Steven Sharp WELCOME HOME

After two years of silence, the Park La Brea News has reported that developer J.H. Snyder will break ground next Spring on a new office building along the Miracle Mile. The $170-million development, located adjacent to SAF-AFTRA plaza on Wilshire Boulevard, will create a 12-story structure featuring 250,000 square feet of office space, as well as 2,100 parking spaces in an expansion of an existing garage. Renderings of the project, designed by the Jerde Partnership, portray a mid-rise tower clad with angular glass panels.

According to plans filed earlier this year with the Culver City Planning Division, a residential-retail complex is proposed for a vacant lot near the city’s Expo Line station. The project, slated for a .34-acre property at 3434 Wesley Street, would consist of a low-rise structure featuring 15 residential units and approximately 14,000 square feet of ground-floor gallery or office space. City records list the project’s applicant as the president of Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects, the local firm responsible for designing a number of striking mixed-use developments throughout the city, including several in West Hollywood and West Los Angeles.

Over the past several years, a series of commercial developments have reactivated a series of parking lots along Koreatown’s stretch of Wilshire Boulevard. A local investor is now looking to spread that momentum south. Yesterday, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to construct a residential-retail complex 1054 S. Vermont Avenue. The project - which is being developed by 1054 Vermont, LLC - would consist of a seven-story structure featuring 228 condominiums, approximatley 53,000 square feet of retail space and a subterranean parking garage for 563 vehicles.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame continues to shed its once-grungy reputation. Yesterday, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to construct a mixed-use development at Hollywood Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue, featuring 260 residential units and 17,800 square feet of commercial space. According to a case filing from the Department of City Planning, the proposed 280,000-square-foot building would range from 42 feet to 160 feet in height. The development site is currently home to the Attie Building, an early 1930s structure at 6436 W.

Earlier this week, we were afforded the opportunity to tour the Metropolis site in Downtown Los Angeles. For a progress updated on the mixed-use complex, look below to the images from architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart. The $1-billion development from Greenland USA consists of four high-rise towers designed by architecture firms Gensler and Harley Ellis Devereaux. The buildings, ranging from 19 to 56 stories in height, will feature a combined 1,558 condominiums, 75,000 square feet of commercial space and a 350-key Hotel Indigo.

Aerial images captured by architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart showcase progress on the $800-million expansion of the Westfield Century City shopping mall. The project, slated to open in phases starting in 2017, will add 422,000 square feet of shops and restaurants to the flagship retail center. Prominent new tenants will include a three-level Nordstroms, a remodeled Bloomingdale’s, a new Macy’s and the first West Coast location of the Italian market chain Eataly.

The Architects Newspaper has revealed new designs from Michael W. Folonis Architects for a mixed-use development in Downtown Santa Monica. Slated for an approximately .32-acre property at 1415 5th Street, the project would consist of a five-story structure featuring 64 studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments with ground-floor commercial space and a rooftop amenity deck. The proposed development would set aside 13 residential units as affordable housing. The design is highlighted by an urban window above the building’s third floor, opening an outdoor deck to the street.

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.

Today, Holland Partner Group will hold an official groundbreaking ceremony for its latest mixed-use development in Downtown Los Angeles. Located at the corner of 9th and Figueroa Streets in South Park, the project consists of a 28-story, LEED-Silver tower which will feature 341 apartments and approximately 11,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Plans also call for a rooftop amenity deck, a three-level underground garage and a small park. The 312-foot tall building, designed by architecture firms Gensler and the Preston Partnership, is the long-delayed follow-up to Apex, an adjacent high-rise apartment tower completed in 2012.

This past Saturday, J.T. Wimsatt granted us an inside look at construction on 820 Olive Street, a 49-story high-rise development now underway in Downtown Los Angeles. Between 8:00 am and 5:30 pm, a 50-man crew worked with four pumps to pour approximately 4,600 cubic yards of concrete, or 460 truck loads. This averaged out to approximately 537 cubic yards per hour. 820 Olive Street, also known as 825 Hill Street, will include a total of 516 dwelling units and 4,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.