[colemonkee]

^ Ground floor of the parking structure. The roof of the parking structure is for resident amenities, rec rooms, pool deck, etc. Great find, Steve. I believe that picture shows the structure topped off.

[JDRCRASH]

which is much different than getting a mortgage, though money is extremely tight for that at the moment too.

I already know what a mortgage is. (In fact, it won't be long before I myself have to obtain one.)
It has to do with buying a home.




He's talking about buying the entire development.
Actually, I was simply confused about what he was talking about........

that, more or less, presupposes someone actually wanting to buy it (buy what?). In this market, what do you think are the odds for such a thing to occur?

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[JDRCRASH]

From Downtown News:

Real Live Jobs

More Than 3,000 People Seek Out Positions In AEG's Mega-Project

By Richard Guzman


http://images.townnews.com/ladowntownnews.com/content/articles/2008/10/13/news/10-13-08-news01.jpg
Photo by Gary Leonard

How tough is the economy? About 3,000 people attended a job fair on Tuesday, Oct. 7, for restaurant and retail slots in the second phase of L.A. Live. They were competing for about 500 positions.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Armando Vargas was at the head of a long line last Tuesday morning. On a day when temperatures would soar into the 90s, he was there early in the effort to find a job in Anschutz Entertainment Group's $2.5 billion L.A. Live project.

"I'm hoping to get a job as security for L.A. Live," said the 19-year-old. "I've been here since 8:30 a.m."

AEG officials said about 3,000 people showed up throughout the day on Oct. 7, many with resumes in hand. They were competing for about 500 jobs available at more than a dozen entertainment businesses and restaurants set to open in the coming months as part of the second phase of L.A. Live. Those who set up booths included Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge, the Yard House, Wolfgang Puck Catering and the Grammy Museum.

Although interviews did not begin until 10 a.m., the line on a rooftop parking lot began to form about 90 minutes before that. The job fair continued until 7 p.m.

Organized by AEG, most of the open positions were for hospitality jobs, including cooks, bartenders, housekeepers, baristas, ticket sellers and security guards.

The new workforce, AEG officials said, is another step in the quickly growing South Park neighborhood, which is home to a bustling entertainment district, Downtown's only chain grocery store and a slew of condominium and apartment buildings that house thousands of residents.

"We've said all along that not only will L.A. Live bring more investment into Downtown from business owners and people visiting the theater, the restaurants and the clubs, but it would also have a genuine impact on the job market," said Michael Roth, vice president of communications for AEG. "These 500 jobs will be in all types of positions, focusing a lot on hospitality, but there will also be management positions and security and public safety tasks."

Roth said AEG would focus on hiring as many locals as possible. The company made a similar commitment, with higher-paying jobs, in the construction of Staples Center, which opened in 1999, and the Nokia Theatre, which arrived last year.

Many of the jobs are entry-level positions, but they meet city of L.A. living wage standards ($10 an hour with benefits or $11.25 an hour without), said Perlita Pulido, human resources manager for Staples Center and the Nokia Theatre. Since some are in the service industry, the wages will be further supplemented by tips, she added.

Although it is unlikely that many of the applicants will be able to afford to live in the market-rate units in South Park's new residential projects (though several developments include affordable housing components), some of those who get jobs are nearby residents who will have an easier commute to work, and will contribute to the local economy, organizers said.

"All these jobs are going to be right here. In today's economy especially, this is great for the area," said Pulido.

Pulido said AEG worked with area job advocacy agencies to attract local applicants to the job fair. The company sent emails and flyers and made phone calls to entities such as Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, a Downtown-based community group. That produced results.

"We brought about 200 local people, some who live along the Figueroa Corridor, East L.A. and the nearby area," said Roxana Aguilar, a case manager at SAJE, which has worked with AEG on local employment measures.


SAJE also set up a booth inside the white tent that was erected on the top floor of the parking structure next to the Nokia Theatre. As people entered, they were encouraged to fill out identification forms with SAJE. That, said Aguilar, would help ensure that those not hired can later be referred to other jobs.

"A lot of local people need employment. It's difficult for them to travel outside of L.A. If you live in L.A., you should be able to work here, and this is a great opportunity," Aguilar said.


Close to Home

Eighteen-year-old Yesenia Archilla was encouraged to attend the job fair by SAJE representatives. A single mother who lives in the Figueroa Corridor, she said she is looking for any opening available.

"It's easier with a child to work close to where I live," she said.

For employers, the job fair was a convenient way to staff up the much-touted businesses opening at L.A. Live. Altogether, the development will be a 5.6 million-square-foot project spread across 27 acres of Downtown Los Angeles. In addition to the retail jobs beginning this winter, there will be hundreds of positions available in the 54-story Convention Center hotel, slated to open in early 2010. The facility will also host white-collar jobs in office space for AEG, Herbalife and the law firm Holme Roberts & Owen LLP.

The biggest employer at last week's job fair was Wolfgang Puck Catering, which was seeking to hire about 250 employees. "We're looking for all sorts of people: servers, bartenders, hostesses, managers, really all across the board," said Irma Villegas, human resources manager for the company. "We're very excited about the turnout. Considering the economy, this is great for Downtown."

At Lucky Strike, Joe Longo, national lead trainer for the company, was hoping to fill 140 positions. "We're looking for people with great personalities, good experience and a smile," he said.

Emerson Figueroa, a recruiter for AEG, was hiring for entry-level sales positions at the company's sporting events.

"We have a lot to offer either with a little bit of sales experience or even no sales experience," he said. "The turnout looks really good. We're hoping to get some good candidates."

When the doors opened at 10 a.m. Vargas made a beeline for the booth for Club Nokia, the 2,100-capacity concert hall that opens Nov. 10. He picked up an application and began to fill it out, hoping to be one of the standout candidates in the crowd of thousands.

"I'm currently working at Home Depot Center as a security officer," he said, referring to the Carson facility also run by AEG. "But I live in Boyle Heights in L.A., so this would be more convenient for me."

Contact Richard Guzman at richard@downtownnews.com.

[Westsidelife]

Related Adds Korean Partner for Grand Avenue (http://www.blogdowntown.com/2008/10/3713-related-adds-korean-partner-for-grand-avenue)

By ERIC RICHARDSON
October 14, 2008

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Related Companies, developer of the $2 billion Grand Avenue Project, has added a second foreign partner to the project’s financial backing. According to a Community Redevelopment Agency Board memo, Honua Group, an investment firm formed by three Korean insurance companies, will provide $100 million in capital commitments for the first phase of the project.

