Breaking Down Olympic Boulevard's Low-Rise Building Spree

Clockwise from the top left corner: Olympic & Hill, 1000 Grand Avenue, 1001 Olive Street, Olympic & Olive

In the past year, Olympic Boulevard has become a major epicenter of Downtown's resurgent development scene.  On the western edge of the neighborhood, the boulevard is host to a slew of new and proposed hotel projects in the shadow of LA Live.  One mile east in the Fashion District, Olympic dead-ends near the center of the potentially transformative City Market development.  However, the greatest concentration of new investment along the Olympic corridor can be found on a two-block span between Grand Avenue and Hill Street.  There, four low-rise residential-retail complexes are in various stages of construction or pre-development, eradicating what was previously a five-acre sea of  parking lots.  Altogether, these projects will add over 1,000 market-rate apartment units in the heart of the booming South Park district.

1000 Grand Getting Ready For Construction

With Danny's Tacos safely relocated to the opposite side of the street, it's time to bid farewell to the beloved surface parking lot at Olympic Boulevard and Grand Avenue.  The arrival of construction fencing signals the start of work on the Hanover Company's latest South Park development.  Set to rise seven stories, 1000 Grand Avenue will create 274 apartment units above 12,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space.  Designed by TCA Architects, the facade of the low-rise building will feature bricks salvaged from Myron's Ballroom, an early 20th century structure which was demolished to make way for the new development.  1000 Grand is one of three South Park projects currently in the works from the Hanover Company, all of which are located along Olympic Boulevard.  The Houston-based developer currently has a 281-unit apartment building under construction at the corner of Olympic and Hill Street, with plans for a 263-unit development on an adjacent parking lot.  Like 1000 Grand, both projects were designed by TCA Architects.  The Miami-based Lennar Corporation has also entered the mix, planning to break ground on a 201-unit building at Olympic and Olive Street later this year.  Further east, local developers Geoff Palmer and Barry Shy have plans for mid-rise and high-rise buildings at Olympic's  intersection with Broadway.  While this stretch of Olympic Boulevard is currently a pedestrian dead zone, it looks like that may not be the case for much longer.

Hanover Group Plans South Park Domination With Another Mixed-User

Olympic & Olive

The Hanover Company already has two mixed-use developments in the works along Olympic Boulevard, but three makes a party.  According to a presentation given to the DLANC, the Texas-based developer intends to build another seven-story apartment building adjacent to their under-construction Olympic and Hill development.  Dubbed Olympic & Olive, Hanover's newest project would create 263 apartments and 14,500 square feet of ground floor retail space.  The building would sit above a two-and-a-half level underground parking garage, with room for just 250 vehicles.  With less than one automobile space per residential unit, Olympic & Olive joins several other upcoming developments in utilizing the city's bicycle parking ordinance to cut down on costly automobile accommodations.  If you feel like you've seen these renderings before, there's a reason for that.  Like Hanover's other South Park developments, Olympic & Olive was designed by Downtown-based Thomas Cox Architects.  Adding to the confusion, there is another mixed-use project named Olympic & Olive planned on the opposite side of the intersection.  The other Olympic & Olive, to be developed by Florida-based Lennar Multifamily Investors, would stand six stories and contain 201 apartments.  Cookie-cutter designs and confusing naming schemes aside, 2014 is shaping up to be South Park's biggest year ever. 

Proposed Mid-Wilshire Towers Coming Back from the Dead?

Wilshire Crescent Heights (L) and Wilshire Skyline (R).  Images from GMP Architects and EPT Design.

The Mid-Wilshire area has been on quite a roll in 2013.  Construction is well underway on several new mixed-use developments and the J.H. Snyder Company has announced plans for a 13-story office tower overlooking Hancock Park.  To top that, upwards of $1 billion in upgrades are potentially coming to LACMA by way of a new Motion Picture Museum (designed by Renzo Piano and Zoltan Pali) and the proposed redesign of the main campus by Peter Zumthor.

The Texas based Hanover Company may be looking to add to this momentum, as two of their long dormant proposals have recently shown their first signs of life in years.  Earlier this month, Hanover received a six year extension on their approvals for a 21-story building at the northeast corner of Wilshire and Crescent Heights.  The tower, designed by GMP Architects, would stand 255 feet tall, containing 158 residential units above nearly 7,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space.

One block west, Hanover received extended approvals in June for the Wilshire Skyline, proposed for the northwest corner of Wilshire and La Jolla.  The 16-story tower would stand 201 feet tall, comprised of 143 residences atop 4,800 square feet of ground level restaurant space.  The project was designed nearly ten years ago by Nadel Architects.

However, groundbreaking does not appear to be imminent for either tower, as construction permits have yet to be issued.  Still, it is encouraging to see more ambitious projects re-emerging as the Los Angeles economy starts getting wind back into its sails.