Long Beach Construction (Planned, Proposed, & Current)

[ChrisLA]

Oh I almost forgot to add.

You must check out the cafe at the LB Museum of Art. You have a view of the ocean from the bluffs, and you can either sit in or outdoors. The view is breathtaking. Another great view of the skyline is from The Reef across the Queensway Bay near the Queen Mary. Across from The Reef is a park, and of couse there are great views again. One suggestion, only go for drinks because the restaurant is kind of pricey. They also have outdoor seating and a camp fire burning to keep you warm during those cool days/nights. If you do decide to dine there, I would check to see if they still have a special. I remember at one time you could get a complete dinner for $10.95 and this includes coffee and deserts. Actually they had an menu of many different things to choose from, Steak, Chicken, and Seafood. The setting is very nice and should be checked out, trust me its worth a visit.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LAmetroman

I must admit that I prefer LBTC to The Pike. The Pike has little streets running through it, it is a very strange setup. I was very excited long before The Pike opened, but after I visited it just once, I was severely let down.

I hate to hear that, because I find myself treating these various hoods like parents who don't want see their kids fail. It's unsettling enough dealing with problems in DT LA, but having to worry about what's going on in DT LB really adds to that uneasiness. But when things look like they're zooming, I feel I can finally kick back & take it all in, surprisingly enough even when the good news involves places far beyond DT LB or LA. I know when chrisla showed photos of a major new DT-like shopping ctr near his sister's place in Rancho Cucamonga (?), I thought "fantastic" & wanted to say "Congrats!!."

[LAMetroGuy]

Thank you very much for that great overview. I get a sense that the downtown community is small in terms of "locals" versus "visitors" from surrounding cities. I think that for the most part downtown LB has a lot to offer in terms of restaurants, shopping, activities and the beach/marina. I am excited to live there, I think I will be rollerblading and riding my bike a lot more often too. I also see myself walking to places a lot more than I do now (like going to the movies, restaurant, gym, coffee run, etc.). I hope to become involved in community planning/fundraising events also. Being outside of downtown LB, I feel a bit disconnected. But now that I will be in the "middle" of it all, I hope to be more active. I think that LB's potential, esp downtown, is huge. Once all the planned towers are completed and filled with residents, the retail will come (currently there are enough great restaurants). I would like to see a Barnes & Noble or Borders come to the Pike or Ocean or Pine. Also, I think the area needs a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (selfish reason cuz I'm an addict to their Tea Latte).

I am curious what Gruen & Associates will suggest for that parking lot behind the LB Arena, I guess that is the last plot of land that can be developed. I hope something good comes out of it. They are supposed to make a decision on September 2005. I think they should use that area as a park with jogging trails and fountains with a stage for performances, etc. Well thanks again for you feedback!

[LAMetroGuy]

Here are some pictures of my visit to the sales office of the West Ocean Long Beach project. They had a cool model of the first tower. Very nice! Here are some pictures I took of the model. The rep stated that they will be breaking ground in December and they will build this tower along with the second smaller tower at the same time. The rep also palyed a cool video on a large plasma screen of the skyline with the two towers included, very dramatic. This first tower will stick out very nicely. At 30 floors, it will be a nice addition to the Long Beach Skyline!

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by LAMetroGuy

Here are some pictures of my visit to the sales office of the West Ocean Long Beach project.

Damn, that's impressive! And catercorner to city hall & a replacement for one of Ocean Blvds current deadzone parking lots!

That condo bldg is bigger than any of the projs going up in DT LA right now, which will be even more evident if constr, in fact, really begins this month.

I know there's a pretty tall new highrise condo going up in....Irvine (huh? you say), & it's already sold out. I only mention that because if a hood in OC can get that kind of response, then a condo bldg in LB, next to the ocean, should do no less.

There's a subj heading on this board where some ppl are still mourning the loss of a primarily seedy hooterville hood that once existed in DT LA. If there was a time machine, I'd bet some Angelenos & SoCalers (& others in America) would adjust the dial for the past. Not me. The present & future, baby, is where it's at.

[LAMetroGuy]

After this project completes, there will only be a few "deadzone parking lots".

[HailStorm]

FWIW - I have friends who live in the building right across the street on Ocean. They park every evening in that lot there and haven't been told anything about work beginning this month. If it were - one would think that the people who use that lot on a daily basis would be informed that they won't be able to count on that lot beyond day X?

[citywatch]

/\ I have some relatives who visited the sales office a few days ago & they told me the proj will be underway in the next few wks. She & her husband had hoped to find a unit for no more than $300 K, but they left gap mouthed when they found out prices BEGIN at $400. They said they were even more startled when the agent told them that most of the condos already were reserved!

They mentioned that they drove home both laughing & yet woozy from sticker shock because they had originally believed that if they bargained hard enough, as many ppl do at an auto dealership, the sales agent, in an attempt to juice sales for the condo bldg, would offer them a better deal.

[LAMetroGuy]

yeah, its pretty crazy in terms of prices. Just look at the insurance exchange building lofts, they start at 550k... yikes!