Earlier in 2008, Related announced a partnership with Istithmar, a sovereign fund controlled by the royal family of Dubai. Istithmar’s capital commitment is the same as that of the new partners.

The project, now dubbed The Grand, has experienced multiple delays in groundbreaking. The project was last supposed to break ground in April, after Related’s addition of Istithmar was approved by the government joint powers that controls the land. In late July the joint powers granted Related permission to delay the project’s start until February of 2009. Additional delays will cost the developer $250,000 per month.

The three Korean companies that make up Honua Group have a combined $11.6 billion in assets. Dongbu Insurance Company Ltd. has a 40% share of the partnership, while Dongbu Life Insurance Co., Ltd. and Kumho Life Insurance Company, Ltd. each add 30%.

Phase one of The Grand includes a 46-story Mandarin Oriental Hotel & Residences with 295 hotel rooms and 266 condo units, a 19-story tower with both market-rate and affordable apartments, retail and the development of the 16-acre civic park, located one block north among County buildings.

The ownership change goes before the CRA board on Thursday. It must then be approved by the joint powers.

[colemonkee]

^ That's actually some good news in an otherwise somber state of economic affairs. This doesn't put them any closer to starting construction (it's only 1/20th of the overall cost), but it does show that there's still interest in the project despite the current credit crunch.

Still, don't hold your breath on this breaking ground in February.

[edluva]

I may be wrong, but my gut feeling tells me Grand Ave as we currently know it is going to be scrapped...

and I'm actually very okay with that possibility too, considering my strong dislike for gehry's masturbational monstrosities, and the possiblity that starchitecture is going the way of bygone fad. I really think our society is entering a new era of consciousness where enormous economically wasteful displays of personal vanity and consumption won't sell like they used to

[ThreeHundred]

^ It might be the new paint that they are applying in my office but I actually agree. Notsomuch with the Grand Ave. project but us as a people entering a phase where we don't need (want) any sort of vain and wasteful displays of whatever.

[Just-In-Cali]

^ It might be the new paint that they are applying in my office but I actually agree. Notsomuch with the Grand Ave. project but us as a people entering a phase where we don't need (want) any sort of vain and wasteful displays of whatever.

Its the paint, ThreeHundred, or that desert sun. LOL No, I actually paused and realized I wasnt having a stroke, but was agreeing with...ahem...you know who.:rolleyes:
All this artsy over the top designs that are done to create a signature look arent very practical, even in a great market. I think if they streamlined the project and just worked on even the cultural and retail spaces first,a nd the hotel, and left off the office part and the expansive park, it would stand a much better chance at being built. If Gehry took notes from some of his own new designs for New York and Chicago, we could have a very classic and attractive tower there.

[tujunga]

I may be wrong, but my gut feeling tells me Grand Ave as we currently know it is going to be scrapped...

and I'm actually very okay with that possibility too, considering my strong dislike for gehry's masturbational monstrosities, and the possiblity that starchitecture is going the way of bygone fad. I really think our society is entering a new era of consciousness where enormous economically wasteful displays of personal vanity and consumption won't sell like they used to

You may be right, I also think the ridiculous heights that some cities like Dubai are building skyscrapers will turn the world off to super-talls by cheapening them. At what point does a building becomes so tall that people feel uneasy working or living in it because it may be a target.

[Wright Concept]

Gerard, thank you for posting the notice on the Regional Connector meetings. If any of you can attend the meetings, I encourage you to do so. And please, be very vocal about the underground option, which is still very much on the table. Without the luxury of time to go into too much detail, the underground option is FAR superior for a myriad of reasons, and needs to have the utmost support from the community in the eyes of the MTA.

Thanks, Coleman.

Here's a much improved conceptual image of what the Connector will do. Reminder that the meetings will start this Thursday afternoon at the Central Library.
http://i37.tinypic.com/v3d7oh.jpg

[colemonkee]

^ Great map. It shows how important this project is to improving the effiency of the regional rail system as a whole. Unfortunately I won't be seeing you at either of the meetings, as I have previous engagements already planned. So you'll have to speak for me in favor of the underground alignment.

And I dig the new byline (is that what it's called?), but I must offer an alternative viewpoint. I am living proof that one can exist without ever running out of bullshit...

[Wright Concept]

The byline is a reference to Howard Beale in my #2 favorite movie "Network" in one of his speeches where simply says that "Life is B***s**t!" Find a clip on YouTube and you will laugh your head off.

[JDRCRASH]

and I'm actually very okay with that possibility too, considering my strong dislike for gehry's masturbational monstrosities, and the possiblity that starchitecture is going the way of bygone fad.

Explain why you don't like them. IOW, describe "masturbational".

I think towers U/C like the Beekman Tower are gorgeous.

[Echo Park]

Why do you disagree, JDRCRASH? I am very interested in your analysis of the issue.

I agree the token Gehryesque structure that even cities like tulsa oklahoma have now are cheap and empty attempts at boosting civic relevancy. having said that I've always liked the grand tower and I felt it had/has its place in downtown LA.

[JDRCRASH]

From Modesto Bee,

Fire knocked down in downtown LA high-rise

last updated: October 15, 2008 04:48:06 PM

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles firefighters have made quick work of a fire in a downtown office building.

Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey says the blaze was reported just before 4 p.m. Wednesday and was confined to one office on the ninth floor of the 13-story building.

Humphrey says fire officials do not know what business was renting the office, which was not occupied at the time of the fire.

Two helicopters were briefly pulled off the San Fernando Valley brush fires and 84 firefighters were on the scene.

[JDRCRASH]

Why do you disagree, JDRCRASH? I am very interested in your analysis of the issue.


Because I doubt that won't stop oil giants such as U.A.E. to build huge monster structures that may NEVER get the demand required for them, even if the Global Economy is slowing.

And I don't think starchitecture (which is architecture created by celebrity architects like Frank Gehry, for those who don't understand) is going out of fad, especially if starchitects design something that has the proper demand for it.

[ThreeHundred]

Explain why you don't like them. IOW, describe "masturbational".

I think towers U/C like the Beekman Tower are gorgeous.

Towers that make you jack off and release your inner...frustrations.

[JDRCRASH]

So I guess that means that if Edluva's boss has given him shit at work, he turns to stuff like this to.....**ehem**.... "express himself":

http://www.nychdc.com/images/beekman.JPG

[colemonkee]

^ Guys, I must admit this conversation is quite entertaining, but this is a skyscraper forum, not a sex-ed class.

