Killefer Flammang to Design Sonny Astani's "Valencia"

Last year, the LA Times reported that developer Sonny Astani was in the planning stages for a mixed-use project at the corner of Wilshire and Valencia.  Today, an initial study is out for the low-rise development, to be known as the Valencia.  Details read as follows:

1501 W Wilshire Blvd

The Proposed Project consists of the demolition of approximately 44,168 square feet of commercial office and multi-family residential land uses and the construction of a mixed-use project with 218 residential apartment units and 4,441 square feet of neighborhood serving commercial land uses on the ground floor.  11% of the Proposed Project’s permitted residential component will be set aside as Very Low income affordable units (18 units).  A total of 253 vehicular parking spaces, including 248 residential and 5 commercial, will be provided in two levels of subterranean parking within the proposed building.  The structure would includes six levels (approximately 75 feet high) above grade.

The project also includes a two-story gym and over 20,000 square feet of open space, divided between multiple courtyards and a dog run.  As with several other mixed-use developments in Westlake, the Valencia is moving forward with a reduced parking ratio (1.14 : 1).  Astani utilized the city's Bicycle Parking Ordinance, passed into law earlier this year, to swap out 28 vehicular parking spaces for less costly bicycle accommodations.

The Valencia's EIR also revealed that Santa Monica based Killefer Flammang is the architectural firm behind the project's design. While the grainy black and white images from the EIR provide only a glimpse at the Valencia's appearance, exterior finishes are listed as metal, masonry/tile, plaster and glass.  KFA's work in other parts of the city may also hint at what's to come, examples of which include the NMS@Culver City and the Motor Avenue Apartments in Palms.

Construction of the Valencia is expected to begin this year and wrap up in 2014.

• Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (Department of City Planning)

Another Mixed-User on the Way in Westlake

1324 W Wilshire Blvd

More apartments appear to be coming to the stretch of Wilshire Blvd that traverses the Westlake neighborhood.  Here are the details filed with the Department of City Planning:

1324 1/2 W Wilshire Blvd

This project includes the demolition of two three-story existing office buildings for the construction of a 6-story, approximately 73-ft. tall building with 52 residential dwelling units, 54 parking spaces, approx. 5,281 sq. ft. of ground floor neighborhood serving retail, and a total of approx. 56,598 sq. ft. of floor space.

1324 1/2 W Wilshire is part of a trend of new developments emerging with reduced parking components.  Always a nice thing to see, and it makes perfect sense in a transit rich neighborhood like Westlake.

This proposal joins two larger scale developments located less than one block away.  To the east, Good Samaritan Hospital's Medical Plaza is currently under construction at the corner of Wilshire and Witmer.

Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Plaza.  The expansion is the building on the right hand side featuring blue glass.

To the west, Sonny Astani plans to build a six story mixed-use development with 220 apartments at the corner of Wilshire and Valencia.

CIM Group Bringing a One Floor Shopping Center to Hollywood Blvd

5503 Hollywood Blvd and the Gershwin Apartments.  Image from CIM Group.

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.

This is where I would normally expound on some of the positive qualities of a development, but I can't sugarcoat it this time.  CIM's proposal is extremely underwhelming and wholly inadequate for a lot that's kitty corner from the Hollywood/Western Red Line station.  This should be a mixed-use development, similar in scale to Sonny Astani's proposed "High Line West," on the opposite side of Hollywood Blvd.

"High Line West."  Image from PSL Architects.  Great design and perfect scale for its location.  Love how it matches the street wall of the adjacent historic building.

Truthfully, the bigger problem is the fact that CIM's proposal actually complies with Los Angeles' zoning laws.  The city's general plan indicates that the land is zoned for high density residential use, but documents from City Planning show that the height limit for this parcel is only 35 feet above grade.  That's not tall enough to build high density anything.  It's an odd contradiction within LA's land use laws, but that's what happens when a city relies on zoning codes written in 1946.

While LA has started the process of revising its outdated codes, these much needed changes will likely come too late to allow CIM to put something more substantial on the lot.

• High Line West Bringing Apartments, Retail, Elevated Park to Hollywood and Western  (Curbed LA)
• Recode LA

Two Residential-Retail Complexes Start Work in Westlake

After more than a year of inactivity, mixed-use construction is finally returning to City West.  In the shadow of Good Samaritan Hospital, two developers are now in the midst of site preparation for a pair of residential complexes that will infuse the Westlake neighborhood with more than 800 new market rate apartment units.

