Another Addition to the Condo Canyon

Development is on its way for one of the few remaining vacant parcels of land on Wilshire Blvd west of the Los Angeles Country Club.  Check out this filing from August 1st, gleaned from the Department of City Planning:

DIR-2013-2348-DRB-SPP

860 S DEVON AVE, LOS ANGELES CA, 90024

THE CONSTRUCTION OF 33 DWELLING UNITS WITH AN APPROXIMATE HEIGHT OF 75 FEET.  PROJECT AREA: 14,369 SQ. FEET. 

The design for the building appears to be coming from Culver City based RTK Architects, Inc.  No renderings yet, and their currently under construction website supplies little absolutely no useful insights.  More information will be available as this makes it way through LA's tedious approval process, though.

As I mentioned, the lot at Wilshire and Devon represents one of the few remaining undeveloped parcels on Wilshire's so-called "Condo Canyon," through Westwood.  This also vacant lot sits two blocks to the west, at the intersection with Le Conte:

The odd shaped parcel at the corner of Wilshire and Gayley also remains empty, waiting for the Flatiron inspired/Robert A.M. Stern designed Gayley at Wilshire Tower to rise.

At 427 feet from head to toe, the Gayley at Wilshire would be the tallest building in the Westwood skyline.

Currently, the developer is fighting with UCLA over whether or not there will be access to the alley at the back of the property during construction.  The developer deems a street vacation for the alley to be necessary for construction, while UCLA doesn't want access to their adjacent parking lot restricted.

Westwood's Gayley at Wilshire Revived?

Image credit: Wilshire Gayley

After sitting idle for several years, Westwood's Flatiron-inspired Gayley at Wilshire could finally be moving forward.  A case filing from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning indicates that developer Indivest Incorporated has revived plans for the 250-key, five-star hotel tower, which would be located on a currently vacant property at 10955 Wilshire Boulevard.  Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, the 29-story building would rise 427 feet, making it the tallest structure in the Westwood skyline.  First proposed before the global economic meltdown, the project site has seen little action since 2011, when its former low-rise occupant was demolished.  Since then, Indivest has patiently awaited improved economic conditions and potential tax breaks from the city.  Signs of movement on the long stalled development first appeared last year, when the developer briefly disagreed with UCLA on the terms of an alley vacation deemed necessary for the construction of the tower.  With neighboring property owners now on board, and the LA City Council doling out hotel tax breaks left and right, perhaps construction cranes are in Westwood's near future.

• The Gayley at Wilshire (Official Website)
• Case Information Summary Sheet (LADCP)
• Westwood Hollywood Video Gets Boot... (Curbed LA)
• Developer Plans Hotel for LA's Westwood Section (Travel Weekly)