The byline is a reference to Howard Beale in my #2 favorite movie "Network" in one of his speeches where simply says that "Life is B***s**t!" Find a clip on YouTube and you will laugh your head off.
Network is the shiznat - I can't believe I missed the reference. One of my personal top 10 movies of all time, and more prophetic about today's current economic and political climate than the 10,000 news pundits everyday on TV. The scene with Warren Beatty is one of the more chilling ever made. I would own the DVD if the transfer wasn't so shitty. I'm waiting for Warner Bros. to do a special edition...

Okay, enough of my off-topic rant after chiding you guys for being off topic. So, how about them 'scrapers?

[ThreeHundred]

Phooey..and I was just in the midst of some..home schooling. Nudge nudge wink wink.

So..about those scrapers. I hear that they're pretty tall.

Anywho from Angelenic:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3018/2945271176_909902505f_o.jpg

AEG plans huge 28-day holiday extravaganza for LA Live

It’s already mid-October, and most Downtown residents (if not people from all over Los Angeles) are waiting with bated breath for the paramount arrival of LA Live this fall.

With billions of dollars being poured into this six-block area of South Park, a lot of expectations are on the shoulders of developer AEG who is positioning the entertainment complex as Southern California’s new home of live performances and events of all kinds.

To show just how serious they are about this claim, and to celebrate years of planning and public-private collaboration to make this all a reality, AEG has announced plans to hold a month-long holiday celebration to kick off the arrival of LA Live — an event being presented as a gift to the city that will also become a new annual Downtown tradition.

Beginning December 4, The Light of the Angels — a massive multi-media and music display planned at Nokia Plaza — will “combine lights, video creations, live performances and never-before-seen special effects” to create the show.

The seven-minute, highly-orchestrated demonstration is scheduled to run from December 4 to December 31, four times each night at 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00pm.

In the center of it all, a 52-foot, 37,500-pound Christmas tree covered with 11,000 LED lights will anchor the plaza, and is claimed to be the only 360-degree light source in the world. (Huh)

Also planned throughout South Park, are ten-foot tall LED angels to be mounted on light poles, in addition to more than 150 trees draped with LED “snowfall” lights to create a dramatic entrance to the complex.

AEG promises to make it the “most colorful, creative and entertaining destination for holiday lights and decor in southern California.”

Time-Line for Restaurant & Venue Openings

November 2008: Club Nokia, Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge and New Zealand Natural Ice Cream
December 2008: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, The Farm of Beverly Hills, Rock’N Fish, Starbucks, Yard House, Conga Room, ESPN Zone, Lawry’s Carvery, and The Grammy Museum
Early 2009: Katsuya, Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, Rosa Mexicano and Trader Vics

[JDRCRASH]

Huge Christmas Tree? Sound familier New Yorkers?

[JDRCRASH]

BTW, did anybody see the first Pro Measure R ad? (gotta love those old cars! :D)

It's here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOkdMaPSbv4):

[Echo Park]

No but I've seen lots of signs put up around South LA saying No on the "racist" Measure R, sponsored by the BRU. It's crazy how greedy and selfish the BRU has become.

[JDRCRASH]

:gaah: :gaah: :gaah:

GOD YOU TRANIST NIMBIES!!!!

[JDRCRASH]

I just found this on curbed:

ConstructionWatch: Downtown's Concerto

Friday, October 17, 2008, by Dakota


It's been a while since there was a look at Concerto, the downtown mixed-use project that'll have all those groovy Blade Runner-esque moving displays on the side. This is the 30-story tower (271 condos) that is under construction, while the lower half of the project will have 77 lofts. The latter project will be finished somewhere around July-September 2009, and the tall tower will be done by the end of 2009. These are all planned as condos, but chance they'd instead be offered as apartments? "I don't want to say yes, but of course we'd be open to any changes that the markets takes us to," says Brenda Rodriguez, a representative for Concerto developer Sonny Astani. Also included in the project: 25,000 square feet of retail and a pedestrian landscaped walkway that will connect Fig and Flower. Marketing for the project should begin by the end of the year, the third phase of Concerto is planned to break ground in 2010.

[Westsidelife]

LA Live

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3204/2950726486_6076ffc9fc_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/2950714638_0b71c9eef1_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/2949866863_aa5327eed6_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3054/2949865459_0abef8a64d_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2949861895_91af0a6299_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2949860431_524e68a00d_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2949859403_fa8d21ff97_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2949858039_a9ef494d76_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2950707476_4d2cb95f91_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/2950706644_8358a58a3a_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3215/2949874257_9dc3dc97e1_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3144/2949872493_6f29c4dd10_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2949868313_998f8237e7_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/2949870893_e86e519dd4_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2949869597_0702c3e97d_b.jpg
From Flickr, by fridayinla

[JDRCRASH]

Great update!

[WonderlandPark]

My additions to the recent shots by Friday:

http://www.pixelmap.com/images/Nav/venco/10_19_update.jpg
Ritz/Marriott looks to be at 40 or 41.

http://www.pixelmap.com/images/Nav/venco/10_19_update3.jpg
717 9th, topped out and glazing going on quick

http://www.pixelmap.com/images/Nav/venco/10_19_update2.jpg
the 'crinkly' banding below the windows on Concerto is pretty interesting (I don't have a detail shot of it)

http://www.pixelmap.com/images/Nav/venco/10_19_update4.jpg
L.A. Live view with rising Ritz/Marriott

http://www.pixelmap.com/images/Nav/venco/10_19_update5.jpg
LAPD new HQ

[colemonkee]

Great updates! I walked by the auditorium building at the LAPD HQ building the other day and was presently surprised to see glass on the Main St. side. I always assumed that that side of the building would be a blank wall, but it's actually quite nice, and will give passers-by a view into the building, giving it a bit more life.

[JDRCRASH]

Yeah, good shots Wonderlandpark! Definately better than mine! It looks like the Ritz is going to be shorter than I thought.....

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Wow, just viewing those pics gave me a sense of hope that DTLA will one day be considered COOL (in the mainstream sense).

[RuFFy]

I ran into these. Don't know if they're new or not but I thought I'd post them.

LA Live's JW Marriott's website... http://www.lalivemarriott.com/

and the Ritz Carlton Residences... http://www.allaccessliving.com/

[colemonkee]

^ Those sites have been posted before, either here or in the Ritz Thread in the highrise forum. But it never hurts to repost. There are some pretty nice interior renders on those sites.