On a 4.1 acre property immediately northeast of the hospital, the Vancouver-based Holland Partner Group recently commenced work on a long delayed $125 million mixed-use development.  Known as the Bixel and Lucas project, plans call for a low-rise development with 648 residential units and 40,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space.  According designs drawn up in 2011, the project will consist of two phases, the first of which entails the conversion of a vacant eight-story office building at 1136 W. 6th Street into 42 apartments.  The second stage, which consists of approximately 600 residential units, calls for the construction of a new, six-story building that would occupy most of the project site.  Residential amenities would include a landscaped interior courtyard, recreation room, dog run, and parking accommodations for 762 vehicles.  As part of a density bonus granted by the city, Bixel and Lucas shall reserve 30 of its residential units very low income households.  The almost 925,000 square foot development comes on the heels of 1111 Wilshire, a significantly smaller building opened by HPG in early 2013.  Bixel and Lucas, like 1111 Wilshire, features a colorful facade designed by Nadel Architects.

Image credit: Nadel Architects

1136 W. 6th Street, currently being refurbished as part of HPG's Bixel and Lucas Development.  See what it looked like before.

A few blocks southwest, Astani Enterprises recently commenced demolition on the cluster of one-story commercial buildings formerly located at 1501 Wilshire Boulevard.  In their place, the Beverly Hills-based developer intends to construct Valencia, a 218-unit complex designed by Killefer Flammang Architects.  Rising six stories, the building will offer 4,400 square feet of ground floor commercial space, in addition to a 258-car underground parking garage.  Similar to many Downtown projects currently in predevelopment, the project utilized the city's recently instated bicycle parking ordinance to allow for a 10% reduction in total number of vehicular parking stalls required.  Like Bixel and Lucas, stipulations of a density bonus granted by the city also require Valencia to include affordable housing.  In this case, a total of 18 residential units will be reserved for low income households.  The $60 million development is located just one block west of Vero, another residential-retail complex opened by Sonny Astani in 2006.

• City West Project With 640 Units to Break Ground in 2014 (Downtown News)
• Good Samaritan Mixed-Use (Nadel Architects)
• Astani's Latest Westlake Mixed-User Revealed (Building Los Angeles)

Astani's Latest Westlake Mixed-User Revealed

Image Credit: Astani Enterprises

The resurgent Westlake neighborhood is about to get another influx of market rate units, this time courtesy of Sonny Astani.  As reported by the Downtown News, the Beverly Hills-based developer plans to start construction later this year on Valencia, a mixed-use development to be located at 1501 Wilshire Boulevard.  Designed by Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang Architects, the six-story building will contain 218 apartment units, 18 of which shall be reserved for low income households.  The project will also feature 4,400 square feet of street level retail and a 253-car garage.  Valencia utilized the city's bicycle parking ordinance to receive a 10% reduction in the required number of vehicle parking spaces.  The $60 million development will require the demolition of several low-rise commercial structures that currently occupy the 1.5 acre parcel at Wilshire and Valencia Avenue.

Astani's project arrives as the long neglected Westlake neighborhood is witnessing a revival of construction activity at all ends of the specturm.  One block east of Valencia, Good Samaritan Hospital is currently in the midst of an $80 million expansion project.  North of the hospital, Holland Partners intends to break ground this year on a 648-unit development at the corner of Bixel Street and Lucas Avenue.  The Seattle-based company also completed a 210-unit building at 1111 Wilshire Boulevard in early 2013.  Further west, Metro and developer McCormack Baron Salazar are planning the second phase of an affordable housing project on the land above Westlake/MacArthur Park Station.

1501 Wilshire Boulevard

• 1501 Wilshire (Astani Enterprises)
• Developer Astani Plans Mixed-Use Project Near Downtown L.A. (Los Angeles Times)

G12 Preparing to Start Work

It must be a nice time to own a business that rents temporary construction fencing.  Last week, a couple of Downtown parking lots were closed off, making way for new mixed-use projects on 9th Street and Olympic Boulevard.  We can now add a third surface lot to that tally, as the phase one site of South Park's G12 development is now fenced off in preparation for construction.  Designed by locally-based TCA Architects, phase one will rise seven stories at the southeast corner of 12th Street and Grand Avenue. The low-rise building is being developed by a partnership between the Wolff Company and Sonny Astani, and will contain 347 apartments above 18,500 square feet of ground floor retail space.  G12 will offer its residents 24-hour concierge and valet service, in addition to standard amenities such as a pool and a fitness room.  The project has gained some praise for its relative lack of automobile parking (at least by LA standards), as well as its ample bicycle accommodations.  Although the project's current surroundings are a mixture of parking lots and forgettable one-story buildings, this section of South Park is slated for explosive growth in the immediate future.  A second phase of G12 is planned for an adjacent parking lot, although a timeline for that half of the project has yet to be announced.  Developer Mack Urban also intends to construct multiple residential and hotel towers nearby, the first of which could break ground late this year.

