[fridayinla]

In Westwood, a couple blocks west of the Avco theater, near Malcolm Avenue.

[citywatch]

That proj is a total surprise to me. I thought sites for new highrise condo towers on Wilshire Blvd around Westwood were pretty much limited to properties that had been vacant for several yrs.

That type of devlpt, so far, has been exclusive to that part of town. The only other hood where $$ highrise condos have been or may be constructed is around Marina del Rey &, if plans don't fall through, those 2 towers proposed for the corner of Grand Ave & Olympic.

[fridayinla]

That proj is a total surprise to me. I thought sites for new highrise condo towers on Wilshire Blvd around Westwood were pretty much limited to properties that had been vacant for several yrs.

That type of devlpt, so far, has been exclusive to that part of town. The only other hood where $$ highrise condos have been or may be constructed is around Marina del Rey &, if plans don't fall through, those 2 towers proposed for the corner of Grand Ave & Olympic.

That hotel was older and didn't really fit in around all of the new gleaming highrises. For years when I lived in Westwood I thought someone should scrape it.

[JRinSoCal]

I can't remember what the Century Wilshire Hotel looked like. Any pics of it? This project is a total surprise to me too.

[fridayinla]

These are the only street facade pics I could dig up online:

It had a blue and white exterior.

http://www.orbitz.com/hotelimages/835/10835/76178/PROP1-20060129-013257-061.jpg

http://www.allrez.com/img/imgamhotels/icb411.jpg

All that's left now is that big dirt mound.

[colemonkee]

This is on the south side of Wilshire, right? The design of the new building is nice. Fits right in with the other towers. I drove by The Californian the other day and it turned out well, especially at the entrance. It could have benefitted aesthetically from 5-8 more stories, but it still looks nice.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

I got a chance to tour the inside of the Californian and they are pretty nice. I wasn't extremely impressed, even though they did have Wolf kitchen appliances that come standard in the kitchen. What I did learn is that the "uber-rich" developments (like the Californian) have units that are catered to the future resident's taste and preference. Many of the bathrooms were being built to their specs, like what kind of bathtub, where the shower was going to be located, if they wanted the tub next to a window or not, etc.

I bring this up because so far that kind of leeway has not been really available to condos in Downtown LA.

Nevertheless, the Californian's units are all quite large and surprisingly not extremely expensive for the location. The prices were about $2 to $6 million, while I believe the Remington tower across the street has units going for $10 to $12 million.

[citywatch]

These are the only street facade pics I could dig up online:

It had a blue and white exterior.A-ha! I haven't been on Wilshire around Westwood in quite awhile, but I guessed correctly where that location was. That's the hotel where whenever I'd drive by it I'd often think that the exterior lights near the top of the roof must be a big nuisance to change.

[danparker276]

I've been living in 1100 for 2 days now and I love it. It's like a 5 star hotel.

They have a open house on the weekend, sat and sun during the day. They are showing the 36th floor.

If you like taking pictures, you can get some great shots on the sky deck, and on top of the building.

[JRinSoCal]

How bout you take some pics from up there buddy. ;)

[Easy]

I've been living in 1100 for 2 days now and I love it. It's like a 5 star hotel.

They have a open house on the weekend, sat and sun during the day. They are showing the 36th floor.

If you like taking pictures, you can get some great shots on the sky deck, and on top of the building.

Congratulations! I know that the wait was longer than expected. I'm glad that you made it in.

[WesTheAngelino]

Very cool Dan!


One thing I'm curious about and forgive me if it's been answered before:

Who is going to use the giant parking structure the building is perched on? Are there enough residents to fill all the spaces or is it used as parking for surrounding businesses as well?

[danparker276]

153 guest/retail parking spots. The residents will use the rest, everyone gets 2 spots. I think there are around 600 total spots

[WesTheAngelino]

^ Everyone gets two spots?? Even single occupants? Can you sell/rent your extra spot, cause surely those spots are factored into your mortgage.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^^ What time does the open house begin/end? I am thinking of bringing a family friend of mine there who is interested in investing downtown...

[danparker276]

Everyone gets 2 spots. You can buy a reserved spot for 20-15k, so you'll always have a spot on the 6th-8th floor. I have a clicker that lets clicks me in and clicks me out. You can't click in twice (You have to click out before you can come back in). Right now, after floor 11 you can park anywhere. Everyone gets 2 clickers, so I can use it for a guest. I suppose I could rent someone my clicker if I wanted to.

Not sure what time it starts and ends. I know for sure it was during the hours of 11-3, probably 10-5, I'd call the sales office to find out for sure.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Not sure what time it starts and ends. I know for sure it was during the hours of 11-3, probably 10-5, I'd call the sales office to find out for sure.

THANK YOU! :tup:

[danparker276]

Some quick camera phone pics of my place at 1100 Wilshire
http://loftla.com/lofts/1100/myplace/

http://loftla.com/lofts/1100/myplace/livingroom.jpg

[LAsam]

Dan Parker has $$$$$$$$$$$

[ThreeHundred]

I'm jealous. I can picture myself there.

:(

Few questions..

1. What floor are you on?

2. Is the elevator glass?

3. Can you post some pics of 1100 at night?

Kthx.

[tujunga]

Very nice

I'm so jealous.:D

So when is the party?

[danparker276]

My camera battery died, so I'm using my cellphone. Maybe I can figure out low shutter speed on my camera and take good night pics.

I'm on the 17th floor, the only floor with a deck. They haven't sold many units on the 17th (They don't have it in the open house and don't seem to advertise them much).

Oh the unit next to me is still for sale. I wish I had the money for it, it's 1.1 mil. Double the deck of mine and has an extra bedroom, kitchen island, and more open air.

http://loftla.com/lofts/1100/myplace/1706.jpg

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^^ Very nice :)

What we need now is a connection between City West and the FiDi. Having 7+FIG repositioned with some very strong retail (crossing fingers Target wins the bid), will really provide enough "retail gravity" to draw in people around the area.

Something I am noticing that is concerning me regarding City West is already the lack of retail except on the already exisiting east/west commercial corridors (i.e., Wilshire Blvd.). Does Glo have retail? If they do, does it exist only fronting Wilshire? What about the street that is sandwiched by the two mid-rise towers (Ingraham St.)? Will that have retail?

What I'm trying to get at is that all these residents moving into City West are obviously attracted to this novelty urban concept in LA that is built on the tenet of street activity in the form of pedestrians WALKING. But, when you don't have a plethora of retail downstairs, there will be NO reason to elicit the residents from their lofts high-above to the street far below.

Take the Pegasus for example. This just gives you an idea how far away we are from having the kind of retail critical mass that is needed to draw residents out of their lofts. Even at the Pegasus location, with a fledgling retail district on the rise, it is uncommon to see residents from the Pegasus venture out for no particular reason onto the streets. Unlike a city area like Manhattan, or even Santa Monica, where you can just go outside to people watch and enjoy a city, Downtown LA is FAR from having that kind of conducive environment. In fact, I know people in the Pegasus that have never seen the lobby because they take the elevator directly to the parking structure on the 2nd floor (or basement) and into their cars. THAT IS NOT WHAT AN URBAN DOWNTOWN IS SUPPOSED TO BE!!!

