District Councilman Jose Huizar.  Avant, which utilizes wood-frame construction, occupies two parcels directly across the street from the Los Angeles Convention Center.