Vibiana-Adjacent Residential Complex Breaks Ground

Image: Togawa Smith Martin, Inc. via the Downtown News

Yet another mixed-use development is now pushing dirt in Downtown Los Angeles.

Earlier this week, Holland Partner Group broke ground on a new residential-retail complex adjacent to the deconsecrated Cathedral of St. Vibiana.  The eight-story development, located at 222 South Main Street, will feature 238 apartments above 4,000 square feet of ground-floor retail or restaurant space.  The low-rise edifice will feature numerous amenities, including a 247-car garage and a rooftop pool deck.

The project, slated to open in early 2017, is being designed by architecture firm Togawa Smith Martin.  Their plan for the apartment complex are is a minor revision of an earlier proposal from the Weintraub Real Estate Group, which had called for a nine-story steel-framed structure on the property.  The minor height reduction will allow Holland Partner Group to utilize less expensive wood-frame construction for the development.

The new apartment complex will continue to improve connectivity between Downtown's Historic Core and Little Tokyo, which was once separated by a six-acre expanse of surface parking lots known as "Block 8."  Recent years have seen that gap fill in, thanks to new mixed-use complexes from developers Avalon Bay at the Sares-Regis Group.  A variety of new eateries, including the popular Redbird, have also improved foot traffic through the neighborhood.

Holland Partner Group is also an active player in other parts of the greater Downtown community.  In addition to their project on Main Street, the company is currently building a $200 million low-rise complex on the Westlake-City West border.  The Washington-based developer is also in the planning stages for a 24-story apartment tower at the intersection of Spring and Eighth Streets.

Guess Who Wants Another Pedestrian Bridge?

Less than one year after an ugly controversy surrounding a proposed pedestrian bridge at the half-destroyed Da Vinci complex, Geoff Palmer is ready to rehash the same storyline on Broadway.

According to a case filing from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, the Beverly-Hills-based developer intends to construct a pedestrian bridge across Olympic Boulevard, linking the two halves of his Broadway Palace development.  The project, which broke ground in September, will offer 686 apartments and over 50,000 square feet of ground-floor retail when completed.

Palmer frequently incorporates pedestrian bridges into his Italian-themed apartment complexes, most of which flank the Central City freeway ring.  In May 2014, he argued to the City Planning Commission that a bridge was necessary at the Da Vinci complex to for both internal circulation and protection from a nearby homeless encampment.  While that argument was rejected by the Commission, their ruling was later overturned with the help of 14th District Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents the majority of Downtown.

However, Palmer's other developments are located on the neighborhood's fringes, isolated from significant pedestrian traffic.  The same cannot be said for Broadway Palace, which is located near the popular Ace Hotel and a slew of upcoming residential-retail complexes.  A bridge over Olympic Boulevard, though not specifically prohibited by the Broadway Design Guide, would seem to conflict with the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood envisioned by the Bringing Back Broadway initiative.

Grading/Shoring Permits Issued for Palmer's Broadway Palace

Broadway Palace (Image: Loopnet)

One month after the massive blaze which destroyed half of the unfinished Da Vinci apartments, developer Geoff Palmer is preparing to begin work on yet another Downtown residential-retail complex.

Earlier this month, grading and shoring permits were issued by the Department of Building and Safety for the second half of Broadway Palace, a mixed-use development planned near the border between South Park and the Historic Core.  The project, located at 928 South Broadway, would create 439 studio, one-and-two bedroom apartments in a low-rise and mid-rise.  Plans call for a ten-story building along Broadway, lined with 35,000 square feet of street-level commercial space.  On the eastern side of the property fronting Main Street, the building would stand six stories tall above ground-floor live-work units.

The design of Broadway Palace forges a stark contrast to Palmer's other Central City developments, all of which feature Italian-Renaissance-themed architecture.  Instead, the building will feature a terra cotta brick facade tailored to resemble the appearances of nearby historic buildings.  The project's ten-story height is also informed by the Broadway Design Overlay, which seeks to maintain the neighborhood signature mid-rise street wall.

Another Skyscraper Planned in the Historic Core

737 S. Spring Street

Yesterday, the Downtown News reported that Holland Partner Group had recently paid $12.5 million for a parking lot at the intersection of 8th and Spring Streets, with still unrefined plans to build apartments.  According to a recent case filling from the Department of City Planning, the Vancouver-based company intends to join the the burgeoning trend of high-rise development in Downtown's Historic Core.

Plans for the property at 737 South Spring Street call for a 24-story tower, containing 320 apartment units and ground-floor retail uses.  The proposed development would result in a larger building than the property currently allows for, and will thus require a transfer of floor area rights from a different site.