But you can't blame people when there is a lack of interesting retail that is interesting to the NEW residents. What will City West be like in 20 years? Will it have retail? Where is the space for the retail? Will the 1100 Wilshire retail space be enough? No. It's the sum of the entire area. Get rid of those parking lots, even if it has to be Palmer's projects. Add in the retail spaces. Create something walkable, that's three-dimensional and not linear; that's clean and safe (directed at MacArthur Park in particular).

[danparker276]

I'm not sure if all the retail will be facing wilshire. 1010, glo, 1100 and vero all have retail. Walking by, it seems glo might have some retail on the corner of bixel and ingraham. It's hard to tell for sure yet.
7th and bixel has some empty retail spots and a nail salon in medici. The other corner of bixel and 7th is retail for sale. Those 2 motels are for sale too.

With Medici, Visconti, 1100 already moving in. Vero, Glo, 1010 coming in 2007/8 There should be a lot of foot traffic next year. Glo looks like it has a lot of units.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Is our goal to have trickling of pedestrians, or something more vibrant like Old Town Pasadena? Will we EVER get to a point like Manhattan in Downtown LA? Perhaps LA Live will be our answer to Manhattan-type foot traffic. Hell, even Santa Monica foot traffic! Having a dozen retail outlets in City West isn't going to do that. We need to build more retail spaces pronto.

[Wright Concept]

^ Is our goal to have trickling of pedestrians, or something more vibrant like Old Town Pasadena? Will we EVER get to a point like Manhattan in Downtown LA? Perhaps LA Live will be our answer to Manhattan-type foot traffic. Hell, even Santa Monica foot traffic! Having a dozen retail outlets in City West isn't going to do that. We need to build more retail spaces pronto.

We need more attractive or pleasant streets for folks to walk on first. I mean given your Manhattan analogies, have you walked in the Upper West Side away from Broadway or Eight Avenue or down in Noho and East Village? Not a lot of street retail but the streets are nice places to walk down and on. Maybe it's the lighting or the street trees.

[WesTheAngelino]

LAB,

I think downtown is on it's way to having REAL foot traffic. What I mean by that, is the vast majority of "foot traffic" in Santa Monica and Old Town Pasadena is nothing more than FFT, Faux Foot Traffic (yes, I just came up with that now lol). What I mean is, almost all of the people walking around the 3rd Street or Old Town DROVE there, parked, then began to stroll around a bit (and I guarantee you most of them didn't do this just to walk around, they did so to participate in consumption). So, are those two environments really any closer to NYC than downtown? I don't think so.

I know you and everyone here wants downtown to be the best it can be RIGHT NOW. But let's keep in mind that it's still in its infancy. I was just thinking awhile ago that when I moved here for school four and a half years ago, the following simply did NOT EXIST: Golden Gopher, Broadway Bar, Pete's , Roy's, Famima, the Standard, Liberty Grill, Daily Grill, Lost Souls Cafe, Reserve, Library Bar, the Video store in the old bank district, South Group, IHOP, Market Lofts construction, 1100 Wilshire was just an empty embarassment, etc etc etc.

I think right now we have a few pockets of cool stuff. I think those pockets will continue to grow over the next few years and truly blossom. Key to connecting these places (I'm thinking South Park, Fidi, Bunker Hill, Historic Core, etc.) is what PV is always on about: clean, walkable, attractive streets with trees and basic things like garbage cans for god sake.

A little off topic, but has anyone walked 5th Street around Pershing Square recently???? The new toilet is really pissing (no pun intended) me off!!! They could not have thought up a worse place for it. It takes up half the freakin sidewalk!

[edluva]

Key to connecting these places (I'm thinking South Park, Fidi, Bunker Hill, Historic Core, etc.) is what PV is always on about: clean, walkable, attractive streets with trees and basic things like garbage cans for god sake.

I think it's quite simple. The key to DTLA's not becoming another FFF (or "FFT") is pedestrian accessibility, and that depends on the usability of our broader mass transit network. Contrary to what people think, it's not going to depend on DTLA's endemic population, not in the least. We will never develop the Manhattan phenomenon until we can get a mass transit system to serve the geography of the broader region. Melrose, and WeHo are also pretty FFT for the most part. The only area I can say is truly pedestrian is the area of Koreatown served by the Red Line, because pedestrians there begin and end their trips by mass transit.

[WesTheAngelino]

^ Hehe, yeah, sorry it is FFT not FFF, that was a typo.

And while on Manhattan, let's keep in mind that so many of those shoppers and pedestrians are from the other boroughs and jersey. In other words, mass transit is going to be a key to making Downtown a DESTINATION which will be helped along by having events at L.A. Live and hopefully more events at the Orpheum and other spaces.

[edluva]

And while on Manhattan, let's keep in mind that so many of those shoppers and pedestrians are from the other boroughs and jersey.

Exactly. Ped-oriented downtowns are not created by locals alone, nor drivers, but rather, transit riders. If you want people to walk in downtown, you have to get them to in essence, "walk from their homes", and only good mass transit will enable that. Obviously, a pleasant streetscape is also essential to attract pedestrians once transit infrastructure is in place.

The problem with the Green-line and Goldline Foothill extension are their impracticality - people aren't going to walk to the freeway, climb 4 flights of stairs, and wait in the deafening roar of 85mph traffic to ride a slow-ass train, nor is building a sprawling parking lot at each suburban metro station going recruit more door-to-door transit riders out of their suburban homes.

I'd really love to see LADOT get its hand in local rail as PV suggested.

[MapGoulet]

LAB,

I think downtown is on it's way to having REAL foot traffic. What I mean by that, is the vast majority of "foot traffic" in Santa Monica and Old Town Pasadena is nothing more than FFT, Faux Foot Traffic (yes, I just came up with that now lol). What I mean is, almost all of the people walking around the 3rd Street or Old Town DROVE there, parked, then began to stroll around a bit (and I guarantee you most of them didn't do this just to walk around, they did so to participate in consumption). So, are those two environments really any closer to NYC than downtown? I don't think so.

I know you and everyone here wants downtown to be the best it can be RIGHT NOW. But let's keep in mind that it's still in its infancy. I was just thinking awhile ago that when I moved here for school four and a half years ago, the following simply did NOT EXIST: Golden Gopher, Broadway Bar, Pete's , Roy's, Famima, the Standard, Liberty Grill, Daily Grill, Lost Souls Cafe, Reserve, Library Bar, the Video store in the old bank district, South Group, IHOP, Market Lofts construction, 1100 Wilshire was just an empty embarassment, etc etc etc.

I think right now we have a few pockets of cool stuff. I think those pockets will continue to grow over the next few years and truly blossom. Key to connecting these places (I'm thinking South Park, Fidi, Bunker Hill, Historic Core, etc.) is what PV is always on about: clean, walkable, attractive streets with trees and basic things like garbage cans for god sake.