[dktshb]

Great updates fridayinla, wonderland park and westside life. It is interesting to see such traditional lighting being used on the sidewalks next to the modern structures. I am glad to see that heartier foliage is being planted is rather a bunch of palm trees.

[ladowntowner]

Yeah, good shots Wonderlandpark! Definately better than mine! It looks like the Ritz is going to be shorter than I thought.....

Someone upthread mentioned it was at about floor 40-41, so it has 13-14 more to go if that is correct - plus the crown, which will add a bit more height even.

It's already a rather imposing structure when you're near the 10/110 freeway intersection, approaching either from the south or the west, as it is a good several blocks south and west of the bulk of the towers downtown, and therefore, from that location it will appear quite a bit taller than almost anything else, due to the illusion of perspective.

[JDRCRASH]

Well it could be the way I come into Downtown, which is usually on the 10. (the skyline is diagonal from that angle)

On a clear day (meaning no nasty brown-orange smog), when you come out of Forest Lawn Cemetary hills, you can see the downtown skyline poking behind East LA as well as most of the San Gabriel Valley. I still can't see the Ritz U/C from there, but I should. After all, I would think i'd be able to see at least the construction crane from that distance.

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

^Can you see the AT&T building in South Park from that view? If so, you should be able to the Ritz, since it is at least as tall as the AT&T now. If not, then other buildings must be blocking it from that angle.

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

From Curbed LA:
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2008/10/renderingreality_downtowns_evo_turns_green.php#more

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3008/2963164511_03d6f9faf5_o.gif
curbed la

Now open for sales, and with a web site touting it as nothing less than a green vertical revolution, the newest member of South Park has a lot to live up to. This is one of the oldest renderings we could find. Does this 24-story tower deliver what was originally promised? (Or perhaps we should be thankful it doesn't?) --Dan Caroselli

[Westsidelife]

Wow, just viewing those pics gave me a sense of hope that DTLA will one day be considered COOL (in the mainstream sense).

I think anything that's pretty or shiny is considered "cool" to the mainstream public.

[JDRCRASH]

Charlie, that may be possible, because I remember once seeing the peak of City Hall from the 10, and thats like what, less than 500 feet?

BTW, did you guys check out that article on Curbed concerning the status of Park Fifth? I would post it, but i'm using my phone to blog right now.

[JRinSoCal]

^Dude the city hall is 454 feet tall.

[JDRCRASH]

^ Sorry about that; my inexcusable fault.

I should probably edit it before most people see my mistake and whine about it.....

[colemonkee]

Charlie, that may be possible, because I remember once seeing the peak of City Hall from the 10, and thats like what, less than 500 feet?
JDR, you should take into consideration your perspective. Looking west from the 10 freeway, City Hall will appear much taller than the Ritz building even though it's almost 200 feet shorter because it's approximately a mile closer to you. That's why the Ritz building doesn't appear to be that tall from that vantage point.

[JDRCRASH]

^Thats a strong possibility, too. I'm not able to see Transamerica from here either. Anyway, i'm back on my computer, and i've found several articles, so here we go: (this is the article I was talking about earlier)


Stallage Reported on Downtown's Park Fifth

Monday, October 20, 2008, by Neal Broverman

The Los Angeles Business Journal just wants to ruin your afternoon. They released a list of six big projects currently living in limbo, teetering on the verge of cancellation. Of note was the inclusion of the Park Fifth mixed-use towers of homes, retail, and hotel which would rise up to 76 stories on a parking lot near Pershing Square. This biggie always seemed like a long-shot, but the developer and investors seemed to be making slow but steady moves forward. According to the Journal, the developers need more capital and still have to finish architectural and engineering work. Project manager Rich Marr said there's a term sheet in place for a construction loan, but declined to discuss details, citing a confidentiality agreement. Oy.

[JDRCRASH]

From Curbed LA:

Hello, Honua! Grand Ownership Deal Approved

Wednesday, October 22, 2008, by Dakota

The Daily News follows up on yesterday's vote by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to approve adding a new partner-- the Honua Group, a group owned by three Korean insurance companies-- to Related Co's Grand Avenue project. With this second big partner (earlier this year, a Dubai investment group was added), Related remains in charge of operations and in control of the project, but if the company defaults, "Istithmar, Honua or a subsidiary would have the right to temporarily replace them as the developer." Meanwhile, the Grand's web site is showing a before and after we haven't seen before. That squat structure on the left is the the doomed tinker toy parking lot.

[JDRCRASH]

From Curbed LA:

Figueroa Central (aka LA Central) Not Dead Yet

Wednesday, October 22, 2008, by jwilliams

Last night we attended a USC-sponsored event at City Hall discussing the state of Downtown in this terrible economy. Things remain iffy. Councilwoman Jan Perry (CD9) held out hope that the Grand Avenue project might actually move forward but is cautious, noting that if the project fails to go forward, the Downtown renaissance may be in jeopardy. Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Bud Ovrom brought along a rendering of the area around Staples Center, which included the under construction LA Live and the 54-story Ritz Carlton tower (now at 42 stories tall). Several of us noted the presence of the Moinian Group's Figueroa Central project. What ever happened to that thing? Glad we asked. Per City Council records, the 860-unit mixed-use project at the corner of 11th and Figueroa is stalled. "Due to the current market situation, the Monion (sic) Group has been unable to secure Project financing and the development of the Project has been delayed." In addition, if it actually ever gets built, the Moinian group is planning to develop the project in two phases. No groundbreaking date or timeline was given.

[JDRCRASH]

I found another live webcam of L.A. Live, guys!!:banana:

It's here (http://www.aisc.org/Content/ContentGroups/Documents/LA_Live/L_A__Live.htm).

There's only one problem, though: you need to sign up and become a member of AISC.

[RAlossi]

^ You can use this info:
http://www.oxblue.com/pro
User name: lalive90015@webcor.com
Password: 90015

Question: What did they do to Staples Center between the 8th and the 15th of October?? Are they adding solar panels?

[JRinSoCal]

^Looks like they added solar panels to both Staples and the Nokia.

[friedpez]

JDR: I, too, often drive on the 10 and 210 and can see Downtown. I guess you can't see the Ritz from either vantage point because of Downtown's SW-NE alignment, which from the Inland Empire & SGV hides much of what is normally visible from other angles.

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

Here's the view from the 10 on top of Kellogg hill:


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/2973179035_3687ff6ab1_o.jpg
flickr user: Jay Jr.

[friedpez]

^ Nice. Similar views can be found from the 210 in La Verne and from several bridges over the 210, including Live Oak Cyn and Baseline. If it's clear enough, you can even get a view like that from the 330 coming down from Running Springs.

