Bunker Hill WELCOME HOME

Another year has passed, and Downtown’s elusive Grand Avenue Project still remains stranded on the distant horizon. Next week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider a fifth amendment to the agreement between the developer Related California and the Grand Avenue Authority, a joint powers authority helmed by the County and the City of Los Angeles. Among other changes, the revised agreement would delay the groundbreaking deadline for Parcel Q, the project’s original first phase, to November 1, 2018.

An upcoming presentation to Metro’s Westside/Central Service Council has revealed a new look for the pedestrian bridge in Downtown Los Angeles that will link the Metro’s future 2nd/Hope Station to the Broad Museum’s outdoor plaza. Although earlier presentations have portrayed the overpass as a spartan expanse across Hope Street, new renderings depict a more refined product. The bridge is divided into two rectangular segments, both of which are centered around concrete banks featuring green space and seating.

One of Downtown’s most sought-after development sites could soon come up for grabs. Yesterday, a motion submitted by 14th District Councilmember Jose Huizar directs City staff to issue a request for proposals for the potential disposition and development of Bunker Hill Parcel Y-1. The approximately 2.4-acre site, located at the northwest corner of 4th and Hill Streets, sits within walking distance of a number of popular Downtown destinations, including Angel’s Flight and Grand Central Market.

After months of speculation, the LA Downtown News reported in January that Frank Gehry’s $2 billion design for the Grand Avenue Project would not be moving forward. Now, another architectural giant will try his luck with the long stalled development. According to a document from the LA County Board of Supervisors, Robert A. M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) will be the new design architect for Phase 1A of the Grand Avenue Project.

UPDATE: The Los Angeles Times has reported that the Grand Avenue Authority voted unanimously to reject Related California’s updated plans for the Grand Avenue Project. Thus, the below information and images are already outdated. Looks like it’s back to the drawing board for both the Authority and Related, which potentially means even further setbacks for the long delayed project. The Times indicates that Related will likely receive another three month extension to draw up new plans for the project.

Related California’s revised plan for Phase I of the Grand Avenue Project was soundly rejected last month, but other parts of the slow moving mega development are still pressing forward. Kitty-corner to the Phase I site, Parcels M and L have two landscape shifting projects under construction. Work on the Arquitectonica designed Parcel M Tower, which broke ground in January, has now progressed to the lucky 13th floor. When completed in late 2014, the $120 million development will contain 271 apartments and 5,000 square feet of commercial space within 19-stories.

As reported yesterday by the Daily News, the LA County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to take a look at Frank Gehry’s latest designs for the long awaited Grand Avenue Project. Related California’s $750 million mixed-use development would create two high-rise buildings containing residential, hotel, office and retail space across from the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall. A 37-story residential tower would rise from the corner of 2nd and Olive Streets, consisting of 450-apartments above a podium of retail and restaurant space.

With so much attention focused on the new Frank Gehry designs for Parcel Q, it’s easy to forget that the Grand Avenue Project already has one residential building under construction. The 19-story Parcel M Tower broke ground in late 2012, and is now topped out just south of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Arquitectonica designed building carries a $120 million price tag, and is slated to open its 271 apartments late this year.

The Broad, the new contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles, announced today that it will open to the public on Sunday, September 20, 2015. Built by philanthropists and longtime art collectors Eli and Edythe Broad, The Broad will welcome visitors from near and far with free general admission to an inaugural installation drawn from two collections of more than 2,000 works of contemporary art. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), The Broad makes its home in the city’s burgeoning Grand Avenue arts corridor, across the street from architectural icons including Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Nine months after collosal blaze destroyed half of Bunker Hill’s Da Vinci apartments, developer Geoff Palmer is fulfilling his promise to finish the controversial mixed-use complex. Wood framing is once again rising for the future six-story structure, which is located on a nearly two-acre property bounded by Temple Street, Fremont Avenue and the the Harbor Freeway. When finished, the building will include 239 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments above approximately 4,700 square feet of retail space and a 535-car garage.