A little off topic, but has anyone walked 5th Street around Pershing Square recently???? The new toilet is really pissing (no pun intended) me off!!! They could not have thought up a worse place for it. It takes up half the freakin sidewalk!

Well said, Wes. I feel the same way about neighborhood vs. "destination" foot traffic, the latter being really not tied to the area. Jane Jacobs really sheds light on this in her seminal 1963 (?) book. If people don't have a "casual familiarity" with one another as belonging to the street, then the street really doesn't have a thriving "city" life. Instead it has a transient population of sales tax donors who rent the neighborhood and then hand it over to someone else once they leave.

I'm getting depressed as I write this. That said, it's nice to visit these areas as an outsider, but I love my neighborhood in Studio City more (Tujunga Village) because it's about 50% neighborhood people which is quite a bit by today's standards.

[WesTheAngelino]

^ Don't feel depressed!!! Although I hate yuppies walking dogs...it IS a sign of life in the neighborhood, and some bald white guy walking a bulldog at Hope and 11th at 9:30 P.M. seemed like a distant reality just a few years ago.

BTW, Studio City is perhaps the one neighborhood in the Valley I actually like. Mexicali's and the Fox and the Hounds have become fave spots for me.

[Steve2726]

The fence is up and heavy equipment is on site of this guy-

http://www.fifieldco.com/residential/detail.asp?id=26

http://www.fifieldco.com/images/d_821200630700pm.jpg

[JRinSoCal]

^Is that Wilshire Comstock?

[Steve2726]

^Is that Wilshire Comstock?

Yessir.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ I like the old/original renderings better. I can't find it but it was cylindrical toward the top instead of square. But I'm still really happy they're breaking ground! Another tower to add to the density factor!

[JRinSoCal]

Does anyone know what is being built here? Its on Wilshire in the Miracle Mile district. I believe its Wilshire and Hauser. Its quite a big site.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%2019%202006/DSC01340.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e135/jreeves76/LA%20Dec%2019%202006/DSC01339.jpg

[LAMetroGuy]

I think it is this:

http://cdn-99.cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users12/evanlicious/default/New_Mullen_Bluett--gallery-msg-115828088523.jpg?953844856

[ThreeHundred]

Is that Avalon Wilshire?

[deehrler]

I think it is this:

http://cdn-99.cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users12/evanlicious/default/New_Mullen_Bluett--gallery-msg-115828088523.jpg?953844856

It looks like the "Battleship Maine"

As long as they put in a sound boiler, I like it.

[LAMetroGuy]

Ooops, the Avalon isn't going on that site, this site is the Monaco on Wilshire (former Parc Wilshire)

Monaco on Wilshire
5600 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles CA United States

Status: proposed

Construction Dates
Started: 2006
Finished: 2008
Floor Count: 24
Building Uses
• residential
• hospital
Structural Types
• highrise

Description
Architect: Perkins Eastman Architects P.C.

[LongBeachUrbanist]

LAB,

I think downtown is on it's way to having REAL foot traffic. What I mean by that, is the vast majority of "foot traffic" in Santa Monica and Old Town Pasadena is nothing more than FFT, Faux Foot Traffic (yes, I just came up with that now lol). What I mean is, almost all of the people walking around the 3rd Street or Old Town DROVE there, parked, then began to stroll around a bit (and I guarantee you most of them didn't do this just to walk around, they did so to participate in consumption). So, are those two environments really any closer to NYC than downtown? I don't think so.

The genius of Manhattan is not just its density: it's also it's constant self-promotion. At just about every major intersection, there is a grand statue, column, archway, or other monument that tells people "you are someplace special." People talk about how proud they are to be a New Yorker. Everything about NYC screams "this is the place to be".

Compare to Downtown L.A. Everything about it screams "I'd like to be as impressive as Portland one day." Even in Pershing Square, the statues have been hidden away behind a giant purple wall.

The new buildings are good, Daily Grill is good, the increasing numbers of residents are good. But until it get's over its sheepish, apologetic self-consciousness, Downtown L.A. will always be an also-ran.

As said before, Greater L.A. has lots of local retail areas and malls, and they're all competing by trying to be flashier than the next. These places are mostly faux-urban, in the sense that they are mostly retail-only destinations. But they are very real in the sense that they attract attention away from "those dirty places" (DTLA and Hollywood).

The only real advantage these places have over Downtown is the fact that they can promise a consistently clean and safe place to walk, sit, and have a good time.

The issue of cleanliness and safety has to become a non-issue. Having entire blocks with their lights out is unacceptable. Having escalators broken in the Metro stations is unacceptable. Lack of shade trees on hot days, lack of parks, lack of trashcans is unacceptable. Pershing Square is unacceptable.

Downtown, Wilshire and Hollywood need to be more assertive about being the place to be. I'd like to see a good name defining urban L.A. I'd also like to see some large monuments. It definitely means grand boulevards with trees and lighting and lots of people, boulevards that inspire awe rather than pity.

[fridayinla]

Ooops, the Avalon isn't going on that site, this site is the Monaco on Wilshire (former Parc Wilshire)

Monaco on Wilshire
5600 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles CA United States

Status: proposed

Construction Dates
Started: 2006
Finished: 2008
Floor Count: 24
Building Uses
• residential
• hospital
Structural Types
• highrise

Description
Architect: Perkins Eastman Architects P.C.

I think Monaco on Wilshire is dead - I could be wrong. These are the most recent developments I've seen announced for that stretch of Wilshire:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/10396790/214947359.jpg

[LosAngelesBeauty]

I'd like to see a good name defining urban L.A.


WEST CENTRAL! :haha:

[LongBeachUrbanist]

I think Monaco on Wilshire is dead - I could be wrong.

So is that huge dug up and fenced off lot in fact the Monaco? If so, and if it is actually a cancelled project, does that mean we have a new deadzone on Wilshire?

[LongBeachUrbanist]

What we need now is a connection between City West and the FiDi. Having 7+FIG repositioned with some very strong retail (crossing fingers Target wins the bid), will really provide enough "retail gravity" to draw in people around the area.

Retail is important, but I'm more interested in a better physical connection between City West and the FiDi.

Specifically, I'd like to see a redesigned bridge that takes Wilshire Boulevard over the 101 Freeway in grand style. I'd like to see a wide walkway on that bridge, with beautiful railings and pedestrian scaled lighting. I'd also like to see either an arch or maybe a pair of columns at Wilshire and Beaudry, marking the entrance to Downtown Los Angeles.

[Wright Concept]

The genius of Manhattan is not just its density: it's also it's constant self-promotion. At just about every major intersection, there is a grand statue, column, archway, or other monument that tells people "you are someplace special." People talk about how proud they are to be a New Yorker. Everything about NYC screams "this is the place to be".

LA self promotes itself constantly too, the problem comes when the image and the reality aren't a synchoromatic mesh as it is in NYC. But that can change with taking care of the little things you mentioned in the bottom of the Paragraph.