Anyhow, here's a pic I snapped yesterday from 11th St in Downtown.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2975027895_f1474f066a_o.jpg

[friedpez]

(Double Post)

[ladowntowner]

The degree to which some are spatially challenged is truly astonishing, as is the amount of energy herein that has been expended upon them as of late.

The irony of the fact that this post contributes to that is not lost on me. What a ridiculously wonderful world we live in.

[JDRCRASH]

Wow, thanks Rich!

Man, that view is just gorgeous. Looking at that photo just makes me crave LA Central and South Figueroa. And when will they tear down that goddarn Holiday Inn? I think something like multiple 717 Olympics-like buildings (in terms of billboard style) should go there.


^Looks like they added solar panels to both Staples and the Nokia.

Yeah; hopefully that'll make certain Coalitions shut up for awhile.:rolleyes:


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2975027895_f1474f066a_o.jpg

If that sign in the shadows on the right says Hope St., would that be Luma on the left?

[JDRCRASH]

I don't believe it....Stephen Friday is leaving Los Angeles for Paris.

[ThreeHundred]

I would too.

[JDRCRASH]

Maybe you, but for me, L.A. is my life. Now, thats not to say I couldn't visit there for a few weeks; but c'mon, the City of Lights is nothing like Los Angeles. (Ehem, i'm not saying LA is better, but its quite different.)

Besides, wouldn't you like to bear witness of a city slowly in transition?

[ThreeHundred]

Paris has been in transition for thousands of years. Which is not to say I don't love LA because I do. LA will forever be my home. I was born at Cedars Sinai and lived on Wilshire and Cochran for most of my 25 years. I bleed Los Angeles. Well..technically I bleed red blood but you get the point. BUT if fridayinla has a chance to move to a awesome city such as Paris and to start a new life there then more power to him. I mean I'm going to Italy in March. I would be more than happy to have the chance to live in Paris. However back to friday; He has done alot in terms of keeping us informed of new development in DTLA. No matter if it's the Ritz or a Fanima. I for one love angelenic and he was a big part of that and I'll miss him much.

[JDRCRASH]

Fridayinla's constant photo and article updates shows his commitment to development, particularly Downtown. Plus, although I didn't meet him personally, I get the sense that he's a very considerate person.

[JDRCRASH]

From Globe St. news:

Apartment Market Heads for Mild Softening

LOS ANGELES-Not even this city's perennially strong apartment market is exempt from the world's economic woes, but the impact on the L.A. rental market will be mild, a new report says. The study by Marcus & Millichap, reporting on rental trends and investment activity in the third quarter of this year, says that, "Apartment market fundamentals in Los Angeles are expected to soften mildly through year-end 2008, though vacancy will still be one of the lowest rates in the nation.
One reason for the Marcus & Millichap outlook is that, despite the continuing decline in home prices, demand for apartments keeps rising because buying a home in Los Angeles is still too expensive for a large part of the population. Nonetheless, the company's study shows that a weakening job base has produced "a notable uptick in vacancy over the past year" in 26 of the Los Angeles Metropolitan area's 37 class A submarkets.

Despite these vacancy upticks, "Healthy demand and solid rent growth will fuel investor interest in the quarters ahead," Marcus & Millichap forecasts, although it expects that "deal flow will remain measured as tightened lending criteria continue to shrink the pool of active buyers." Sales have already slowed by 37% on a year-over-year basis, partly from a steep drop-off in 1031-exchange activity and "a more diminished role from leverage-dependent investors," the report says. Apartment properties have traded at cap rates averaging in the mid- to high-5% spectrum over the past year and are expected to stay in that range through the remainder of 2008.

Another result of the economic uncertainty is that apartment owners will ask for smaller rent increases, with asking rents expected to rise 4.4% to $1,489 by year-end 2008, while effective rents will gain 4.3% to $1,440. Novato, CA-based RealFacts already has Los Angeles area rents pegged at an average of $1,661, but RealFacts tracks a different property base than the inventory tracked by Marcus & Millichap, with RealFacts focusing more on institutional-grade assets.
The RealFacts figures rank Los Angeles as the fifth-highest rental market in the country. Its $1,661 average rent compares with an average of $2,272 in the Greater New York area, the highest in the nation, followed by Bridgeport-Stamford at $2,179, Greater Boston at 1,905 and San Jose, CA at $1,708.

[Westsidelife]

717 Ninth & Concerto

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/2984092071_7b5f63b22d_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3295/2984093563_b40419590f_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2984093947_bed8d27dc9_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3040/2984950674_0742f1bab1_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3016/2984101795_ecf5f256d3_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3009/2984101103_96699dfe22_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3198/2984957432_bce46fe236_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/2984102113_aa5c879215_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson


LA Live

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3135/2984955144_449e21eef4_b.jpg
From Flickr, by ericrichardson

[JDRCRASH]

^Thats a long way down. Wow, he got permission to go inside the Ritz? I wonder how often we'll see construction updates now that Stephen is going to be leaving soon.

BTW, it looks like they've already set up the framing for the "Marriot Sign".

[friedpez]

Those photos are INCREDIBLE!!!

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Ack, we need at least another 10 major projects in order to fill in those parking lots!

[edluva]

wow, DTLA looks almost like a real city in those photos. i almost want to do city things like go to a DTLA coffeeshop and be seen reading a newspaper by important looking pedestrians in suits and ties.

hey next time, can you crop the parking lots out of the photos. they're ruining my make-believe.

[edkao]

I am guessing Club Nokia is complete?

Because I just received my tickets to a Beck concert on Nov 9th. That date is fast approaching...

I figure the Artist will need a few days to setup and do soundcheck..etc.

[LAsam]

hey next time, can you crop the parking lots out of the photos. they're ruining my make-believe.

Hopefully when the market straightens itself out, those lots on the southwest side of DT near South Park will be developed. I have to admit that the last building boom made some nice progress towards making DTLA a legitimate component of the city. These photos also don't show a lot of the investment that went into developing and refurbishing low-rise buildings in DTLA. That kinda thing is hard to see from a helicopter but is noticeable when walking around the area.

[colemonkee]

Great shots, Eric (if you still hang out here). And thanks for sharing Westsidelife. I look at these and see two things: 1) a fair amount of progress from even two years ago in both the skyline and the street level cityscape and 2) a VAST amount of potential for future booms or cycles.

[JDRCRASH]

^ absolutely; especially when older buildings are filled up with new residents.