A set of promotional renderings, first seen on DTLA Rising, may offer hints about the project's future.  The conceptual design from Chris Dikeakos Architects featured a soaring 34-story tower above a retail and parking podium.  The actual project at 737 S. Spring Street calls for a slightly shorter building, albeit with a significantly higher level of residential density.

Although Holland Partner Group is no stranger to Downtown, or the Southern California region, the proposed tower will be their first project located east of the 110 Freeway.  The developer is currently building a large residential-retail complex at the corner of 6th and Bixel Streets in City West.  Their earlier work includes a 210-unit mixed-use development on Wilshire Boulevard.

Lots of Activity at G.H. Palmer's Broadway/Olympic Site

Downtown stakeholders breathed a collective sigh of relief last February, when developer G.H. Palmer - he of freeway-adjacent, "fauxtalian," infamy - revealed more contextually appropriate plans for a mixed-use development near the Ace Hotel.  That historically-themed design will soon be put to the test, as the Beverly Hills-based developer has finally begun work on the the project known as Broadway Palace.  Crews are currently demolishing an existing building and surface parking lot at the southeast corner of Broadway and Olympic Boulevard, clearing the way for the first of the complex's two buildings.

The low-rise and mid-rise project, designed by Nelson/Boivin Architecture & Planning, calls for a cumulative 686 apartment units and over 50,000 square feet of ground-level commercial stalls.  The buildings, which will be clad in brick veneer, are to rise on opposite sides of Olympic Boulevard.  Planning documents indicate that the project may be linked together by a pedestrian bridge, an amenity which became a controversial issue for a different Palmer development earlier this year.

Plans Filed for Four New Mixed-Users in Downtown

One year after announcing ambitious Downtown expansion plans, Barry Shy is officially putting his money where his mouth is.  Over the past several weeks, SB Properties has filed plans with the city for four new residential developments, including multiple high-rise towers and an adaptive reuse project.  The four mixed-use complexes are being designed by Los Angeles-based DT Architects, and will invigorate current pedestrian dead zones along Broadway, Main and Hill Streets with approximately 1,000 market rate apartment units and street-level commercial space.

32-Story Tower Planned for Hill Street

Last summer, SB Properties overlord Barry Shy announced bold plans for a slew of new projects that would erect high-rise towers in and around Downtown's Historic Core.  Earlier this month, the veteran developer officially put words into action, submitting plans for a 32-story condominium tower on a parking lot behind Broadway's popular Ace Hotel.  Located at 920 South Hill Street, the building would contain 239 residential units, ground level commercial stalls and a parking garage.  Shy has commissioned locally-based David Takacs Architecture to design the project, in addition to his other proposed towers on Broadway and Main Street.

Although currently light on foot traffic, a litany of apartment-retail developments are slated to bring thousands of new residents to the blocks surrounding the proposed tower in the coming years.  The half-acre project site sits directly across the street from the Hanover Company's Olympic & Hill apartments, which will be accompanied by three similarly-sized developments on adjacent properties.  One block northwest, Vancouver's Onni Group is building a 32-story residential tower at 888 Olive Street.  On the eastern side of the Ace Hotel, developer G.H. Palmer intends to construct a mid-rise and low-rise complex on current parking lots.

New Pershing Apartments Begin to Take Form

More than one year after plans were announced to convert Downtown's Pershing Hotel into affordable housing, little remains of the 125 year old structure beyond its Victorian facade.  The approximately $15 million project, developed by the Skid Row Housing Trust, will eventually consist of 69 studio and one bedroom units, ranging from 350 - 500 square feet.  Designed by Killefer Flammang Architects, the New Pershing Hotel Apartments will rise five stories, with upper floors set back from the historic facade.  The desperately needed affordable housing complex will also activate its ground level with retail space and social service offices.  Residential amenities include a landscaped central courtyard and a community room with a kitchen.  Information displayed by the website of contractor Westport Construction indicates that the apartments are scheduled to open their doors this November.  The project is located opposite 5th Street from the New Genesis Apartments, another collaboration between KFA and SRHT which opened in 2012.

Image credit: Killefer Flammang Architects via Westport Construction Inc.