Also with NYC-Manhattan all that elan came through time, most of it's interesting intersections like Times Square or Herald Square naturally created that unique identity, it's not forced or manipulated. LA had most of that in some various forms (Parks, Movie Palaces, Buildings) but we decided to wipe that out in place of a shiny glass and steel modernist deadzones. Or just said the hell with it and moved away from it so it was left a rotting mess.

The issue of cleanliness and safety has to become a non-issue.

Entirely agreed, tell that to some of the City Clowncil and they'll look at you funny.:shrug:

Having entire blocks with their lights out is unacceptable. Having escalators broken in the Metro stations is unacceptable. Lack of shade trees on hot days, lack of parks, lack of trashcans is unacceptable. Pershing Square is unacceptable.

I'll add having commercial streets with no street lights for pedestrians AT ALL is unacceptable. This isn't a Downtown,Wilshire or Hollywood issue. It's an issue across this city, which could expalin the NIMBYism when they hear things for Downtown and they wonder when the hell their street lights on Van Nuys blvd will get fixed.

It's not just about cleaniness in my mind, it's about public safety. Having streets with no lights is psychologically dangerous. It's just like someone camping or hunting in the woods with no night lights. Doing that invites all the dangerous facotrs to you (hungry animals and insects) because they know you can't see them. Turn on some lights and the blind spots and dangerous views are eaiser to spot and recognize. Also it defines social territory meaning this is an active area bad things go away.

The new buildings are good, Daily Grill is good, the increasing numbers of residents are good. But until it get's over its sheepish, apologetic self-consciousness, Downtown L.A. will always be an also-ran... Downtown, Wilshire and Hollywood need to be more assertive about being the place to be.

The irony here is part of that confidence happens when the ducks are in a row, with it's streets, streetscape, public safety, neighborhoods and Pedestrians. All of what makes cities inviting in the first place. But it's starting to happen that's the key thing and with those 5 facotrs that positive momentum can keep going.

I'd like to see a good name defining urban L.A. I'd also like to see some large monuments. It definitely means grand boulevards with trees and lighting and lots of people, boulevards that inspire awe rather than pity.

How about Central Angeles West? (Angeles):jester:

[Wright Concept]

What we need now is a connection between City West and the FiDi. Having 7+FIG repositioned with some very strong retail (crossing fingers Target wins the bid), will really provide enough "retail gravity" to draw in people around the area.

What is with this need for retail every freaking where. What happens when there is a recession or worse a depression and no one can pay for this stuff? What will happen to the city then? The key thing is the strategically create positions that those retail spots so that you don't over saturate a market and everyone is losing money.

What about that large parking lot across from 7th/Fig and across from Macy's Plaza that can be turned into a mixed use site for Target/IKEA on the Ground floor and offices/residences 10-16 stories above it. That would transfer two dead spaces and an open void into something more active add that with the Metro Transfer station there at 7th/Flower that creates two things an advertising venue for Target at the Subway station and natural location for such a store with new residents coming in.

[colemonkee]

Retail is important, but I'm more interested in a better physical connection between City West and the FiDi.

Specifically, I'd like to see a redesigned bridge that takes Wilshire Boulevard over the 101 Freeway in grand style. I'd like to see a wide walkway on that bridge, with beautiful railings and pedestrian scaled lighting. I'd also like to see either an arch or maybe a pair of columns at Wilshire and Beaudry, marking the entrance to Downtown Los Angeles.
I see lots of people using the Wilshire and 7th Street bridges every day as pedestrians. I spotted several people crossing the 7th Street bridge at the same time just this morning, walking both ways - more people than cars actually. I think this activity will pick up even more as more of the residential developments in City West fill in. So the foot traffic is there without the retail. Though I do think some retail would help maintain that foot traffic during the weekends.

[bjornson]

I wasn't too sure where to put this since K-town doesn't have it's own thread (I don't think it should, or should it?). Since the main part of K-town is on Wilshire I'll post it here.

Los Angeles drawing real estate investors from Korea after lifting of overseas cap
By Jacob Adelman The Associated Press
Published: January 8, 2007

LOS ANGELES: Choung Yang Suk just bought a condominium in the city's Koreatown district — far from her home in South Korea — and plans to retire there in a few years to be near her two grown children.

Choung is among a growing number of Koreans scooping up real estate in the United States and elsewhere after the overseas investment cap in their country was lifted.

Koreans are expected to invest nearly $2 billion in U.S. residential property in 2006, up from $1.27 billion in 2005, when such investments were mostly limited to large Korean corporations, said Brian Shaffer of the International Real Estate Trade Organization.

Koreans could spend at least $4 billion worldwide on overseas homes in 2007 as a result of the changes made in May that allow an individual to make as much as $1 million in foreign investments, analysts said.

Many of the purchases are being prompted by the strength of the Korean won against foreign currencies and by the economic and political stability offered in some other nations, analysts said.
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Much of the money will likely be directed to U.S. cities with large Korean populations, including San Francisco, New York and Atlanta, to take advantage of lower home prices stemming from the weakening U.S. housing market.

Observers said the lion's share of the money will be invested in Los Angeles, which has one of the world's largest Korean populations outside the Asian nation.

"It could very well release a tidal wave of investment into Southern California, particularly Koreatown," said Peter Morrison, a demographer with the Rand Corp. research organization, who has studied home-buying patterns among immigrant groups.

Investors are snatching up the property as long-term investments or as future homes for themselves.

For Koreans with family members in Koreatown, buying homes in the district two miles west of downtown Los Angeles is a particularly attractive proposition.

The five-square-mile swath features hundreds of Korean-owned businesses. Few English language signs are visible along its wide boulevards.

"Koreatown is very convenient for me since I only speak Korean," Choung said through an interpreter. "This is where my people live and I can go to the market or shops without speaking English."

Southern California also has an abundance of banks and brokers catering to Koreans to aid the purchases.

One Koreatown-based lender, Wilshire State Bank, created a special division for overseas borrowers and has closed its first mortgages since the investment caps were lifted, a bank executive, Gene Sheen, said.

Sheen met the borrowers at investing seminars he stages in Korea.

Until May, Korea enforced tight investing rules to stem capital flight after the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Only large firms and individuals with special permits could buy property abroad.

But with South Korea's currency, the won, now near nine-year highs of about 930 to the dollar, government officials have decided to encourage Koreans to spend money abroad, hoping to take some air out of the currency to benefit exporters.

In 2007, Korean officials intend to allow citizens to invest as much as $3 million in overseas property.

If President Roh Moo Hyun gives his approval, caps would be dropped altogether by 2009.

That could free up even more potential buyers for the roughly 1,500 condominium units now on sale or planned in Koreatown as part of a mini-construction boom.

Many of the units are part of high- rises resembling condo complexes in South Korean cities.

Choung Yang Suk bought her unit for nearly $600,000 at the Mercury condominium complex, where about 10 percent of the 80 units sold so far have been bought as a direct result of the eased investment caps, said Oliver Unaka, a spokesman for the real estate agency Forest City Enterprises.

The Martin Group, developers of the 1100 Wilshire building in nearby downtown Los Angeles, has sold about 40 units to Korean buyers since the investment caps were changed, said Ki Ryu, a director for the company.

