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In conjuction with the impending arrival of a $2-billion light rail line, the City of Los Angeles is pushing forward with streetscape improvements along Crenshaw Boulevard. The Crenshaw Boulevard Streetscape Plan, which is part of a larger effort to reorient neighborhoods around new transit stations, is intended to serve as a blueprint for new landscaping and public amenities along a five-mile stretch between 79th Street and the I-10 freeway. Per a presentation from the Department of City Planning, the goals of project include 1) the creation of a multi-modal corridor hospitable to automobiles, pedestrians cyclists and transit passengers and 2) the implementation of coordinated streetscape elements along the boulevard, making for a lively environment that is attractive to shoppers.

SCG America, the U.S. arm of a major Chinese real estate firm, has announced the acquisition of a .8-acre development site in the Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles. The property, located at the intersection of 4th Street and Broadway, is slated for a 34-story high-rise building which would feature 450 residential units and approximately 7,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. A groundbreaking for the proposed tower is scheduled for October 2016, with completion expected by 2020.

Last week, developer Trammell Crow Residential received welcome news from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning (LADCP), which has approved the Texas-based company’s proposal to build a residential tower in Downtown’s Historic Core. The project, known as the Alexan, would replace a surface parking lot at 9th and Hill Streets with a 27-story building featuring 305 residential units above approximately 6,200 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Plans also call for a landscaped roof deck, a swimming pool and a fitness center.

LA 2024 has released new renderings for two key venues in its bid to bring the 2024 Summer Olympic Games to Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, L.A. Olympic officials have proposed modifying the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum by adding a new temporary floor above the football field for use in track and field events. The area underneath the deck could be used as warm-up space. The temporary alterations would build upon USC’s planned $270-million renovation of the 93,000-seat stadium, which featured prominently in both the 1932 and 1984 Summer Games.

Developer Townscape Partners’ plan to build a $300-million development near the Sunset Strip is moving forward - with conditions. Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission (CPC) voted unanimously to approve the proposed mixed-use complex at 8150 Sunset Boulevard. The project, designed by the famed architect Frank Gehry, would feature a total of 249 residential units and approximately 65,000 square feet of retail space in buildings ranging from 5 to 15 stories in height.

An article in the Los Angeles Business Journal has offered a first look at Fig + Pico, a proposed hotel and retail complex in Downtown Los Angeles. The project, which is being developed by the New York-based Lightstone Group, would rise from an approximately 1.15-acre site fronting Pico Boulevard, Figueroa and Flower Streets. According to plans filed with the City of Los Angeles, the project would include a total of 1,100 guest rooms, which would be operated under three different hotel brands.

According to a memo from the Los Angeles City Council, a private entity has expressed interest in developing a pair city-owned parking lots in the Mid City neighborhood. The two properties, located at 4600-4616 W. Washington Boulevard and 4601-4615 W. Washington Boulevard, are currently zoned for industrial use. The Mid City Neighborhood Council has reportedly expressed a desire for a mixed-use development on the property featuring ground-level commercial space, rental apartments and replacement parking.

Vertical construction has commenced for Culver City Creative, a mid-rise office building from IDS Real Estate Group. The project, now rising from a three-acre property at Hannum Avenue and Bristol Parkway, will consist of a seven-story structure containing approximately 280,000 square feet of leasable space. Plans also call for a number of unconventional amenities, including a dog park, a basketball court and complimentary Uber service to Downtown Culver City, Playa Vista and the Expo Line.

Two images taken by architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart offer a before-and-after look at the Civic Center’s $400-million Federal Courthouse. The first picture, taken in June 2014 from the observation deck at Los Angeles City Hall, shows the 10-story courthouse near the beginning of vertical construction. The second image, captured in July 2016, shows the project as it nears completion. Designed by SOM, the building has been described as a glass cube floating above a stone base.

One year after we last dropped by, take a second look at Pico Boulevard’s mixed-use building boom in Downtown Los Angeles. The Project at Pico Between Olive and Hill Streets, vertical construction is nearing completion for a two-building development by a joint venture between real estate firm Mack Urban and engineering giant AECOM. The project, designed by the architecture firms A.C. Martin and Togawa Smith Martin, consists of two seven-story structures that will feature 360 residential units above approximatley 6,400 square feet of ground-floor retail space.