Development WELCOME HOME

Koreatown is in the midst of a residential building boom, and it looks like a long dead development may want to get in on the action. The owners of the land once intended for Circa on Wilshire took out an extension on the tentative tract map for the lot which will last until 2015. Plans for a 18 floor/190 unit mixed-use tower at the corner of Wilshire and Virgil were put on hold back in 2008 amidst the real estate bust.

I use the word “construction,” liberally, since it’s just excavation at this point in the process. But starting in November of this year, concrete begins filling the massive dirt pit. In April of 2014, the steel framework of the Wilshire Grand begins its three year ascent to the peak of the Los Angeles skyline. In August of 2015, the tower is expected to reach its 1,100 foot apex above the corner of Wilshire and Figueroa.

The Westfield Group, scourge of California taxpayer advocates, continues to make slow but steady progress on enhancements for its flagship Century City location. When we checked on Century City back in July, they were hard at work on the mall’s new parking structure (on the right hand side of the above image). Now Westfield is moving on to the more exciting phase of the project. Earlier this month, they applied for a permit to demolish 1801 Avenue of the Stars.

Earlier this week, the Department of City Planning signed off on CIM Group’s amended plans for a mini shopping center at the northwest corner of Hollywood and Western. Details read as follows: The project proposes the demolition of five one-story commercial buildings; the construction of one new 39,667 square-foot retail structure that is 35 feet in height with 125 parking spaces located on the rooftop The architectural outfit handling the design work is McKently Malak, a firm whose portfolio consists mostly of suburban strip malls.

Since I was summoned to the Hill Street Courthouse this morning for an exciting day of jury duty, I decided to use part of my lunch break to showcase some of the construction activity in the neighborhood. As you can probably guess from the title of this entry, LA Trade Tech’s Construction Technology Building is first on my list. Designed by HMC Architects, the Construction Technology Building will be the largest facility on LATTC’s campus, totaling 139,000 square feet.

We may be in store for yet another Tuscan themed apartment building in City West. The “Under Development,” section of G.H. Palmer Associates’ website was recently updated to include a 9.6 acre property at 1000 W. Temple Street. The website currently provides no information on the number of units planned or a completion date. Geoffrey Palmer has become one of the most prolific developers of residential units in Downtown Los Angeles over the past decade, but has received much criticism in the process.

It appears that nothing can put a damper on the Downtown Los Angeles apartment boom, as another new residential building is set to rise in South Park. Check out these plans that were submitted to the Department of City Planning last week: 1001 S OLIVE ST MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - 201 DWELLING UNITS AND 4126 SQ. FT. OF GROUND FLOOR COMMERCIAL Surface parking lots in the Central City are being eaten up at a scorching pace these days.

A sizeable mixed-user appears to be on its way to the eastern edge of the Sunset Strip. Check out this filing with City Planning: 8150 W SUNSET BLVD 90046 DEMO EXISTING COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS AND CONSTRUCT A MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT WITH 111,000 SF. OF COMMERCIAL RETAIL AND RESTAURANT USES AND 249 RESIDENTIAL UNITS This new proposal comes in the wake of a resurgence in hotel and residential development along the strip. The 100,000+ square feet of retail/restaurant space is unsurprising due to the location’s ample Sunset Blvd.

Walking down Figueroa this afternoon, it was impossible to miss the large wooden barriers that have gone up at Figat7th. Spanish retailer Zara signed a 10 year lease for 27,000 square feet of ground floor space in the shopping center earlier this year. With the store scheduled to open in Spring of 2014, it looks like Zara has gotten the ball rolling on building out its new location.

This dusty sliver of land has been touched by a fair bit of drama in recent years. Now it appears that a mixed-use development is on the way. Lets take a look at the details: 330 N Union Avenue NEW CONSTRUCTION OF A 69-UNIT RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, INCLUDING 500 SF. OF GROUND-FLOOR COMMERCIAL/RETAIL SPACE WITH A MINIMUM OF 98 ON-SITE PARKING SPACES Back in 2011, Realtor Jovelle Schaffer put together a detailed chronology of the parcel’s history on her blog at Echo Park Cool.