Planners have overseas Korean investors in mind as they map out future condominium projects in Koreatown.

The Shin Young Group, a Korean construction giant, has started developing its first U.S. project in Koreatown and sees Korean investors as likely buyers for the units at its 40- story 3670 Wilshire project, said Justin Kim of Millennium Enterprises, a partner on the project with the Korean company.

Koar Wilshire Western, which is developing the 22-story Solair Wilshire project atop a Koreatown subway station, has approached a Korean real estate company about marketing its 186 condominium units in Korea, a company executive, Bruce Rothman, said.

Developers said their Korea-based customers so far have arrived through word of mouth among Koreans here and back home, or through advertisements placed on the Web sites of Los Angeles-based Korean-language newspapers.

Rothman said his company is still unsure how aggressively to pursue potential customers in Korea, many of whom would have to be convinced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on properties they've never seen in person.

"Are you selling sight unseen, or are the potential buyers from Korea going to come to the United States to pound the pavement?" he said. "Nobody is quite certain how to do it yet."

Indeed, Sheen, the banker, said Koreans are unlikely to embrace foreign property until they see those investments paying off for their neighbors.

But once they do, he said, the Korean trade in U.S. real estate could be brisk.

"This is a big opportunity," he said.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/7382/untitleduj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[RAlossi]

That's actually a very beautiful project. Honestly, I can't tell if the building shot is a rendering or a photo of the completed project. If it's the completed project (I didn't hear anything on SSP about this...), then I'm really liking the soft lighting. I'd live there if it weren't in Westwood (traffic).

[Steve2726]

That is a rendering as the project is still under construction and it still has scaffolding around it.

EDIT: I confirmed this during a drive-by today.

[MapGoulet]

I'm sorry, but I just can't stomach the idea that another project is going up on Wilshire (anywhere on Wilshire) that is not mixed-use. The "Golden Mile" in Westwood is about as congested as anywhere in LA and could use the mixed-use more than anything. I'm appalled these projects still get approved without some mixed use. That said... it looks nice. I'll have plenty of time to admire the architecture as I creep by in traffic at 5 mph.

- Citywatch's evil twin

[RAlossi]

^That's a negative, definitely. Since I'm not so familiar with that stretch of Wilshire, I'm not sure about the surrounding buildings and their retail. Is there much available within walking distance of the building? That might mitigate the effects of the otherwise non-mixed-use building if retail exists nearby.

[Steve2726]

:previous: Although not exactly walking distance, Westwood Village is about a mile or 2 away.

[WesTheAngelino]

See.....this is why I am so skeptical of people's claims that there would be high ridership of a Wilshire subway in this particular area.

We all know that this Margot development is going to sell like gangbusters, and the people who will live there and already live in places like it could care less about being able to walk anywhere. I NEVER see more than a few pedestrians whenever I drive through the Wilshire corridor. Sad, really. I also recall an article a while back about mixed use not always being a sure thing on the Westside and featured a Brentwood mixed use that was struggling to keep its retail space filled.

[colemonkee]

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/7382/untitleduj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
They should rename the building next door "The Kidder". That way you could combine the two buildings into the "Wilshire Margot Kidder". It would be one crazy ass block...

[LosAngelesBeauty]

See.....this is why I am so skeptical of people's claims that there would be high ridership of a Wilshire subway in this particular area.

We all know that this Margot development is going to sell like gangbusters, and the people who will live there and already live in places like it could care less about being able to walk anywhere. I NEVER see more than a few pedestrians whenever I drive through the Wilshire corridor. Sad, really. I also recall an article a while back about mixed use not always being a sure thing on the Westside and featured a Brentwood mixed use that was struggling to keep its retail space filled.


The Wilshire/Westwood station would serve the interest of the surrounding office buildings, Westwood Village with a thriving mix of retail, and UCLA. That's reason enough to have it extended to Westwood. The Golden Corridor would probably NOT add much to subway traffic, but I have a friend who lives in there who actually WALKS to Westwood Village because he likes the exercise. Many well-off people like him wouldn't be averse to walking/transit if it were a subway. They just don't like buses. Remember, buses and subways DO carry with them different perceptions. One is viewed as fast and sophisticated, and one is viewed as slow and poor (in LA, that is).

[WesTheAngelino]

^ I'm certainly not opposed to extending it to Westwood. It should be. In fact, I, unlike a lot of people, would like to see it go all the way to Santa Monica. However, this is not because I think anything past Miracle Mile will create a lot of ridership....but there will be plenty of people on the other side of the city (which is why I wish they would revive the Whittier subway extension along with the Westwood extension) who need to get to the employment, entertainment, shopping, and educational opportunities on the West Side.

That's a nice anecdote about your friend. However, I have SEVERE doubts that Westsiders will use even a subway in large numbers. People don't NOT have cars in NYC or SF because they have amazing transit options....they forgo the car because it is infeesible and inconvenient for most people in terms of parking, traffic, and money spent. It just doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, I don't think transit will make much sense to many people on the far West Side.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Once again, I said "probably NOT." But lifestyles and mentalities change over time. To say that LA is cemented forever until the earth explodes or falls into the ocean as a city absolutely against transit is a bit going overboard. Instead of constantly doubting it'll happen and thereby taking away some of the steam from the subway-revival movement we're having here, I think we should be more optimistic that friends like mine who live in Westwood (who happens to be 50, btw) can be "urban" and transit riders.

[WesTheAngelino]

^ No, we should be investing in transit where people will actually use it NOW, where it will have a visible real impact on people's lives, will make said communities better, and thus make those communities MORE DIVERSE. One way to deghettoize populations are things like inclusionary zoning...another is to make a community with bad reputations and even worse resources into something worth investing in so that a more diverse populace in terms of income and race move in.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

I don't think it's even a doubt that Wilshire Blvd. should have a subway run straight thru. It's the spine and true linear downtown of all of LA. It'll make the most impact on the entire way LA functions. Purple Line connects to Union Station, which is the nexus of our transit network including Metrolink and Amtrak and Metro. Connecting Purple Line to the ocean gives millions of people access to what LA is all about.

[WesTheAngelino]

I don't think it's even a doubt that Wilshire Blvd. should have a subway run straight thru. It's the spine and true linear downtown of all of LA. It'll make the most impact on the entire way LA functions. Purple Line connects to Union Station, which is the nexus of our transit network including Metrolink and Amtrak and Metro. Connecting Purple Line to the ocean gives millions of people access to what LA is all about.

Yes, I totally agree. I am behind the Wilshire subway 100%. We simply disagree on who transit infrastructure should be built for (call me crazy for thinking it should be built for people who actually use transit). But I am sure we agree on the fact that it is critical for a healthy segment of all walks of L.A. life to use transit (or WALK!) in the next generation.