These photos also don't show a lot of the investment that went into developing and refurbishing low-rise buildings in DTLA. That kinda thing is hard to see from a helicopter but is noticeable when walking around the area.

For a while I thought that looking on the outside showed investment, but I was reminded by several people on this forum that that is because of converted buildings like Rowan, Roosevelt, and El Dorado.

But when the Housing Market DOES rebound, hehe, well believe me....we will see a tsunami of demolitions to make way for Mid-rise and High-rise construction.

[ThreeHundred]

^ Why would they need to destroy something? Downtown has more than enough room to build ground up projects.

[Westsidelife]

I hope Metropolis has been cancelled. I've never been fond of that project; nor do I think it appropriate for such a location.

With declining office vacancy rates, a growing white-collar population, and several key transit projects underway/planned; I do believe Downtown is ripe for commercial, let alone residential, development.

[colemonkee]

^ I'm not sure what you meant by that, westside. Metropolis has a mix of residential, hotel and commercial (office). The first phase would be residential, second phase residential/hotel, third phase residential again, and fourth phase (the tallest of the bunch) office. Of course, the phases could be rearranged to adjust for market demands.

Why would they need to destroy something? Downtown has more than enough room to build ground up projects.
Agreed. There are far fewer buildings that would need to be torn down in comparison to the number of surface lots that could be developed, many of them with development rights and entitlements already attached (cough!Glass Towercough!).

[Westsidelife]

^ Sorry if I was unclear.

What I'm saying is that Downtown will soon be ripe for commercial development given the factors outlined above. The parking lots north of LA Live are ideal for a southward expansion of the CBD, leaving space for an additional 20+ million square feet of office space.

The residential development belongs in South Park.

[edluva]

dtla isn't really "ripe" for anything until mass transit becomes feasible for most would-be white collar types who currently reside in orange county and the westside. at this point, dtla is more or less a giant public-sector employment center for county and civic agencies. despite all the "progress" to date i'd still hesitate to call dtla a functionally organic urban neighborhood

[colemonkee]

^ Very true. DT still has a very long way to go until it's an urban neighborhood, and mass transit will play a key role in that. But little things like this, however late, are helping to make the slow transition.

From Blog Downtown (http://blogdowntown.com/2008/10/3760-elusive-angels-flight-set-to-get-its-rail)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/2986789937_17efbf0f63.jpg?v=0
(Image credit: Flickr, Ed Fuentes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/someonewalksinla/2986789937/))

Elusive Angels Flight Set to Get Its Rail Cars
By ED FUENTES
Published: Thursday, October 30, 2008, at 02:41PM

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — The elusive Angels Flight appears set to make its grand entrance. Ken Johnson and Jim Toomey were at work on the funicular’s tracks today, and say that the two cars should be moved to the site tomorrow and testing should begin shortly.

In Curbed’s report, Angels Flight foundation head John Welbourne says that engineers were testing the cable drive and performing track work today.

Those involved hope to have the short railway up and running sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The two cars – Olivet and Sinai – have most recently been stored at the Metro Red Line yard in the Arts District.

Angels Flight was first put into service in 1901, rising adjacent to the 3rd Street Tunnel. It was dismantled in 1969 and rebuilt in its current location as part of the California Plaza development. Reopened in 1996, the service operated for five years until a fatal accident closed the line.

[LAsam]

Despite all the "progress" to date i'd still hesitate to call dtla a functionally organic urban neighborhood

Agreed. DTLA is moving in the right direction though... and in this city... you can't hope for much more than that.

[Westsidelife]

dtla isn't really "ripe" for anything until mass transit becomes feasible for most would-be white collar types who currently reside in orange county and the westside. at this point, dtla is more or less a giant public-sector employment center for county and civic agencies. despite all the "progress" to date i'd still hesitate to call dtla a functionally organic urban neighborhood

I added "soon" in the latter post -- soon as in 5-10 years, but that really depends on what happens with Measure R next week.

[logandankr]

Nicé, the mail-order mexican jewelry store below the aeg parking lot on the southwest corner of 11th and hope has moved out. anyone hear anything about a new lease being signed in this space?

South Park is buzzing today with preparations for LA Live opening. The plaza is starting to get l.e.d.-ed out, crews are working in all the LA Live restaurants, not to mention Rivera and Bottle Rock. Rivera looks close to being ready. At Bottle Rock they're doing some exterior work (looks like they're framing the entrance). Inside is all still studs.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Took this picture tonight! Really exciting to see these two cars up there now. (It's the first time I've ever seen them in real life.) It should be up and running around the same time that most of LA Live's restaurants are open too.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5851/img6612ir2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[LosAngelesBeauty]

Nicé, the mail-order mexican jewelry store below the aeg parking lot on the southwest corner of 11th and hope has moved out. anyone hear anything about a new lease being signed in this space?



I saw that tonight too as I walked by on my way to LA Live. I was really glad to see this space now available to hopefully something waaay better than Nice. I think it would be a perfect spot for a mid-size restaurant like a Panini Cafe.

Perhaps a chain like Kabuki?

[RAlossi]

Still trying to find out about Nice, though there's a rumor that it will be a "Mediterranean restaurant." I don't know anything else about it.

[JDRCRASH]

Hmm....Nice?

^ Why would they need to destroy something? Downtown has more than enough room to build ground up projects.

Not if more buildings in the Historic Core along with those the Warehouse and Industrial Districts get renovated.......we will run out of space, eventually.

[ladowntowner]

Hmm....Nice?

Yes, it's how I've been instructed to play here... nice. Alternatively, if you read logandankr's post a little further back you'd know that it was a "mail-order mexican jewelry store below the aeg parking lot on the southwest corner of 11th and hope" which has recently "moved out."

Not if more buildings in the Historic Core along with those the Warehouse and Industrial Districts get renovated.......we will run out of space, eventually.

I'm really trying to understand what the renovation of "more buildings in the Historic Core along with those the Warehouse and Industrial Districts" has to do with running out of space and creating a need to demolish anything. As ThreeHundred pointed out: "Downtown has more than enough room to build ground up projects" for the foreseeable future (like, probably in our lifetimes). With all of the surface parking lots around DT, why should anything need to be torn down, much less there be a "tsunami of demolitions to make way for Mid-rise and High-rise construction" in the next housing market rebound???

