Hollywood WELCOME HOME

With the end of 2014 fast approaching, construction has finally started on one of Hollywood’s most controversial developments. Earlier this month, the J.H. Snyder Company broke ground on 1601 Vine Street, an eight-story office tower slated for the former site of Molly’s Burgers. The $70 million project, designed by architecture firm Gensler, will consist of approximately 110,000 square feet of Class-A office space, a 2,000-square-foot ground-level retail stall, and 174 underground parking spaces.

A draft environmental impact report recently published by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning has unveiled a new look for the proposed Hollywood Cherokee Apartments. The mixed-use development from Los Angeles-based Champion Real Estate is slated for a 1.14-acre parking lot located just north of Hollywood Boulevard, between Las Palmas and Cherokee Avenues. The Hollywood Cherokee complex entails a four-to-six-story building, featuring 224 studio, one-and-two-bedroom units above nearly 1,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space.

Last summer, Florida-based real estate investment trust Rescore purchased approximately two acres of land in Hollywood, with the intention of building a low-rise mixed-use complex. Half-a-year later, a set of environmental documents published by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning has revealed new details about the proposed development at 1311 North Cahuenga Boulevard. Designs from Nadel Architects call for a seven-story structure, spanning across two properties bounded by Cahuenga Boulevard, Cole and Fountain Avenues.

A recently published environmental report from the Department of City Planning has revealed new details about the 904 La Brea Project, a mixed-use development planned near the border between Los Angeles and West Hollywood. The seven-story development, slated for a roughly one-acre site at the corner of La Brea and Willoughby Avenues, would feature 169 apartments and approximately 37,000 square feet of of ground-floor retail space. Proposed dwellings would include studio, one-and-two-bedroom units, with approximately 14 apartments set aside for very low income households.

Last October, vague plans emerged for a 12-story hotel on a half-acre property located just north of Sunset Boulevard. Now, a document from the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council has finally revealed details about the once mysterious development. According to the agenda for an upcoming meeting of the Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee, the proposed mid-rise structure at 1523 Wilcox Avenue would feature 220 guest rooms and multiple food and beverage venues.

Earlier this month, developer Hudson Pacific Properties commenced excavation for Icon, a 14-story office tower on the Sunset Bronson Studios campus (SBS). The 200-foot tall edifice, designed by architecture firm Gensler, will rise from the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Van Ness Avenue, creating a total of 315,000 square feet of creative office space. Artistic renderings portray a mid-rise structure, described by the Architect’s Newspaper as consisting of “five rectangular, stacked volumes, offset horizontally to create exterior terraces.” Icon is part of a $150 million expansion of Sunset Bronson Studios which will completely remodel the eastern half of the approximately 10-acre campus.

According to an environmental report published by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, yet another low-rise residential development is headed for Hollywood. Last September, developer Pristine Properties, LLC filed plans with the city for a seven-story apartment complex on an approximately one-acre property near the Hollywood Freeway. The project, located at 1715 North Bronson Avenue, would feature 89 dwelling units and subterranean parking accommodations for up to 146 vehicles and 117 bicycles.

This past December, the non-profit Trust for Public Land (TPL) broke ground on a nearly quarter-acre pocket park on Carlton Way. The new green space, funded by a $1.26 million grant from the State of California, replaces a long-vacant property between Gordon Street and Bronson Avenue. Designs for the project come from Korn Randolph, a Pasadena-based landscape architecture firm. According to a site plan displayed on the TPL website, the Carlton Way Pocket Park will offer amenities such as a children’s playground, fitness equipment and a small plaza flanked by trees and benches.

At long last, a new draft environmental impact report has unveiled renderings for 5901 Sunset Boulevard, the latest Hollywood office tower planned by Hudson Pacific Properties (HPP). The proposed development, slated for a 1.55-acre parking lot at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Bronson Avenue, would include 274,000 square feet of offices, 26,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 1,118-car garage. Plans call for an 18-story structure, featuring 10 floors of offices and eight above-grade parking levels.

Construction cranes and earth movers have become common sights south of Hollywood Boulevard, where a slew of commercial developments are currently replacing longtime surface parking lots. Nearly one year after we last dropped by, take another stroll down Selma Avenue to tour the dramatic changes to Hollywood’s urban fabric. The Dream Hollywood Midway between Cahuenga Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue, crews have nearly completed the steel framework for the first Southern California location of the posh Dream Hotel chain.