[edluva]

^and the big reason transit works in NY and Chicago is that like their transit networks, they're compact - virtually all day-to-day activities can be accomplished within small mass-transit distances. I agree, I honestly don't think even the purple line extension will get many westsiders who don't already use mass transit at some level to start. Even if you live a block from a proposed purple line westside station, you're limited to going east-west on a single line. And you're likely to have to go pretty far and spend a lot of time on transit to run simple errands. The added convenience isn't enough to substitute for driving. Forget mixed-use developments, there are enormous swaths of LA where retail is altogether absent.

compare that to new york - if I wander a bit off lexington/59th, I can just trot to the F line a few blocks away. There is much more freedom for a pedestrian to navigate in all directions, where getting lost is less horrifying a proposition. It's not like planning a weekend getaway to the santa barbara or something. In LA, rail is being built to substitute freeways. If I want to get from the miracle mile area to hollywood, a relatively short distance, my options are to bus all the way north through traffic I could already be battling in the comfort of my range rover, or backtrack on purple to K-town, and go red back up vermont. Effective mass transit should serve pedestrians, and low transit-density like this isn't very convenient for pedestrians who have other means at their disposal. This regional approach to rail won't work, unless we have another agency build something more tenable for the pedestrian, along the lines of SF's Muni, or at least, concentrate on building rail in such a way that people will use it.

NY, like most NA metros, has regional commuter rail for extremely long distance commutes, and it has the familiar, genuinely pedestrian-oriented metro found all over the world from Paris to Tokyo. MTA, BART, MARTA, and other american systems of their kind are almost like hybrids of these two, and somewhat unique to the type of dense sprawl found almost exclusively in NA. They're neither optimal for local travel (pedestrians), nor for long distance commutes due to the frequency of stops. If we wan't to compete with the auto, LA can let congestion catch up to rail, or it can build a more compact, useable rail network for locals.

What sucks is I complain, but I can't imagine any plausible solution to the fact that MTA is at the behest of county politics.

[WesTheAngelino]

^ Well put, Ed.

I have been saying for awhile that we need to stop investing in "sprawl rail". However, I do think Wilshire West has a large part to play. Unfortunately, it will not live up to all it's hype unless, as mentioned before, we get a N/S valley line and also, I think, some kind of cross-town line (San Vicente, anyone? One of the few streets where I think surface LRT would be a good fit due to the wide medians). Not to mention all the other N/S lines we need such as Crenshaw and Vermont. Unfortunately, we haven't the whill to so something like Denver's Fastracks, a regional plan that will be implemented within a close time frame. Instead, we are committed to this piece meal, politcal path we have been on for the past 20+ years.

[solongfullerton]

As an added note, I know people who live all over the Westside, from Playa up to Westwood and most everywhere in between. Everyone I know out here would take a subway in a heart beat if they could. I've also taken the big blue bus enough and driven in the Westside enough to see busses and bus stops packed full of people on a regular basis. I can't imagine any of these people preferring a bus to a subway. Anyways, I mentioned the big blue bus, because the ridership on the SM busses varies greatly from the MTA busses. There is a strong presesne of white people and asians on those busses that you dont really see on the MTA busses, even ones that serve SM and other westside communities.

[WesTheAngelino]

As an added note, I know people who live all over the Westside, from Playa up to Westwood and most everywhere in between. Everyone I know out here would take a subway in a heart beat if they could. I've also taken the big blue bus enough and driven in the Westside enough to see busses and bus stops packed full of people on a regular basis. I can't imagine any of these people preferring a bus to a subway. Anyways, I mentioned the big blue bus, because the ridership on the SM busses varies greatly from the MTA busses. There is a strong presesne of white people and asians on those busses that you dont really see on the MTA busses, even ones that serve SM and other westside communities.

People say a lot of things. Y'know, like how they will recycle or vote for a black man for governor. But that doesn't mean they'll do it.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

^ Well, you're all right. They'll ride it if it's convenient, they won't as much if it's not. But I still think the Purple Line can change the way LA works because so much is available along Wilshire Blvd. in the form of commercial office buildings, shopping, entertainment, museums, etc. I think it's the start of a network that needs to obviously be expanded. It also needs to be extended down from Hollywood/Highland to Beverly Hills.

Anyway, LA is gonna be reliant on the car for quite some time, but having the Purple Line will allow so much more freedom. Wish we invested as much money in our subway system than our freeways.

[LongBeachUrbanist]

That's a nice anecdote about your friend. However, I have SEVERE doubts that Westsiders will use even a subway in large numbers. People don't NOT have cars in NYC or SF because they have amazing transit options....they forgo the car because it is infeesible and inconvenient for most people in terms of parking, traffic, and money spent. It just doesn't make sense. Unfortunately, I don't think transit will make much sense to many people on the far West Side.

As someone who works in the Westside, I consider you're perception of the Westside to be antiquated.

Much of the Westside has become incredibly congested, much like NYC and SF (where I have lived). Especially along Wilshire (Westwood, Brentwood, Santa Monica), Sepulveda (Sawtelle, Palms, Culver City) and Lincoln (Santa Monica, Ocean Park, Venice, Marina Del Rey).

I work in a white-collar office (mutual fund company). Lots of my coworkers live on the Westside and never use a car. They use transit everywhere. Or they walk. Believe it or not, the Westside is actually becoming more and more ped-friendly, making this possible.

If you don't believe there is transit usage coming from the Westside, I would suggest you take a look at the MTA map, and note the number of lines originating on the Westside. Those aren't all just outsiders heading to the Westside. It's a two-way commute. Even better, take a look at the crowded buses over here.

More than anything else, it's the crush of traffic that would cause Westsiders to consider using transit.

Consider the tens of thousands of people commuting from the Westside into Downtown L.A. Every morning the commute is a gamble. Sometimes takes two hours. Give that person a subway, and I guarantee s/he will consider it. A guaranteed 45-minute, commute would be a godsend. Even the most uppity snobbish Westsider would consider it, I think.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Very well said. Wes, i think your thinking of the westside from a perspective stuck in the 80's.

[fridayinla]

Wilshire/Vermont project is making strides towards completion, which is expected early this year. The project website finally has new info... the residences seem very high-end too...

http://www.wvstation.com/

Check out the iFurnisher feature. very cool.

[LongBeachUrbanist]

^ They emphasize the Red Line as an amenity, that's pretty cool.

Really, it's at the Red/Purple transfer station, which is actually even cooler.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Very well said. Wes, i think your thinking of the westside from a perspective stuck in the 80's.

That and he has some kind of devil's advocate mentality where he wants to go against the Westside just because he does. But yet, he sticks up for cholos that scream faggot at people who are just interested in getting to understand an area. He'll hate on Westsiders because they roll their eyes at him, but give props to cholos for yelling Faggot. If he truly was someone of integrity, he would not condone the actions of anyone being "mean" to another person. Poor or rich. This all goes into his perception when he views the Westside even when it comes to something completely different like subway necessity.


The "anecdotal" evidence for ridership is there. Everyone, including whites and Asians, are talking about the need for more subways.

[WesTheAngelino]

That and he has some kind of devil's advocate mentality where he wants to go against the Westside just because he does. But yet, he sticks up for cholos that scream faggot at people who are just interested in getting to understand an area. He'll hate on Westsiders because they roll their eyes at him, but give props to cholos for yelling Faggot. If he truly was someone of integrity, he would not condone the actions of anyone being "mean" to another person. Poor or rich. This all goes into his perception when he views the Westside even when it comes to something completely different like subway necessity.


