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.

More Apartments Underway South of Hollywood & Highland

A short walk south from Hollywood High School, the Miami-based Lennar Corporation recently started construction on a mixed-use development at 1411 N. Highland Avenue.  Built on a vacant lot between Leland Way and DeLongpre Avenue, the six-story structure will contain 76 apartment units above 2,500 square feet of ground floor commercial space.  A combination of studio, one, two and three bedroom units shall be served by 143 parking spaces, located within an 1 1/2 level underground garage.  1411 N. Highland will offer a "rooftop life style center," containing a gym, club room, and a pool deck offering views of the Hollywood Hills.  Promotional materials emphasize the building's central location (walk score of 95!), within easy reach of a variety of restaurants, stores and mass transit.  Designed by Torrance-based Withee Malcolm Architects, the low-rise structure features a white-hued exterior accented by large windows and wood paneling.  Construction is anticipated to last 20-22 months, placing the project's expected opening date in late 2015 or early 2016.  Coincidentally, Lennar's development bears a slight resemblance to the nearby Highland Selma mixed-user, a Killefer Flammang-designed project which broke ground in October 2013.