A Closer Look at the Historic Core's 34-Story Tower

It's not everyday that Downtown's Historic Core sees the possibility of ground up construction, let alone for a high-rise.  Nevertheless, veteran developer Izek Shomof intends to construct a 34-story residential building at the intersection of 4th Street and Broadway, just one block east of the Pershing Square subway station.  Dubbed "Broadway @ 4th," the project would consist of 450 residential condominiums above approximately 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail and restaurant space.  Rising 388 feet above ground, the tower would dwarf all of its neighboring pre-war buildings.  Designed by the Spring Street-based firm of HansonLA, Broadway @ 4th would be clad in exterior materials such as terra cotta veneer, metal and cement paneling.  Due to a stipulation within the Broadway Design Overlay, the tower's mass would be set back approximately 30 feet from the street above its 11th floor.  This requirement facilitates high-rise construction along the Broadway corridor, while still maintaining the Historic Core's signature mid-rise street wall.  The podium structure would contain five levels of above-grade parking, with residential units screening the garage from view on its upper floors.  Residential amenities would be concentrated on the tower's 12th floor, with offerings including a pool, recreation room, fitness center, and sauna.

Shiny New Renderings for the Historic Core's Topaz Mixed-User

Topaz's Main Street frontage.  Image from Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects.

During Downtown's mid-2000 development boom, the bulk of construction work within the Historic Core consisted of converting derelict office towers into residential space.  With most suitable buildings now spoken for, developers have set their sights on the neighborhood's limited supply of surface parking lots.  One such parking lot between Main and Los Angeles Streets is the site of Topaz, a mixed-use development proposed by Fashion District landlord Jade Enterprises.  Topaz would rise seven-stories, containing 159 apartment units and 23,000 square feet of commercial space on its ground floor.  The Tate Snyder Kimsey designed project is tailored to complement the architecture of both the Historic Core and the adjacent Toy District.  TSK even includes a modern version of the Historic Core's classic blade signs on Topaz's Main Street Frontage.  However, the project's most interesting architectural feature is undoubtedly the urban window and light curtain along its Los Angeles Street face.  The light curtain, which shall be illuminated at night, should be a mainstay on Instagram feeds for years to come.

Izek Shomof Going Taller in Downtown

400 S Broadway, as it currently stands

Remember when the Downtown News reported that Izek Shomof wanted to build a 22-story, 400 unit residential tower at the southeastern corner of 4th and Broadway?  Turns out that the veteran Historic Core developer is a bit more ambitious than that.  Plans were submitted to the Department of City Planning earlier this month for the construction of a new 34-story mixed-use tower over a subterranean parking garage at 400 S Broadway.

The LA Business Journal reports (via Curbed LA) that Shomof is opting to build more parking than the city requires for this project.  While some may decry showing such deference to the automobile, this is a necessary evil for the time being, as the car will remain king in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future.  However, Shomof deserves kudos for putting said garage underground.  This adds quite a bit to the construction costs, but eliminates the need for an unsightly podium (looking at you, Vermont Towers).

Shomof's tower isn't the only proposal on the table which would raise the height profile of the Historic Core.  Last month, Joseph Hellen announced his intent to build a 40-story tower on Spring Street.  Barry Shy also plans to build a 40-story tower at the southwestern corner of 6th and Main, containing 350 residential units above a 1,200 car garage.

• 400 S Broadway (LA City Planning)
• Developer Planning 22-Story Tower at Fourth and Broadway (Downtown News)
• LA Developers Scoff at Trading Car Parking for Bike Spots (Curbed LA)

New Look for the Vibiana Lofts

The Vibiana Lofts, designed by Nadel Architects

Yesterday, the Weintraub Real Estate Group presented their revised plans for a mixed-use development adjacent to the Cathedral of St. Vibiana at a meeting of the Downtown LA Neighborhood Council's Planning and Land Use Committee.  The new plans for the Vibiana Lofts call for a nine-story structure designed by Nadel Architects.  The building will stand a maximum of 123 feet tall, containing 238 apartment units and 3,600 square feet of ground level commercial space.  The apartments would sit above a three-level, 303 stall underground parking garage.  As previously mentioned by the project's former developer, Tom Gilmore, the Vibiana Lofts are intended to be a "unified development," with the Cathedral.  This means that the two projects will share architectural features and a joint plaza to encourage pedestrian activity between the buildings.

Profile of the Vibiana Lofts seen from the south and the west.

A shared courtyard would allow pedestrian circulation between the Cathedral, the Vibiana Lofts and the Little Tokyo Library.

The new iteration of the Vibiana Lofts represents a substantial downsizing from the 41-story tower approved for the site in 2007, which was set to contain 300 residential units above a massive five-floor underground garage.  However, I imagine that many locals will applaud this revision, since a nine-story structure is much closer in scale to the existing buildings within the Historic Core.  With an attractive design and a relatively sane ratio between parking spaces and residential units (1.27:1), there isn't much to complain about here.

• 200 S Main Street (DLANC PLUC)
• Gilmore Planning to Sell Lot at Vibiana as Restaurant Advances (Downtown LA News)