The "anecdotal" evidence for ridership is there. Everyone, including whites and Asians, are talking about the need for more subways.

Y'know, there is really no need to make this personal. There is also no need to try and be a mind reader and even less need to put words in my mouth.

First off, no one ever "gave props" to cholos for yelling anything. I only jumped all over you and your pals because you in particular felt a need to write off a community of 200,000 people based on the unfortunate comments of one scary cholo and say that Westlake needs to be gentrified into oblivion.

Also.....ask me if I think the Wilshire subway should be built? Ask me if I think it should be built first? The answers are YES and YES. And I've said this before in many threads. WE DO NOT DISAGREE ON A NEED FOR A SUBWAY ON THE WEST SIDE. What we do disagree on, and what you refuse to take a critical look at, is how much it will be used by Westsiders, especially those in the Wilshire Corridor. I tend to think it will be less than healthy. Why? Oh, gee, I don't know...maybe the complete and utter failure of the Gold Line? Or the joke that is Metrolink? Or the the demographic make up of all rail riders and Orange Line riders? I totally realize that some of those are apples and oranges and the technical realities of the Wilshire subway would be far different than the Gold Line, Orange Line, or any other mass transit line that we have in Los Angeles County.

But you really need to break out of your "if you build it, they will come" mentality. Amongst the demographic we are talking about (white middle to upper class people) near universal car ownership, multi-nodal commuting patterns, subsidized parking, lack of pedestrian connectivity, lack of bus connectivity, etc. provide some pretty stiff competition for even the best rail line.

Lastly, I find your attitudes and the fact that you have the education and power to attempt to implement them far more dangerous than the gay bashing of any cholo.

[citywatch]

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/7382/untitleduj5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


That condo proj's construction site is visible here (http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=34.062432~-118.43302&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=6951634).

[LAMetroGuy]

First off, no one ever "gave props" to cholos for yelling anything. I only jumped all over you and your pals because you in particular felt a need to write off a community of 200,000 people based on the unfortunate comments of one scary cholo and say that Westlake needs to be gentrified into oblivion.

How about you then justify 200,000 people who shit all over that area rather than "jump all over you and your pals". This, it would seem, something a person of character and integrity would do, but I guess that isn't what happend so I'll take it for face value.

But you really need to break out of your "if you build it, they will come" mentality. Amongst the demographic we are talking about (white middle to upper class people) near universal car ownership, multi-nodal commuting patterns, subsidized parking, lack of pedestrian connectivity, lack of bus connectivity, etc. provide some pretty stiff competition for even the best rail line.

Man... you really need to stop thinking for people. Try giving these "white middle to upper class people" some credit and let them think for themselves, they might surprise you. I think there is some truth to "if you build it they will come" if it is done right. Your lack of trust is discerning and are so filled with political rhetoric that you are starting to believe it.

Lastly, I find your attitudes and the fact that you have the education and power to attempt to implement them far more dangerous than the gay bashing of any cholo.

I hope your right!

[citywatch]

Lastly, I find your attitudes and the fact that you have the education and power to attempt to implement them far more dangerous than the gay bashing of any cholo.
Actually, Wes, most ppl with "education" & "power" have been among the first to lose alot of patience with ratty, crime filled hoods, & also been the first to turn their back on them, inc what's found in many parts of old midtown LA. They're at the heart of yrs & yrs & yrs of "white flight" or the relocation of the middle class-----of all races & ethnicities----to the burbs.

There was a recent discussion in another thread about old Bunker Hill, one of the city's first hoods set aside for the well to do, & I've read that ppl started abandoning it over 80 yrs ago. That makes it prob one of the first hoods in LA to experience the effects of burbanization or the flight of those with bucks to outlying areas.

[WesTheAngelino]

1. Yes, of course, I see now. It's really the weakest of those among us who deserve all the blame!!!! I'd ask anyone else, "are you serious???" But, I know that you are, so I'll just be disgusted instead. Surely, it can't be the fault of gangs who hold power in the nieghborhood, oh not, not them. It isn't the fault of the City of Los Angeles for not distributing the same kind of resources there (trash pick up, bus shelters, trees, park up-keep, policing, etc) that they do elsewhere...oh no, not them. It's not the fault of the city councilmembers who represent the district and are supposed to fight for that resource allocation, nooo it isn't their fault. And it can't be the fault of the white power elite who abandonned Westlake in the first place, of course not! No, rather all the responsibility rests on the shoulders of the mothers and fathers and children of that area. The people who work two or more jobs that benefit YOU, the people who are frieghtened into submission by gangs and criminals whom the police do not have the resources nor the will to combat. It's those who are frieghtened that if they do in fact report more crimes to the police that THEY might be put in jail because they are illegal immigrants or worse yet lose their property or lives at the hands of those they inform on. Yes, it must be all their fault. Personal responsibility is crucial for the health and safety of any neighborhood...but it is a pretty damn hard task when most of your time is spent merely trying to get by and the society in which you live is loath to help you in your struggle to make your neighborhood a better place.

2. I DO give them credit for thinking for themselves!!! I think they are totally rational, self-interested individuals, which is why I have serious doubts as to whether they would make up a good chunk of the ridership for a Wilshire subway. It is you and others who seem to ignore reality and think that somehow people are going to all of a sudden stop living the way they do simply because there is a new subway line. You are right though that it must be done right.....but will the MTA and city take the steps to doing this? It doesn't lool like it. We need some serious transit marketing to businesses and people. I believe there is already a program in place that reimburses employers for unused parking if they coordinate with their employees who take transit. We need to expand that and come up with other ways to encourage transit use.

I sincerely hope I AM wrong....because transit ridership from all demographics means better transit for EVERYONE. 90% of all MTA transit riders make less than $15,000 a year....if that changed to just 80 or 75% then we could avoid things like the strike of 03 which left tens of thousands literally stranded for over a month, and we could get better service, better stations, better bus stops.

[WesTheAngelino]

[/b]
Actually, Wes, most ppl with "education" & "power" have been among the first to lose alot of patience with ratty, crime filled hoods, & also been the first to turn their back on them, inc what's found in many parts of old midtown LA. They're at the heart of yrs & yrs & yrs of "white flight" or the relocation of the middle class-----of all races & ethnicities----to the burbs.

There was a recent discussion in another thread about old Bunker Hill, one of the city's first hoods set aside for the well to do, & I've read that ppl started abandoning it over 80 yrs ago. That makes it prob one of the first hoods in LA to experience the effects of burbanization or the flight of those with bucks to outlying areas.

And your point is?

Euro and Latin American style segregation is no better, in fact worse, than American style white flight and suburbanization, my dear Citywatch. And this is what LAB's attitudes and agenda will cause if left unchecked.

