Metro Planning New Developments in Boyle Heights

Mariachi Plaza, seen during a recent CicLAvia (Image: Shannon Ino)

Yesterday brought the pleasant surprise of a new mixed-use development catacorner to the Gold Line's Mariachi Plaza Station.  Looks like that was just the tip of an oncoming TOD iceberg.

According to the agenda of the November 5th meeting of Metro's Planning & Programming Committee, the agency is planning new mixed-use developments on four additional properties in Boyle Heights.  This decision follows an 11-month selection process, in which Metro staff evaluated multiple proposals for each site on the basis of 1) their overall development program, 2) project feasibility, 3) the experience and qualifications of the development team and 4) a financial proposal to the agency.

The resulting transit-oriented developments would feature mixtures of affordable housing, retail and office space.  All are located within walking distance of high-frequency bus and rail service, a core tenet of Metro's TOD plan.

Mariachi Plaza Getting an Affordable Mixed-User

Conceptual rendering (2012) from DE Architects via Metro

Five years after the Gold Line's Eastside branch opened, development is finally headed to one of the Metro-owned properties above Mariachi Plaza Station.  According to plans submitted to the city in late October, an mixed-use affordable housing project will be constructed on the vacant 1.5-acre lot at 1750 E. 1st Street.

The proposed residential complex, dubbed the Santa Cecilia Apartments, is being developed by a partnership between Metro and McCormack Baron Salazar.  According to a document from the State Treasurer's Office, plans call for 79 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, with rents ranging from approximately $450 to $1,200 per month.  Units would be reserved for families making 30-60% of the Los Angeles median household income.  The four-story development would also include approximately 4,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, situated at the southwest corner of 1st Street and Boyle Avenue.

The Ultimate Measure R2 Fantasy Map

Image Credit: Move LA

Transportation advocacy group Move LA, one of the driving forces behind the transformative Measure R, has cooked up a mouth watering fantasy map for a sequel ballot initiative in 2016.  Measure R2, as per its most recent draft proposal, could fund a slew of transportation improvements throughout Los Angeles County via a 45-year, half-cent sales tax.  As reported this past April by Streetsblog LA, the tentative plan allots revenue as follows:

• 30% for new Metro Rail and BRT Capital
• 20% for Transit Operations
• 20% for Highways
• 15% for Local Return
• 6% for Clean Goods Movement
• 5% for Metrolink Capital
• 4% for Active Transportation

Construction Crane Arrives at Blossom Plaza

After a half-year of excavation (and finding the Zanja Madre in the process), developer Forest City is now ready to go vertical in Chinatown.  Earlier this month, a tower crane sprouted at Blossom Plaza, the once-stalled residential-retail complex that will sit adjacent to the Gold Line's elevated Chinatown Station.  Rising five stories, the Johnson Fain-designed project will feature 237 apartment units, 20,000 square feet of street-level commercial space and a 449-stall parking garage.  Renderings show a retail paseo bisecting the $100 million development, feeding directly into a public plaza at the foot of the neighboring light rail station.

Several nearby properties are also the sites of proposed or under-construction projects, as Chinatown plays catch-up to the rest of Downtown's development scene.  A short walk north, construction is underway on a $20 million remodel of the 34-acre Los Angeles State Historic Park.  On a vacant lot across Spring Street, developer EVOQ Properties plans an ambitious project that could yield twin high-rise towers.  These developments come on the heels of earlier improvements, including the Metro at Chinatown Senior Lofts and the recently-opened Jia Apartments.

In addition to Blossom Plaza, Forest City harbors ambitions inside the Central City freeway loop.  This past April, the Cleveland-based developer revealed plans for two low-rise developments along the Broadway corridor.  Designed by Harley Ellis Devereaux, the two buildings would comprise 391 apartment units and roughly 16,000 square feet of ground floor retail and restaurant space.

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.

Boyle Heights Getting More Gold Line TOD Action

Back in January, news of a supportive housing project adjacent to the Gold Line's Indiana Station was met with hostility from Boyle Heights residents.  Hopefully a proposed transit oriented development next to Soto Station will get a warmer response.  According to a recent case filing with LADCP, plans are in the works for a 64,000 square foot mixed-use structure near the intersection of 1st and Soto Streets.  Rising six stories, the project would consist of 50 residential units, 3,400 square feet of street level commercial space, and 8,500 square feet of office space on its top floor.  Residential and commercial tenants would be served by a 70-vehicle garage, most of which would be located underground.  Occupying three parcels between 2407 and 2421 E. 1st Street, the project will require the demolition of several existing residential structures, some of which date back to the late 19th century.  Although a six-story building would tower over the mostly low slung Boyle Heights neighborhood, 2407 E. 1st Street may be in store for neighbors of a similar scale in the near future.  Metro is currently soliciting bids for a mixed-use development to be built on their 1.4 acre property on the opposite side of the intersection.

Chinatown's Colorful Blossom Plaza Pushing Dirt

It may have taken a decade to get here, but the former Little Joe's restaurant is gone, and shovels have hit the dirt in Chinatown.  The long awaited Blossom Plaza mixed-user finally got rolling last year, and since then construction crews have busied themselves prepping the site for excavation.  Designed by local firm Johnson Fain, the $100 million project from Forest City Enterprises will rise five stories, creating 237 apartments and approximately 20,000 square feet of neighborhood serving retail space.  The project will offer a direct connection to the Gold Line's Chinatown Station via a 17,000 square foot pedestrian plaza on the eastern side of the property.  Should that easy transit link not appeal to you, don't worry: the mixed-use structure will also contain a 449 stall parking garage, including 175 spots reserved for Metro passengers.  Regardless of your preferred mode of transportation, the development of the tracts of underutilized land surrounding Chinatown Station can't happen fast enough.

Forest City, which took over development of Blossom Plaza back in 2011, has also set their sights on on the opposite side of Downtown LA.  The Cleveland-based developer recently paid $27 million to acquire two parcels near the Herald-Examiner Building which were previously entitled for a pair of Morphosis-designed residential towers.  While Thom Mayne's firm is reportedly out as the design architect, Forest City's new vision for the project has yet to be made public.

Gold Line Adjacent Affordable Housing in Boyle Heights

Lorena Plaza, Image from A Community of Friends

Are you a low income individual who has always wanted to live next to a giant cemetery?  If so, A Community of Friends has a project in the works that will be right up your alley.  Lorena Plaza is a 49-unit affordable housing development, pegged to replace a vacant, Metro-owned parcel at the northeast corner of 1st and Lorena Streets.  The five-story edifice would rise across from the 136 year old Evergreen Cemetary, which contains over 300,000 headstones and a lot of not-evergreen grass.  Located just a short walk from the Eastside Gold Line's Indiana Station, Lorena Plaza would feature 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.  The $23 million project has received a lukewarm reception from the surrounding neighborhood due to a stipulation that half of its units be reserved for mentally ill and formerly homeless individuals.  Nearby business owners and residents told the Metro Board in March 2013 that "the mentally ill would not make good neighbors."  Casting those concerns aside, the Metro Board voted 10-1 to negotiate with A Community of Friends on the project.  Lorena Plaza is scheduled for completion in March 2016.  Perhaps the rest of the Eastside Gold Line stations will also spawn mixed-use TODs by then (get your act together, Mariachi Plaza!).

Metro's New Format for Next Train Monitors

In order to meet Federal ADA standards, Metro has started the process of implementing larger fonts into their next train monitors.  The new format is much easier to read for those with vision impairments, and feature a countdown as opposed to listing the time for the next scheduled train.

Seen on the Gold Line's Mariachi Plaza Station.