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 Developments Reshaping Koreatown

The Vermont Apartments

Soaring high above Wilshire Bouelvard, the $200 million Vermont Apartments serve as ostentatious symbols of the recent influx of upscale housing into previously downmarket Koreatown.  The densely populated community, long overlooked due to its isolation from the Southern California freeway network, has recently become a residential hotspot due in part to its relative affordability and thriving night life.  Consequently, the market has responded with dozens of new and revived residential developments in all reaches of the neighborhood, including adaptive reuse projects and ground-up construction.

Now, this ongoing wave of multi-family development is pushing east towards MacArthur Park.  Take a quarter-mile trip down Virgil Avenue, where a series of new mixed-use developments are replacing blighted properties on Koreatown's eastern fringe.

Details Emerge for Proposed Hollywood Hotel

Last October, vague plans emerged for a 12-story hotel on a half-acre property located just north of Sunset Boulevard.  Now, a document from the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council has finally revealed details about the once mysterious development.

According to the agenda for an upcoming meeting of the Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee, the proposed mid-rise structure at 1523 Wilcox Avenue would feature 220 guest rooms and multiple food and beverage venues.  Plans filed with the City of Los Angeles call for a 13,000-square-foot restaurant and bar which would be attached to the building's lobby.  Other amenities would include a second-floor pool and bar, a penthouse lounge, a rooftop deck and underground parking accommodations for up to 125 vehicles.

Situated midway between Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards, 1523 Wilcox Avenue would provide guests with easy access to a variety of tourist attractions.  Not unexpectedly, it is one of several hotel projects currently planned or underway on surrounding blocks.  North on Selma Avenue, construction kicked off last year for the highly-anticipated Dream Hollywood.  To the south, a Jack in the Box restaurant near Amoeba Music is also expected to give way for a hotel.

New Condominium Complex Headed to Burton Way

Construction is scheduled to begin next month on a high-end residential development adjacent to L'Ermitage Beverly Hills.

Empire at Burton Way, a luxury condominium complex from Los Angeles-based Empire Property Group, will rise from a roughly quarter-acre property at 9265 Burton Way.  Plans for the five-story edifice call for 23 residential units -including two reserved for very-low income households- and underground parking accommodations for up to 48 vehicles.

Empire Property Group will entice potential residents with their project's close proximity to a variety of high-end stores and restaurants.  Prominent shopping districts along Rodeo Drive and Robertson Boulevard are both located within a one-mile radius of the development.  Further incentives will include hotel-like amenities and a a scenic rooftop common area.

The Broad to Open September 20, 2015

The Broad (Image: Gary Leonard)

The Broad, the new contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles, announced today that it will open to the public on Sunday, September 20, 2015.

Built by philanthropists and longtime art collectors Eli and Edythe Broad, The Broad will welcome visitors from near and far with free general admission to an inaugural installation drawn from two collections of more than 2,000 works of contemporary art. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), The Broad makes its home in the city’s burgeoning Grand Avenue arts corridor, across the street from architectural icons including Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

“Edye and I are delighted to announce an opening date, and we are already looking forward to welcoming the public to our museum,” said Eli Broad. “It is our privilege to give this museum, the works in our art collections and a sizeable endowment and free admission as a gift to the people of Los Angeles.”

“When we open our doors on September 20, we will be greatly advancing Eli and Edye’s vision of sharing contemporary art with the broadest possible audience,” said Joanne Heyler, founding director of The Broad. “The combination of innovative architecture and provocative art will make visiting The Broad an experience to remember.”

Construction Cranes Rises in City West

With the recent installation of a tower crane, construction is now going vertical at City West's massive Sixth & Bixel development.

Work kicked off for the $200 million project last year, when Vancouver-based Holland Partner Group began converting a 1920s medical office tower at the corner Sixth Street and Lucas Avenue into apartments.  The eight-story edifice, designed by A.C. Martin, will consist of 42 residential units when open in mid-2015.  Holland Partner Group will reserve 27 of the building's units as affordable housing, in accordance with a density bonus granted to the project.

The project also includes the construction of two colorful six-story buildings, designed by architecture firm Togawa Smith Martin.  The low-rise structures will comprise an additional 606 residential units, seated above 25,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 762-car garage.  Plans call for a slew of residential amenities in this phase of the project, including a fitness center, an outdoor pool, and multiple rooftop decks.

A complete build out of the 900,000-square-foot complex is expected by late 2016.  By total number of residential units, Sixth & Bixel is the currently the second largest development under construction in Downtown, following Carmel Partners' monolithic G8 apartments.

Low-Rise Apartments Begin Work in Westlake

In the latest example of investment dollars spilling outside the Central City freeway ring, construction has started on another mixed-use development in Westlake.

Last month, Los Angeles-based Canfield Development broke ground on a low-rise apartment building on a vacant half-acre lot at 1329-1419 West Seventh Street.  The residential-retail complex, first reported in 2013, will consist of a seven-story structure featuring 87 studio, one-and-two-bedroom apartments above nearly 1,000 square feet of ground-level retail space.  Plans filed with the city call for multiple communal amenities, including a 135-car garage, an on-site fitness center, and a third-level recreation deck .  The project is also the beneficiary of a 25% density bonus due to its inclusion of five very-low income housing units.

Like many recent developments west of the Harbor Freeway, the Seventh Street Apartments will employ wood-frame construction and a painted plaster finish.  Designs from Nadel Architects also incorporate substantial glass and metal paneling to obscure two above-grade parking levels.

A precise completion date for the project is currently unclear.  The Seventh Street Apartments are the third market-rate apartment complex to break ground in Westlake since the beginning of 2014, following two larger developments located on Wilshire Boulevard and Sixth Street.

1402 W. 7th Street (All images: Canfield Development and Nadel Architects)