[citywatch]

And this is what LAB's attitudes and agenda will cause if left unchecked.
That would be correct if ppl like LAB were saying: old hoods in LA are pits & dives, full of crime & other undesirable qualities. They're hopeless today & will be hopeless tomorrow, & will be hopeless the day after tomorrow!! So get me the heck outta there!! I'm moving ASAP to OC, or Malibu, or Santa Barbara, or Colorado, or Seattle, or Toronto!!!!

[WesTheAngelino]

[/b]
That would be correct if ppl like LAB were saying: old hoods in LA are pits & dives, full of crime & other undesirable qualities. They're hopeless today & will be hopeless tomorrow, & will be hopeless the day after tomorrow!! So get me the heck outta there!! I'm moving ASAP to OC, or Malibu, or Santa Barbara, or Colorado, or Seattle, or Toronto!!!!

No, no Citywatch, I think you misunderstood. What you describe is the old school....the new school, which has run amuck in SF, NYC, and Boston is this :"Man, what great architecture! And so close to everything! Ouuu how urban! How urban, ergo cool! Ok, poor black and brown people....whitey's back!!! Pack your shit and get your ass out to Pomona!" That is the thinly vieled attitude LAB and LAM possess and that will turn L.A. into Paris or Bogota.

[DJM19]

I dont see the problem with anyone wanting to move anywhere if they can afford it. There is a problem when choices for lower income become fewer and fewer which is why we need affordable housing in all areas of the city.

[Wright Concept]

Or we need to loosen the red-tape to allow more housing units to be built on open properties. More housing, means lower costs.

[archiwei]

is the market slowing down there?

*************************
Built many houses, none is mine.
www.archiz.com (http://www.archiz.com)
*************************

[LongBeachUrbanist]

Westsiders never see the Eastside. Downtowners never see the Westside. This situation makes it real easy for people to make the kind of generalizations made here on this forum. Like that Latinos are scum because one of them was homophobic. Or that Westsiders are all snobby rich Whites who are afraid of interacting with non-Whites. Neither of these stereotypes is true, but I think people believe them because they seem true to people with only limited experience outside their own little circle.

Part of the appeal of the Purple Line is that, when it is completed, it will link up East to West, creating real opportunities to see how the other half lives. I'm not saying the subway is going to solve all our problems. But I think if we don't do a better job of connecting this city together, the problems of prejudice and provincialism are only going to get worse.

[colemonkee]

Downtowners never see the Westside.
Hey, I make it to the Westside all the time! :)

[LongBeachUrbanist]

^ Thanks for calling me on that. I guess I'm not immune from generalization.

[WesTheAngelino]

I too have been to the Westside plenty of times, but I get a headache every time I go there plus most of the types of places there just don't interest me whatsoever, ergo I rarely venture past Fairfax. There are a few outposts of course...Pleasure Chest, Mao's Kitchen, the Griddle, Venice, C&O, to name a few. I also auditioned for a game show in Culver City and was really impressed with their town center, so I intend to check it out soon.

[Texas Tuff]

The old Century Wilshire Hotel site has been completely cleared for the new 22-story Carlyle on Wilshire. I snapped this shot today:

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/13911382/210469355.jpg

Rendering from http://www.carlyleonwilshire.com/

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL144/5090918/10396790/210458925.jpg

Very nice looking building. The back of the building has a different look than the front that is equally impressive (check it out on www.carlyleonwilshire.com)

[RAlossi]

I also auditioned for a game show in Culver City and was really impressed with their town center, so I intend to check it out soon.

Speaking of which, do you know how far Culver City's "downtown" or "Old Town" or "Town Center" is from the future Expo Line station? I've heard a lot of great things about Culver City; I'd like to check it out sometime.

[solongfullerton]

Very Close, that whole area is very compact. And although its in Culver City, the LA border is very close.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Where's the pic of the Carlyle viewed from the back?

Also, I'm very impressed to see Sports Club LA signing up as part of the project! First mixed-use project on the Golden Corridor! :) (I wonder how exclusive it'll be though. Only for residents?)

[LongBeachUrbanist]

Speaking of which, do you know how far Culver City's "downtown" or "Old Town" or "Town Center" is from the future Expo Line station? I've heard a lot of great things about Culver City; I'd like to check it out sometime.

Very Close, that whole area is very compact. And although its in Culver City, the LA border is very close.

It's a half-mile from the station along Washington from the station to Main Street. Which isn't far, but the walk isn't very pleasant. The area north of Downtown is in transition: it's an industrial area that needs some work to make it pleasant. Fortunately, the City of Culver City is developing a plan for the area that includes rezoning and connecting it to Downtown.

[LongBeachUrbanist]

oops.

[DJM19]

Where's the pic of the Carlyle viewed from the back?

Also, I'm very impressed to see Sports Club LA signing up as part of the project! First mixed-use project on the Golden Corridor! :) (I wonder how exclusive it'll be though. Only for residents?)

If you go to the site, click on Floor Plans, and click on RES 2, you can see it

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Waldorf-Astoria to adjoin Beverly Hilton


By EMILY �BRYSON YORK - 1/18/2007
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff

Beny Alagem�s Oasis West Realty LLC has finalized his plans for final phase of the Beverly Hilton Hotel renovation, announcing Thursday that a Waldorf-Astoria hotel will be built at the corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards.


Alagem recently completed a $74 million Beverly Hilton facelift. Luxury condominiums that will share the hotel�s services are to be constructed as well, but plans for the third building, situated where Trader Vic�s now stands, had not been divulged.


�Bringing two legendary hotel brands together in Beverly Hills will create a new legacy of luxury for the Beverly Hilton property,� said Alagem. �The entire property will have a whole new look transforming its urban setting into a garden environment. Together, the Waldorf-Astoria Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hilton will create a one-of-a-kind hotel property that is unmatched in its diverse offerings, services and amenities.�


Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects will design the 120-room Waldorf.


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Now what the City of Beverly Hills has gotta do is fix up those medians with the raunchy stuff going on that seperates the Peninsula from the future W-A. Turn it into a landscaped park with a beautiful large fountain. Although I can't see it becoming completely pedestrian-friendly anytime, at least try to make that area beautiful to both car-goers and foot walkers.

http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/2637/untitledok8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Edit.

[WesTheAngelino]

WHOA!!!!! Awesome news!!!!!!


Wasn't there some rumblings about something like this awhile back?

I also recall them mentioning tearing down/getting rid of Trader Vic's....is that true??? I sure hope not.

[Steve2726]

:previous:
Hijacked from Curbed-

Beverly Hilton Hotel
Residential Condominiums
Beverly Hills, CA
Status: In design
Completion Date: 2009

http://www.gwathmey-siegel.com/news/images/beverlyhilton_m11.jpg

The Waldorf will be the tower in the upper left where Trader Vic's now stands. Hopefully they will give them a spot in the new building. The article also mentions residential condos that will share the hotels services. Presumably those are the 2 towers in the lower right. They are not the Richard Meier designed residential towers, (http://www.9900wilshire.com/) as those are to be located farther to the right, across that street where the department store is located. They recently put up a fence around it, so demolition appears imminent. So that is a total of 5 new towers there. It's a good thing that there isn't a traffic problem in the immediate area. <sarcasm>