Steven Sharp WELCOME HOME

After months of site preparation, a tower crane is ready to take construction vertical for a $300-million Marriott hotel on the Sunset Strip. The Marriott Edition - which is being developed by a joint venture between Marriott International, the Witkoff Group and New Valley - will rise from a 1.37-acre site at Sunset Boulevard and Doheny Drive. With 148 guest rooms and 20 condominiums, the hotel is expected to become the West Coast flagship of the Edition brand.

Eight months after purchasing the former headquarters of the Los Angeles Railway for $30 million, British developer Ennismore has revealed details about its plan to convert the 10-story edifice into a boutique Hoxton hotel. According to a presentation to the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, the London-based firm intends to convert the upper levels of the former office building into 164 guest rooms. Plans also call for multiple food and beverage venues, lounge areas, a spa, event space and a rooftop deck with a swimming pool and seating.

Holland Partner Group (HPG) continues its construction binge in Downtown Los Angeles, with yet another residential tower slated to break ground today in South Park. The Vancouver, Washington-based company’s latest development - slated for a half-acre site bordered by by Figueroa, 9th and Flower Streets - will be a 28-story, LEED-Silver building which will feature 341 apartments above a three-level underground parking garage. The project, known as Apex II, will also include approximately 11,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, a rooftop amenity deck and a small park.

Yesterday, we reported that Barry Shy was planning a condo conversion for SB Tower, one of his numerous properties in Downtown Los Angeles. A representative of the developer has notified us that the plans filed with the City of Los Angeles do not reflect any imminent plans, but rather an extension of the sunset provisions for previously approved entitlements. The building will remain as apartments. We regret the error.

Urban Commons, the real estate firm that now controls the land surrounding the Queen Mary, has announced $15 million in renovations for the historic ocean liner. According to a press release, the Los Angeles-based developer is partnering with architecture firm Gensler, to return the ship to its former glory while also infusing contemporary influences. Plans call for upgrades to the corridors and 346 state rooms of the hotel, including new carpeting, lighting and refurbished millwork.

At the crossing of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards, a luxury hotel tower is now taking shape. The 12-story Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, which is developed by Alagem Capital Group, is rising next-door to the iconic Beverly Hilton Hotel. Budgeted at $200 million, the project will consist of 170 guest rooms and suites, high-end stores, restaurants and ancillary functions. Renderings of the project, which is being designed by a team lead by Gensler and Pierre-Yves Rochon, portray a mid-rise structure in the Streamline Moderne style.

In this week’s Throwback Thursday, architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart shows eight months of progress on 801 S. Olive Street, the latest Downtown development from Carmel Partners. The first image, taken in February, captures the tower just past the halfway point of its 33-story climb. The second, snapped earlier this week, shows that vertical construction and exterior glass work are nearly complete. When finished in 2017, 801 Olive Street will feature 363 residential units and 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Last week, Merlone Geier Partners and the City of Laguna Hills broke ground on the new Five Lagunas Center on the site of the former Laguna Hills Mall. Situated adjacent to the 5 freeway, the project’s name was inspired by its location in the midst of Laguna Hills, Laguna Beach, Laguna Nigel, Laguna Woods and Laguna Canyon. Merlone Geier Partners imagines Five Lagunas as an urban village, providing a Downtown-like experience in a master-planned community.

Visions of a taller, more urban Warner Center are finally taking shape. Earlier this week, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to build a mixed-use development directly across the street from the $350-million Village at Westfield Topanga mall. The project, which is being developed by Los Angeles-based California Home Builders, would consist of a seven-story structure features 347 apartments above approximately 40,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

Note: A representative of the developer has notified us that SB Tower is not being converted into condominiums. The plans filed with the City of Los Angeles were to extend the sunset provision of previously approved entitlements. We regret the error. Nearly three years after being rebuffed in his attempt to convert two Historic Core buildings into condominiums, developer Barry Shy will hope for better luck with another of his numerous Downtown properties.