[JDRCRASH]

I'm really trying to understand what the renovation of "more buildings in the Historic Core along with those the Warehouse and Industrial Districts" has to do with running out of space and creating a need to demolish anything. As ThreeHundred pointed out: "Downtown has more than enough room to build ground up projects" for the foreseeable future (like, probably in our lifetimes). With all of the surface parking lots around DT, why should anything need to be torn down, much less there be a "tsunami of demolitions to make way for Mid-rise and High-rise construction" in the next housing market rebound???

Apparantly you haven't downloaded Google Earth yet or have been to maps.google.com. Enough to last our lifetimes? Now I know I for sure that your joking!!

[ThreeHundred]

:haha:

[Westsidelife]

Prop 1A's Bullet Train Would Speed L.A.'s Growth (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-prop1a1-2008nov01,0,781976.story)

Downtown's makeover has been painfully slow. A high-speed train would bring foot traffic that would spur development.

By CHRISTOPHER HAWTHORNE, Architecture Critic
November 1, 2008

This is the second of two articles on the intersection of public transit, urbanism and architecture on Tuesday's ballot.

Union Station, filled on a typical afternoon with a mixture of Amtrak passengers, Metro commuters and curious tourists, often feels more like a stage set -- a place playing at sophistication and an old-fashioned, genteel kind of urbanity -- than a transportation hub. Maybe that has something to do with how many movies and television shows have used the building, which was designed in streamlined Mission Revival style by John and Donald Parkinson and opened in 1939, as a backdrop. Maybe it's just that the station, though sometimes moderately busy, is rarely packed or fully animated by a thronging crowd the way the most memorable urban spaces are.

All that may change, however, if the state of California, after years of toying with the idea, manages to put a high-speed rail system into operation. Proposition 1A is a statewide initiative seeking to raise $10 billion as a down payment for a bullet-train route that could ultimately stretch from Sacramento to San Diego. Total costs to the state would be roughly $45 billion, with complementary funding coming from the federal government and private investors.

Union Station would serve as the terminus of the train's San Francisco to Los Angeles leg, which promises to be, from its first day, one of the busiest rail routes in the country. Advocates of the bullet train estimate that total state ridership could be as high 117 million passengers annually. Even if the actual numbers were somewhat lower, the effect on the area immediately surrounding Union Station, and on downtown as a whole, promises to be huge.

Once the bullet train started dropping passengers at the city's doorstep, the neighborhood around the station would instantly see new shops and restaurants as well as commercial and retail development. L.A. residents who might otherwise never ride the Metro would use it to reach Union Station in order to catch the train. Just as important, the city would essentially be forced to address the abysmal pedestrian connections that exist between Union Station and the rest of downtown. The station, separated by the 101 Freeway from the downtown core, now feels marooned. Walking from there to the Civic Center, a trip I've made frequently from the end of the Gold Line to the Times building, is a dramatic way to approach the downtown skyline. It is also a less-than-romantic trek across overpasses and along crumbling, forsaken sidewalks.

Electrically powered and using "steel-wheel on steel-track" technology, rather than the mag-lev system briefly considered by the state, the bullet train could reach speeds as high as 220 mph, whisking passengers from downtown San Francisco to downtown Los Angeles in less than three hours for an estimated $55 each way in today's dollars. Opponents of the bullet train, including James Moore, director of USC's transportation engineering program, have argued that travel times would be longer than that and ticket prices significantly higher. Others guess that the state's tab would be not $45 billion but roughly $80 billion.

Still, it seems increasingly obvious that if we don't fund high-speed rail now, we will have to pay an even higher price, as the state's population continues to grow, to subsidize freeway and airport construction. The question is not whether we are going to fund transportation projects over the next two decades. The question is which ones, and when -- and whether we will have the foresight to understand that the benefits of high-speed rail are about not just convenience, mobility and air quality but also the health and character of our cities.

As a neighborhood, downtown Los Angeles has long struggled with an existential crisis about what kind of role it plays, or is capable of playing, in the L.A. region. If it has never been the true center of Los Angeles, its beating heart, it is certainly first among equals when it comes to urban nodes here. And it is undeniably central in terms of transportation -- the one place in L.A. where freeways, bus lines, subways and several varieties of rail come together. In that sense, the bullet train could make downtown's transit centrality, well, bulletproof. Building downtown's identity through transit is also a more efficient, and more intelligent, strategy for urban revitalization than the ones we have typically relied on in Los Angeles.

Half a century of loading Bunker Hill and other parts of downtown with gleaming, stand-alone mega-projects -- with more to come, if the economy ever begins cooperating again -- has done little to stitch together the area's constituent parts in any meaningful way. The effect of the $2.5-billion L.A. Live development on the rest of downtown, for example, will probably be minimal, since its shops, theaters and restaurants are primarily designed to attract people from around the city arriving by car.

The bullet train could bring literally millions of new transit users into downtown every year. As I wrote Thursday about L.A. County's Measure R, transit users are also, in virtually every case, urban pedestrians. They are among the most sophisticated observers of how the city is designed and maintained. Instead of seeing shared space at a remove, the way drivers do, they understand it on a block-by-block basis.

Downtown is already feeling more vital than it has for decades as its residential population continues to grow. But its maturation has been painfully slow. The arrival of the bullet train could accelerate it significantly. The train could help downtown achieve a critical mass of foot traffic, which would in turn lure new development -- as well as boosting safety and creating a constituency for streetscape improvements.

State propositions are hardly the most efficient means of crafting transit policy. But decades of dithering in Sacramento mean that it has been left to us, the voters, to send a message with Proposition 1A that we are desperate for a comprehensive public-transportation system in this city and this state.

A yes vote doesn't mean that you endorse every bend in the bullet train's planned route or every penny of its financing strategy. It simply means that you want to give momentum to the notion that California needs high-speed rail as soon as reasonably possible, and that you think this is a project worth significant state investment. And investment is the right word, since the train could begin to turn a sizable profit for Sacramento within a few years of operation.

I like the sleepiness of Union Station, its charming, time-warp appeal. But I like the idea of a bullet train -- and what it could mean for the vitality of downtown Los Angeles -- a whole lot more.

[StethJeff]

Apparantly you haven't downloaded Google Earth yet or have been to maps.google.com. Enough to last our lifetimes? Now I know I for sure that your joking!!

you failed to address ladowntowner's question. i'd also like to know why you made that comment about having to tear down existing structures.

