Development WELCOME HOME

A struggling office building in Studio City could see a mixed-use neighbor. Last week, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to construct a residential-retail development on the parking lot surrounding the seven-story structure at 10850 W. Riverside Drive. According to a case filing with the Department of City Planning, the proposed building would rise five stories, featuring 179 apartments and 5,685 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. According to the Real Deal LA, the project comes from local investor Fred Delijani, whose family is best known for owning several of the historic movie palaces along Downtown’s Broadway Corridor.

Developer Mack Urban has announced the debut of Wren, a seven-story luxury apartment complex in Downtown’s South Park neighborhood. Located on Pico Boulevard between Olive and HIll Streets, the project consists of 362 residential units seated above 4,000 square feet of restaurant space connected to a private outdoor park. Rents in the building will range from approximately $1,850 to $6,200 per month, with the first move-ins scheduled for February 2017 Wren, designed by Togawa Smith Martin, features a variety of studio one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans, as well as a collection of townhomes fronting Olive and Hill Streets.

While the controversial Casden West L.A. development has drawn much attention, a number of smaller multifamily residential developments are now taking form to the south of Metro’s newly-opened Expo/Sepulveda Station. 2805 Sepulveda Less than a half mile south of the elevated stop, construction recently began for 2805 Sepulveda, an apartment building linked to the limited liability company Wesdale Pacific. Located at the southwest corner of Sepulveda Boulevard and Sardis Avenue, the project consists of a five-story structure featuring 25 residential units.

In an effort to improve regional rail service, Metro will study the possibility of adding new stations and increasing train frequency between the City of Burbank and Downtown Los Angeles. The study, which was approved yesterday by Metro’s Planning and Programming Committee, proposes the construction of two new stations in the City of Glendale and two stations within Los Angeles city limits. Although locations for the proposed stations are undetermined, the language approved by the committee specifies that they should be “spaced appropriately” to avoid interfering with the operations of Metrolink’s Ventura and Antelope Valley commuter rail lines.

The Downtown News has unveiled renderings for the proposed mixed-use development that would transform the Southern California Flower Market. A portion of the longtime wholesale center, located on a 3.8-acre property at 755 S. Wall Street, is slated to be razed to make way for a 14-story building, featuring 290 rental apartments - some of which would be set aside as affordable housing - and residential amenities. Plans call for the market’s second building to be upgraded and retained with space for floral vendors, approximatley 50,000-60,000 square feet of offices and an undetermined amount of parking.

Months of political posturing have finally lead to a detente between developer L.T. Global Investment, Inc. and the Anaheim Angels, allowing plans for a $450-million mixed-use complex to move forward in the Platinum Triangle. LT Platinum Center, slated for a 15-acre property near Angel Stadium, would consist of 340 residential units, 200 hotel rooms, 77,000 square feet of offices, 3,500 parking spaces and 440,000 square feet of commercial floor area. Plans call for a 28-story residential tower, which at nearly 350 feet in height, would become Orange County’s tallest building.

Fresh off the completion of the Current, a $70-million apartment tower in Downtown Long Beach, a team of developers is moving forward with plans for an even larger building on an adjacent property. As reported by Longbeachize, the long-awaited final phase of the Shoreline Gateway development will seek the approval of the Long Beach Planning Commission this coming Thursday. The proposed 35-story building, planned for a half-acre lot at Alamito Avenue and Ocean Boulevard, would consist of a 35-story building featuring 315 residential units, approximately 6,700 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 458 parking spaces on five underground levels.

Developer Rick Caruso continues to move forward with his plan for a $155-million luxury apartment tower across the street from the Beverly Center. Last week, the project - which calls for a 19-story building with 154 residential units and nearly 30,000 square feet of grocery and restaurant space - garnered the approval of the Mid City West Community Council’s Board of Directors (MCWCC) by a 22-6 vote. To achieve this, Caruso agreed to a community benefits package which obligates the proposed tower to set aside 10% of its units as affordable housing, in addition to public realm improvements such as painted and protected bike lanes, new crosswalks and landscaped medians.

The website of SPF Architects has revealed a new look for WE3, the proposed third building at the Water’s Edge office complex in Playa Vista. The $70-million project, which is slated for a vacant lot near the intersection of Lincoln and Jefferson Boulevards, would consist of a six-story structure featuring approximately 128,000 square feet of creative office space. Renderings portray a contemporary design with punched windows and a translucent metal canopy.

Five months ago, the Santa Monica Museum of Art announced it was decamping from its longtime home at Bergamot Station to new digs in Downtown Los Angeles. The 32-year-old institution, now rechristened as the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (or ICA LA), has revealed a conceptual design for its new home in the Arts District. The 12,700-square-foot building, located at 1717 E. 7th Street, was originally built in 1948 as a garment manufacturing facility.