Chinatown WELCOME HOME

Johnson Fain, the architecture firm behind several of the newest buildings in Downtown Los Angeles, is now looking to become a more direct participant in the development process. Earlier this week, the Downtown-based firm filed plans with the City of Los Angeles to demolish its longtime Chinatown headquarters and replace it with a mixed-use complex. The proposed development at 1201 N. Broadway would consist of a podium-style building containing 124 residential units, 8,700 square feet of ground-floor retail space and underground parking.

A report commissioned by the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority bosts of robust economic development surrounding the stations on the northern leg of the light rail line, which runs between Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles and Azusa. The report, which was first highlighted by the Source, states that the existing and proposed segments of the Gold Line has generated approximately $6.7 billion in private investment since opening in 2003, which translates to 12,500 new housing units, 3.6 million square feet of commercial space and 1,400 hotel rooms.

The family behind the San Antonio Winery is reviving plans to build a mixed-use development overlooking Los Angeles State Historic Park. The project, which was filed earlier today with the City of Los Angeles, would create residential-retail complex on a narrow, eight-acre strip of land which flanks North Broadway. According to a case filing from the Department of City Planning, the proposal calls for a 1.1-million-square-foot development 920 apartments, 17 live/work lofts and 21,000 square feet of pedestrian-oriented commercial space.

A commercial building adjacent to Chinatown’s bustling Dynasty Center could give way for a mixed-use development. Yesterday, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to construct a seven-story structure at the northwest corner of Alpine and North Spring Street. The proposed development would create 122 residential units above 4,200 square feet of retail space and three levels of underground parking for 120 vehicles and 124 bicycles. Plans also call for residential amenities and six units of very low income housing.

Architecture firm Johnson Fain has announced the opening of Blossom Plaza, a mixed-use development adjacent to the Metro Gold Line’s Chinatown Station. Located at 900 N. Broadway, the project consists of two five-story structures featuring 237 apartments, of which 20% are reserved as affordable housing. A paseo lined by approximately 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space cuts between the buildings, connecting to a large plaza adjacent to the elevated light rail station.

Two years ago, Chinatown’s Velvet Turtle restaurant was reduced to rubble amidst rumors of an apartment building that would rise in its place. Now, those development dreams are finally being realized. Yesterday, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to construct a new residential-retail complex at 708 N. Hill Street. According to a case filing from the Department of City Planning, the approximately .79-acre lot is slated for a seven-story structure that would feature 162 residential units, 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and two-and-a-half levels of underground parking.

Yesterday, Curbed LA broke the news that the Army Corps of Engineers had finally released their much anticipated Los Angeles River Restoration study. The report indicates that “Alternative 13,” otherwise known as the Arbor Corridor Extension (ACE), is the tentative recommendation for the project. So now that the Corps of Engineers has established a path forward, let’s see what $453 million gets us. First, some specifics on Alternative 13. ACE restores a grand total of 588 acres of land from Griffith Park through Downtown Los Angeles.

An initial study published by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning offers updated information for College Station, developer Atlas Capital Group’s proposed mixed-use complex in Chinatown. The proposed development, located at the intersection of Spring and College Streets, would replace a vacant five-acre property which abuts both the Gold Line’s Chinatown Station and the 32-acre Los Angeles State Historic Park. Plans call for a low-rise complex featuring 770 apartments above approximately 51,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space and parking accommodations for 1,179 vehicles and 899 bicycles.

It may have taken a decade to get here, but the former Little Joe’s restaurant is gone, and shovels have hit the dirt in Chinatown. The long awaited Blossom Plaza mixed-user finally got rolling last year, and since then construction crews have busied themselves prepping the site for excavation. Designed by local firm Johnson Fain, the $100 million project from Forest City Enterprises will rise five stories, creating 237 apartments and approximately 20,000 square feet of neighborhood serving retail space.

After a half-year of excavation (and finding the Zanja Madre in the process), developer Forest City is now ready to go vertical in Chinatown. Earlier this month, a tower crane sprouted at Blossom Plaza, the once-stalled residential-retail complex that will sit adjacent to the Gold Line’s elevated Chinatown Station. Rising five stories, the Johnson Fain-designed project will feature 237 apartment units, 20,000 square feet of street-level commercial space and a 449-stall parking garage.