Development WELCOME HOME

Last month, the Los Angeles Daily News reported that construction is finally underway for a mixed-use development at the site of the paper’s former headquarters. The project from Fairfield Residential, located on a 4.5-acre site at 21221 Oxnard Street, will consist of 379 apartments in a sprawling five-story complex. Previous reports have budgeted the development at $70-million. A rendering from Architects Orange portrays a contemporary design highlighted by a glass tower element.

Local developer Thomas Safran & Associates is in the midst of construction for a senior affordable housing complex in Willowbrook, near a busy transfer station between Metro’s Blue and Green Lines. The Gateway at Willowbrook, now rising from a formerly vacant plot at 11737 Wilmington Avenue, will consist of a five-story building featuring 105 income-restricted units. Plans call for a mixture of one- and two-bedroom floor plans, with rents up to $949 per month.

Yesterday, the the General Services Administration granted a first look at Downtown’s $350-million Federal Courthouse. The 10-story structure, located at the corner of 1st Street and Broadway, features 24 courtrooms and 32 judicial chambers. Tenants include several Federal agencies, including the U.S. District Court, the U.S. Marshals Services, the U.S. General Services Administration, the Federal Public Defender and the U.S. Attorney Office. Architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the new courthouse to resemble a cube floating above a stone base.

Six months after purchasing Downtown’s Foreman & Clark Building for $52 million, Canadian developer Bonnis Properties is moving forward with plans to convert the late 1920s building into apartments. Earlier today, the Vancouver-based real estate firm submitted plans to the City of Los Angeles to create approximately 79,000 square feet of residential area on the upper levels of the 13-story structure, with an average unit size of 660 square feet. Plans also call for approximately 8,500 square feet of retail space on the building’s ground-floor.

Four months ago, a Chinese real estate firm snatched up a prominent Hollywood development site for $9.5 million. The company is now following through on its plan to build a boutique hotel on the property. According to a case filing from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, applicant Hollywood Culture and Investment Corp Inc. (HCIC) is seeking approvals to build a 14-story building at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and El Centro Avenue.

Last week, Warner Music Group sent shockwaves through the Los Angeles real estate industry by announcing its plans to relocate from Burbank to the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. With more than 250,000 square feet of office space suddenly off the market, a new development could add more to the pipeline. Yesterday, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to demolish a cold storage facility at 640 S.

A small commercial building in Winnetka could give way for a mixed-use development. Yesterday, developer Rainbow Investments, LLC filed plans with the City of Los Angeles to construct a mixed-use development consisting of 160 apartments, 10 townhouse-style dwellings, 7 live-work units and approximatley 4,270 square feet of commercial space. The project also calls for 283 parking spaces for residents and guests. A case filing from the Department of City Planning also links the development to Ahn & Associates, a real estate management firm based out of Encino.

A marketing website from Hudson Pacific Properties has unveiled renderings for CUE, a creative office building now under construction on the Sunset Bronson Studios lot. The five-story structure - designed by the global architecture firm Gensler - will offer approximatley 95,000 square feet of leasable floor area with column-free spans, high-ceilings, large windows and terraced balconies. Plans also call for a 9,500-square-foot rooftop amenity deck, as well as electric car charge stations and bike storage in an adjacent parking garage.

A document from the Los Angeles City Planning Commission (CPC) has revealed renderings for the Amalfi Apartments, a proposed multifamily residential development in Baldwin Hills. Developer Abraham Shofet, through his company JMDB Holdings, is planning to demolish a vacant medical office building at 3831 W. Stocker Street to build a four-story apartment building featuring 74 studio, one- and two-bedroom dwellings and a below-grade parking garage. The project would utilize density bonus incentives, which are requested in exchange for providing seven units of very low income housing.

The proposed redevelopment of West L.A.’s Martin Cadillac took a big step forward last month, when the Los Angeles City Council unanimously voted to approve the project. Located across the street from Metro’s Expo/Bundy Station, the Martin Expo Town Center (METC) would feature 150,000 square feet of office space, 516 apartments, a 35,000-square-foot grocery store and additional space for shops and restaurants. This revised plan redistributes approximately 25% of the originally proposed office space to the project’s residential component, which will now feature larger unit sizes.