• 12th & Grand (The Wolff Company)

Phase II of South Park's Massive G12 Development Revealed

Image from the Wolff Company

With the first half of the bike-friendly G12 development scheduled to begin construction later this year, it's time to take a look at 12th & Olive, the second phase of the $245 million project.  Replacing the current surface parking lot at 1243 Olive Street, the new building will rise seven stories, containing 293 apartment units above 17,300 square feet of ground floor retail and restaurant space.  Phase two includes 7,000 square feet of residential amenities, with the added bonus of 24/7 on-site concierge and valet service.  Like seemingly every other low-rise development sprouting up in Downtown these days, the project was designed by TCA Architects.  Not coincidentally, 12th & Olive bears a strong resemblance to its phase one counterpart.  Owned by the Arizona-based Wolff Company, G12 arrives as the South Park neighborhood is on the cusp of a sea change.  Nearby on Pico Boulevard, Jade Enterprise's Onyx development is planned for two surface parking lots on the path of Metro's Blue and Expo Lines.  North on Grand Avenue, developer Mack Urban proposes multiple high-rise residential and hotel towers adjacent to the AT&T Center.

Phase one, planned for the adjacent surface parking lot at Grand Avenue and 12th Street.  Image credit: Wolff Company

Phases one and two, outlined in red.

• 12th & Olive (Wolff Company)

Another Stalled South Park Tower Comes Back to Life

Rumors began circulating late last year, but a new case filing from the Department of City Planning makes it official: phase two of Apex has been resurrected.

Documents on file with the City of Los Angeles indicate that the revived development would feature a 28-story residential tower at the southwest corner of 9th and Flower Streets.  Earlier plans for the building had called for approximately 280 dwelling units and ground-floor retail space.  An adjacent triangular site at the southeast corner of 9th and Figueroa Streets would give way for a two-story standalone retail structure.

The existing Apex tower was originally developed as part of a three-phase condominium complex known as Concerto.  The project, which was built by Sonny Astani, experienced a litany of setbacks due to the global financial crisis of the late 2000s.  Following the bankruptcy of his lender, Astani was forced to sell the nearly-finished building in 2011.  Apex and its adjacent development site eventually came into the possession of ST Residential, which opened the tower as luxury apartments in 2012.

An exact timeline and design for the project is currently unclear.  When initially proposed one decade ago, plans for the Concerto complex called for a twin-tower design from architecture firm HansonLA.

The original design for Concerto (Image: Astani Enterprises)

• Case Information Summary Sheet: ZA-2005-1673-ZV-ZAA-SPR-PA1-M1-PA1 (LADCP)

Apartments and Retail Break Ground at Hollywood/Western

Work has finally begun on 5550 Hollywood Boulevard, a long-awaited mixed-use complex from developer Sonny Astani.  Designs from Los Angeles-based PSL Architects call for a six-story structure containing 280 apartments and slightly over 12,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.  The project will preserve and incorporate Falcon Studios, a two-story brick structure built in the 1920s which once served as a rehearsal studio for performers in Hollywood's golden age.

The $100 million development had previously faced opposition from two clients of attorney Robert Silverstein, both of whom sought to overturn 5550 Hollywood's approvals from the City Planning Commission.  The two appeals, which have since been dropped, argued that the project did not provide proper deference to historic structures such as Falcon Studios and the adjacent Mayer Building.

Astani's new residential-retail complex is the latest in a series of developments planned near the once-ignored Hollywood/Western subway station.  During the past two years, a shopping center and a new senior housing facility have opened up within walking distance of the busy intersection.  Further developments are also planned further west along Hollywood Boulevard, including a boutique hotel and a mixed-use development near the 101 Freeway.

Image: PSL Architects via Curbed LA

Image: PSL Architects via Curbed LA

5550 Hollywood Boulevard

• New Renderings and Name for Hollywood's High Line West (Curbed LA)
• Apartment and Shopping Complex is Slated for Hollywood Boulevard (Los Angeles Times)