With all of the pieces to Little Tokyo's Block 8 puzzle now falling into place, I decided to have a look at Avalon Bay's contribution at the corner of 2nd and Los Angeles. Their six-story development,
dubbed AVA Little Tokyo, will open in two phases.
Phase 1 is scheduled for completion by late 2014, providing 104 rental apartments above 13,500 square feet of street level retail. Phase 2 will bring 176 apartments and townhouses by early 2015. The development will include a pool, a rooftop deck, landscaped courtyards, fitness accommodations, and a "chill lounge."
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| A close up on Ava Little Tokyo's 2nd/Los Angeles street frontage. |
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| AVA Little Tokyo Phase II |
AVA Little Tokyo is not the only project on Block 8 with shovels in the ground. Immediately to the east, the Sares-Regis Group is excavating the former parking lot at 2nd and San Pedro to
build their 240 unit "Parcel D," development. The seven-story structure will also contain 16,000 square feet of ground level retail.
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| Sares-Regis Group's "Parcel D," mixed-use development. Also designed by TCA Architects. |
On the opposite side of Los Angeles Street from the Avalon Bay development, the Little Tokyo Service Center has plans to build a multi-purpose recreation facility known as the
Budokan of Los Angeles. The $22 million facility launched fundraising in 2011, and is expected to break ground in 2015. The Budokan proposal
recently received a $1.3 million grant from the city's Prop K money.
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| Budokan of Los Angeles, image from the LA Downtown News |
Next door to the Budokan facility, a long dormant proposal for a 41-story residential high-rise has
recently shown signs of life. The Residences at St. Vibiana were proposed by Historic Core developer Tom Gilmore last decade, but plans were put on hold amidst the recession.
Gilmore is now selling the property entitled for the residential tower, but the buyer and their intentions for the site are still unknown at this point.