[ladowntowner]

Apparantly you haven't downloaded Google Earth yet or have been to maps.google.com. Enough to last our lifetimes? Now I know I for sure that your joking!!
No, I wasn't joking. At the historic rate of development in DTLA it could take anywhere from 30 to 50 years to consume the rest of the crappy surface parking lots scattered throughout the CBD, South Park, etc. If you realized that most of the surface parking lots, of which at least half still exist, were created when underutilized buildings were torn down mostly in the 50's and 60's (as in 1950's and 1960's) and then did the math you'd come to understand it has taken about 50 years just to get to the point where we are now in the consumption of these eyesores that were created by way of a very shortsighted civic policy.

Your position is not valid, son. Move on, nothing to see here folks.

[JDRCRASH]

Sorry, I thought you said you were instructed to play "nice", although it shouldn't matter where because as an adult you should be doing that in every aspect of your life from the workplace to spiritual gatherings. And i'm not sure why you said that in a thread publicly when you realize that you risk inviting trollish behavior and didn't PM me about that instead, as usual.

Anyways, what math do you speak of? I count around 60 parking lots(I'm talking about those that touch at least 2 streets)
I seriously doubt the next cycle boom in Downtown will be that insignificant. It's unreasonable to conclude that not many structures will be demolished for new development.

you failed to address ladowntowner's question. i'd also like to know why you made that comment about having to tear down existing structures.

I already addressed it. You failed to see the answer out of my comment, which for some reason seems typical coming from you as of late.

[Just-In-Cali]

I already addressed it. You failed to see the answer out of my comment, which for some reason seems typical coming from you as of late.


You two REALLY need to stop this back and forth. This bait and attack method is not needed.

As far as this high speed rail...its a good idea, but I think its a bit premature to the real issue of fixing the metro area mass transit FIRST, and then adding that in time. Id personally be more interested in a rail line to Las Vegas, but that is me. Id REALLY also like to see a local trolley or rail line that runs from the Concert Hall to LA Live, giving people the ability to move through the DT area without cars and traverse from the major hotels along the corridor to the Convention Center.

[JRinSoCal]

^I've always wondered why there is no rail line to Las Vegas.

[RuFFy]

There's no HSR to LV because that line would move money out of So. Cal and into LV. It's not likely that voters or politicians would support funding a line that takes business away from California. However, DesertXpress and something else, I forgot, are planned private HSR lines. How far along and how realistic those 2 plans are I don't know but I'd say having 1 HSR in this nation (prop 1A) would set the ball in motion for other lines. Get out and vote folks!

PS: I too don't understand the wacky idea of destroying existing buildings when there are more than enough empty lots for ground up projects. Not only that, as JDRCrash himself stated, many existing buildings are being renovated and I fail to see how his idea of renovating buildings and then destroying them pans out. But he's an architect boys, so don't second guess his authority.. ::looks away::

[colemonkee]

People, please take the HSR discussion to an HSR thread. This thread is for downtown development discussion, not trains to Vegas or NorCal.

As for the empty lots vs. tearing down discussion, that's fine, but as it's theoretical in nature, I'm only going to allow it if it can be cordial. If you guys keep it up with the personal attacks, I'm going to suspend all of you.

On a more positive note, I walked by the Medallion on my way to get my vote on this morning and there was a fair amount of activity at the site. I rarely get to pass by during normal working hours, and was pleasantly surprised to see 6-8 workers setting up second floor rebar and framing at 7:00 a.m.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

great news about the medallion! Also, everyone that frequents downtown LA should take the survey sponsored by the DCB at downtownla.com.

Also, i think the Grand Art festival announcement is huge for downtown LA. Im excited to see how this festival is going to play out and what can be done to incorporate all forms of art for everyone, not just paid admissions.

dont forget to vote yes for Measure R and 1a as well as Obama!

[JDRCRASH]

I think 1A must get passed; even though the first leg won't include San Diego and Sacramento, thats no excuse to say that it's not a good investment. Besides, I think alot of companies and developers will actually want to invest in it because they know it will succeed in carrying over 100 Million commuters a year by 2030 (as the Times stated recently).

Colemonkee, i'm not sure if what Westsidelife posted was off-topic. It will encourage people to take the bus or even train through Downtown L.A. to Union Station so they can ride the HSR to get to SF. And before they do that, they may want to grab something to drink and/or eat before they take the 3 Hr long trip. And vice versa. It's good not only for Downtown LA, but for Downtown SF.

[JDRCRASH]

From LA Curbed:

Change We Can Believe In: Foreclosures Cratering in Los Angeles County


http://la.curbed.com/uploads/2008-11-oct_foreclosures.jpg

PropertyShark has released its Foreclosure Report for the month of October, which shows a steep drop in the number of foreclosures. Between September and October, the number of foreclosures in LA County dropped a staggering 51 percent. Have all the homes in Palmdale and Lancaster already been foreclosed on? Maybe. Per the report:

"Zip codes from Palmdale and Lancaster continue to top the list for first time foreclosures, however, significant improvements can be seen in these trouble spots. Foreclosures were down 35% in zip code 93550 (Palmdale), down 52% in 93535 (Lancaster), down 25% in 93552 (Palmdale), and down 49% in 91331 (Pacoima)."
Meanwhile, our coastal cousins in Seattle and Miami aren't faring so well. Miami saw a 93% increase in foreclosures from last month, while Seattle experienced a 14% bump.

[Just-In-Cali]

[QUOTEPeople, please take the HSR discussion to an HSR thread. This thread is for downtown development discussion, not trains to Vegas or NorCal.
QUOTE]

Id REALLY also like to see a local trolley or rail line that runs from the Concert Hall to LA Live, giving people the ability to move through the DT area without cars and traverse from the major hotels along the corridor to the Convention Center.

^ I thought I was. :sly:

Anyway, this could be a good turn for the market if we bottome out faster than other regions. SoCal blew up faster as far as prices rising and purchasing more, so we should recover more readily, even if the far flung suburban markets suffer for several years, DTLA might rebound as early as late 2009. I think there is a better chance that Park Fifth and The Grand will break ground next year if the economy worldwide starts an upward trend, assuming each will take 3 or more years to finish.

[edluva]

the forclosure dip is temporary due to a law that was enacted by the state senate to postpone notices of default (hence forclosures) for 30 days to allow homeowners to renegotiate terms with, find alternatives, etc - this will do nothing but merely shift forclosures one month down. we'll see a spike next month, barring substantive mortgage relief from the fed

[JDRCRASH]

the forclosure dip is temporary due to a law that was enacted by the state senate to postpone notices of default (hence forclosures) for 30 days to allow homeowners to renegotiate terms with, find alternatives, etc - this will do nothing but merely shift forclosures one month down. we'll see a spike next month, barring substantive mortgage relief from the fed

Great.......