Wilshire Office Towers Becoming Apartments

Jamison Services, one of Southern California's largest office landlords, recently filed plans with the City of Los Angeles to convert two of its numerous Wilshire Boulevard office buildings for residential use.

The first of these properties is a 13-story tower located near MacArthur Park.  A case filing from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning indicates that the renovated building at 2500 Wilshire Boulevard would contain 248 residential units, in lieu of its current 230,000 square feet of office space.  The developer also states that the project will utilize exemptions from "density limits, floor area, yard requirements and [a] site plan review."

The mid-rise structure, completed in 1969, would likely face competition from a second mixed-use development planned across the street.  The New York-based Somerset Group, owner of the parking lot at 2525 Wilshire Boulevard, is currently pursuing construction permits for a seven-story residential-retail complex on the property.

New Wave of Residential Developments Hitting K-Town

Wilshire Professional Building, 1932 (Image: Water and Power Associates)

According to a series of recent case filings from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, a slew of new multi-family residential developments are planned throughout the hyper-dense Koreatown neighborhood.

Plans were submitted to the city in late November for a new 16-story, 220-unit residential tower at 3875 Wilshire Boulevard.  The one-acre property, listed amongst the portfolio of office landlord Jamison Services, is currently developed with the 12-story Wilshire Professional Building.  The Art Deco landmark has stood at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and St. Andrews Place since 1929.

It is currently unclear whether the proposed development entails the adaptive reuse of the historic building, or new construction on an adjacent surface parking lot.  Jamison Services had previously submitted plans to the city for a low-rise apartment building which would abut the historic office tower.

Shiny New Renderings for Fig South

Next week, the DLANC's Planning and Land Use Committee is scheduled to take a closer look at Fig South, the glassy high-rise project slated for the (other) parking lot across the street from Staples Center.  The twin 36-story towers are being designed by architecture firm Harley Ellis Devereaux; artistic renderings depict glassy, elliptical shaped buildings with swooping rooflines.  Both towers would rise 400 feet above street level, the maximum height allowed for the property at 1200 S. Figueroa street.  Altogether the project comprises 648 condominium units, situated above 48,000 square feet of sports-themed retail and restaurant space. 

Designs for Fig South feature a prominent 100-foot tall podium, containing 1,770 parking spaces on seven above-grade and two below-grade levels.  Renderings portray a landscaped outdoor deck atop the podium, offering amenities such as a swimming pool, fitness room, and barbeque pit.  Additional open space would be included within each tower, specifically in the form of two rooftop terraces.

Seven Stories of Mixed-Use Headed Towards Wilshire/Normandie

645 S. Ardmore Avenue

Earlier this year, the boutique Line Hotel opened up shop right above the Purple Line's Wilshire/Normandie Station.  Hopefully its windows are triple paned, because there could be construction activity on the horizon.  According to a document from the Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council, a new residential development is planned for the land directly west of the hotel.  Rising seven stories at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Ardmore Avenue, the new apartment building would consist of 268 units above a ground level garage.  The document does not provide renderings, nor does it specify whether or not the development would feature ground level retail space.  However, a case filing with LADCP links the project to Christopher Pak, a principal at the Archeon Group (Solair Wilshire, 535 Kinsley).  The property itself is listed amongst the portfolio of Jamison Services Incorporated, one of Los Angeles' largest private office landlords.  Faced with a decreased demand for traditional office space since the recession, the Koreatown-based company has recently shifted its focus towards residential development.  645 S. Ardmore joins several other apartment projects planned between Normandie and Western Avenues, including the much downsized revival of 3670 Wilshire and a 209-unit building at the intersection of Wilshire and Harvard Boulevards.

• Agenda 12.9.13 (WCKNC)
• Case Information Summary Sheet (LADCP)