Development WELCOME HOME

According to the website of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, a $38.5 million grant from the California Transportation Commission will allow Metro to move forward with the long-awaited modernization of the Willowbrook-Rosa Parks Station. Rosa Parks Station - situated in the unincorporated community of Willowbrook - is the 4th busiest in the Metro Rail network, serving more than 30,000 daily passengers on the Blue and Green Lines. However, due to its location amidst the bowels of the 105 Freeway, the station has frequently been criticized for its spartan amenities and poor pedestrian accessibility.

Even with completion still one year away, CIM Group’s massive Sunset La Cienega development has already established a dominant presence on the Sunset Strip. The $300 million project, named for its location at the intersection of Sunset and La Cienega Boulevards, will eventually consist of four mid-rise buildings, providing a mixture of hotel rooms, condominiums and premium retail and restaurant space. Construction is most evident at the southwest corner of the intersection, where twin condominium towers now rise eight stories above ground.

Yet another striking hotel development is underway on the world famous Sunset Strip. Crews recently cleared a 1.37-acre lot located at 9040 Sunset Boulevard, setting the stage for construction of West Hollywood’s highly anticipated Edition Hotel and Residences. The project - which is being developed by a joint venture between Marriott International, the Witkoff Group and New Valley - will serve as the Edition brand’s West Coast flagship, offering 148 guest rooms, 20 condominiums, and a variety of food, beverage and nightlife venues.

Last week brought the unveiling of a striking mixed-use development planned for the park-and-ride lot of Metro’s Culver City Station. Now, travel one stop east on the Expo Line to check out what San Francisco real estate firm Carmel Partners has in store for an 11-acre property which abuts the elevated La Cienega/Jefferson Station. Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Department of City Planning published a draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Jefferson and La Cienega project, a proposed transit oriented development which would replace the broadcast facility of radio stations KABC and KLOS with 1,900,000 square feet of residential units, office space and pedestrian-oriented retail.

Barker Pacific Group (BPG), a Los Angeles-based real estate developer, is nearing completion on the condominium conversion of a multi-family residential complex in Old Town Monrovia. The project, known as Colorado Commons, consists of 68 one-, two- and three-bedroom townhomes and four commercial stalls at 517 Falling Leaf Alley. Units are priced starting in the low $400,000s and range from 690 square feet to 2,140 square feet in floor area. All dwellings come appointed with high-quality finishes, energy efficient appliances and dedicated underground parking spaces.

High above the traffic congestion of the 405 Freeway, an elevated viaduct for the $2-billion Crenshaw/LAX light rail line is beginning to take form. According to a notice posted to Metro’s website, crews from Walsh/Shea Corridor Constructors (WSCC) are currently implementing cast-in-drilled-hole construction in preparation for the I-405 bridge’s false work. WSCC recently assembled the rebar cage for a support pillar on the upcoming bridge, which will allow Crenshaw Line trains to safely bypass both a freeway offramp and the busy intersection of Florence Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard.

Jamison Services, one of Southern California’s largest private office landlords, is continuing its expansion into multifamily residential development by converting two of its landmark Koreatown properties into apartments. 3350 Wilshire Boulevard At 3350 Wilshire Boulevard, the company is currently gutting the interior of a mid-century office tower that once served as the West Coast headquarters of Texaco. The 12-story building, which flanks the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, is receiving a full interior and exterior overhaul designed by Corbel Architects.

While Hollywood and Vine is clearly the place to be at the moment, don’t sleep on the Hollywood/Western neighborhood just down the street. Over the weekend, the Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council took a look at plans for a new hotel on the vacant lot at the southwest corner of Hollywood Boulevard and St. Andrews Place. The self-described “European Style Luxury Boutique Hotel,” would rise six-stories, consisting of 80 guest rooms above a two-level, 31-car garage.

A short walk south from Hollywood High School, the Miami-based Lennar Corporation recently started construction on a mixed-use development at 1411 N. Highland Avenue. Built on a vacant lot between Leland Way and DeLongpre Avenue, the six-story structure will contain 76 apartment units above 2,500 square feet of ground floor commercial space. A combination of studio, one, two and three bedroom units shall be served by 143 parking spaces, located within an 1 1⁄2 level underground garage.

According to a March report from Gray Construction, LA-based developer Five Chairs has broken ground on their long stalled hotel project near the intersection of Selma Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard. As a few keen observers have noticed, the shabby two-story parking structure which previously stood at 6417 Selma Avenue was quietly demolished earlier this year. In its place will rise the Dream Hollywood Hotel, containing 182 guest rooms above street level commercial space.