Development WELCOME HOME

East Los Angeles College (ELAC) has completed work on a $55-million expansion of its campus in Monterey Park. The Arts and Humanities Building, designed by the architecture and engineering firm HGA, consists of a five-story structure featuring classrooms, offices, and language learning labs. It is divided into two separate wings by an open-air courtyard which also serves as a main entrance and vertical circulation point. Located near the heart of the ELAC campus, the building incorporates a exterior plaza at the front of the building which weaves into a central quad.

Two years after completing work on a two-building development in Little Tokyo, AvalonBay Communities has turned its sights to the Arts District. Yesterday, the Virginia-based real estate firm filed plans with the City of Los Angeles for a mixed-use complex at the southwest corner of Alameda Street and Industrial Avenue. The proposed development, slated for the site of a 130,000-square-foot cold storage facility, would offer 475 live-work lofts, 45,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and parking for 703 vehicles.

A commercial building adjacent to Chinatown’s bustling Dynasty Center could give way for a mixed-use development. Yesterday, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to construct a seven-story structure at the northwest corner of Alpine and North Spring Street. The proposed development would create 122 residential units above 4,200 square feet of retail space and three levels of underground parking for 120 vehicles and 124 bicycles. Plans also call for residential amenities and six units of very low income housing.

Located near the center of the San Fernando Valley, the low-slung neighborhood of Reseda has suddenly become a hot spot for mixed-use developments. Yesterday, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to demolish a series of small commercial buildings to make way for a new residential-retail complex. The project, located at 6648 N. Reseda Boulevard, would consist of 205 residential units - including 18 restricted to very low income households - as well as 5,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space and parking for 280 vehicles.

Earlier this week, nonprofit developers Abode Communities and Mercy Housing California convened in Wilmington to celebrate the groundbreaking of Vista del Mar and Camino del Mar, a new collection of 176 affordable homes. In addition to housing, the $71 million development will offer 35,000 square feet of open and recreational space, as well as features uch as a computer lab, bicycle parking and on-site social services. The property also is located in close proximity to the Wilmington Waterfront Park.

Under a new arrangement announced by WEHOville, the proposed northern extension of Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX Line could begin construction earlier than currently planned. In a letter to West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsey Horvath, Metro CEO Phil Washington provided insight on the agency’s effort to bring the planned light rail extension to “shovel ready,” condition, in the event that Los Angeles County voters approve the transportation ballot initiative Measure M. These steps include the completion of a feasibility study for the northern extension by June 2017 and an environmental impact report on the preferred route in 2018.

Just three years after opening, an expansion is planned for the Stella Marina del Rey Apartments. The existing complex, located at 13488 W. Maxella Avenue, features 244 luxury apartments above ground-floor retail and restaurant place. According to plans submitted to the City of Los Angeles, the expansion would create an additional 65 residential units in a six-story structure. The project would require discretionary approvals by the City, including a zone change.

At long last, light appears at the end of the tunnel for MyFigueroa. Last week, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation announced that construction will start in October for the long-awaited makeover of the Figueroa Corridor. The $20-million project will provide a variety of streetscape improvements between Downtown Los Angeles and Exposition Park, including protected bike lanes, new bus platforms and landscaping. Segments of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 11th Street will also see upgrades under the plan.

Two industrial buildings located east of Exposition Park may be converted into residential units. Last Friday, plans were filed with the City of Los Angeles to transform the one- and two-story complex at 3761 S. Hill Street into 33 live-work quarters for “artists and artisans.” City records list the property’s owner as the limited liability company Hard Property. The developer is being represented by Los Angeles-based Segal + Rea Architecture. Across the freeway, a proposal from the Irvine-based Spectrum Group would create a hotel, residential and retail complex on a current surface parking lot.

An automobile repair business in Mid City could give way for a mixed-use development. Earlier this week, plans were submitted to the City of Los Angeles to construct a residential-retail complex on a quarter-acre site at 5835 W. Pico Boulevard. A case filing from the Department of City Planning list the project as a four-story structure featuring 28 apartments - including three units of very low income housing - seated above street-level retail space and two levels of underground parking.