[LAMetroGuy]

100 Ocean
Long Beach, California


100 Ocean is a 21 story mixed use hi-rise retail/residential project at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Ocean Boulevard in downtown Long Beach. The design is an off-set slab tower with alternating orthogonal and arcing facades. All parking is below grade. The eastern edge of the project allows for circulation from downtown to the convention center, the ” Pike”, urban entertainment center, and the Pacific Ocean. The design of the tower is internationalist in style, with an art modern emphasis. This tight-skin (metal, glass, stone and fritted glass) allows for expansive views from all units on all floors. There is a horizontal emphasis punctuated with soaring metal canopies, which express the base, shaft, and top of the tower. The average size of the living units is 1,600 square feet, with most floors at ten units/floor, and super penthouses (4) at the top floor (the 21st). The ground floor will have a landmark restaurant, a well-known upscale market, a health and fitness spa, and the lobby for the residential units. When completed, Edgewater Towers will occupy a critical position, joining the downtown to the burgeoning waterfront life of the community.

[citywatch]

/\ This along with the W Ocean LB towers too!? GREAT! I wonder how much of it has been finalized & funded by its devlpr? But if WCLB's main tower is almost fully booked, then maybe it's not too much to hope that other nearby projs will start rising ASAP too.

[LAMetroGuy]

Yeah, with the Aqua Condo twin towers ready for residents in March 2005, plus 100 Ocean and the West Ocean Towers, it will be a dramatic change for downtown LB.

Here is the link to the project:

http://www.edgewateronocean.com/1024/Vision.htm

[citywatch]

Looking at these various projs I'm reminded of what Tom Brokaw said a few wks ago upon his retirement. He said one reason why he'd love to live at least 100 more yrs was to see what would happen to the emerging nation of China (where highrise & home const, as one example, is going gangbusters). I feel the same way about parts of LA & So Ca.

I know Ratkovich has been trying to get something going in DT LB for several yrs, & there's a possibility his Edgewater tower won't move as quickly as I'd like through the planning & actual devlpt process. However, trends right now still are a lot better & more interesting than they were only a few yrs ago, certainly over 10 to 20 plus yrs ago.

Today & the future (economics & NIMBYites notwithstanding) is where it's at, ppl!

[LA rehab]

Now that's more like it.

This is significantly different from the previous renderings we'd seen. The base is actually exciting AND it appears to fill out more of the lot. The skin and contours of the tower is a bit more dynamic and varied as well.

[HailStorm]

Originally Posted by HailStorm

FWIW - I have friends who live in the building right across the street on Ocean. They park every evening in that lot there and haven't been told anything about work beginning this month. If it were - one would think that the people who use that lot on a daily basis would be informed that they won't be able to count on that lot beyond day X?

Update: Talked with my friend re: West Ocean who lives across the street. They were given notice that they will no longer be able to park there due to construction starting January 17th.

[LAMetroGuy]

Thanks for the update. Thats great news... lets get that thing built!

[LAMetroGuy]

BELMONT PIER
Mike O'Toole the owner of the popular Gondola Getaway and owner-operator of a catamaran taxi tour carrier will inject new life into Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier.
O'Toole won the city bid in late November, and the renovations will be introduced in seven phases over the next few years. He plans to open a fast-food hamburger coffee shop as the first phase of the revitalization. It will be anchored at the boarded-up, two-story structure that once was a restaurant at the end of the pier. The second floor will be turned into a more upscale sea-food restaurant.

There also will be a public dinghy dock, giving operators of moored vessels access to the pier and beyond. There are plans for up to 80 moorings. O'Toole also hopes to have a docking area for his catamaran taxi.

BREAKWATER
Environmentalists who want to modify the Long Beach Harbor breakwater, in order to improve wave action along the city's shoreline, will continue looking for support on the Long Beach City Council.
Surfrider Foundation members thought Councilman Dan Baker would carry the ball on the issue of funding a feasibility study to determine if change to the breakwater features could be completed in a cost-effective manner. However, there apparently was a misunderstanding, according to Baker aide Mark Taylor.

Meanwhile, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach/Long Beach, said he would support funding for a study if the council supported a redesign study.

He emphasized that the council would have to demonstrate that the study is a priority.

"If they did that, I would be very receptive to the will of the people," he said.

BIG BLUFF
Concern about the condition of Long Beach's shoreline bluffs mainly between downtown and Belmont Shore eroded over the past three years.
There had been talk of efforts to stabilize the areas. After a lull, the plans are being dusted off and the restoration effort might get under way in the near future.

[LosAngelesBeauty]

VERY NICE!!! Esp 100 Ocean...OMG, i can't wait until Downtown LB grows so huge that it compares with DT LA!!! IMAGINE a maglev train between DT LA and LB? That would be awesome.

[Easy]

I drove by West Ocean on the way home tonight and noticed that they've started construction. Not much of a work crew yet. Basically just a backhoe and bulldozer. It was hard to see at dusk, but it appeared that the pavement has already been completely removed. They must have started earlier this week.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by Easy

I drove by West Ocean on the way home tonight and noticed that they've started construction.

FANTASTIC! And even better than the Jan 17 date listed in Hailstorm's post as to when the former parking lot would no longer be available.

:carrot: :carrot: :carrot: