Mack Urban's New South Park Towers Revealed

1120 Grand Avenue (Image: DLANC)

Late last year, a joint venture between AECOM and developer Mack Urban announced plans for a $750 million mixed-use complex on six acres of South Park real estate.  The first phase of the development - a pair of low-rise structures on Pico Boulevard - was revealed in April to consist of 360 condominium units and roughly 6,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.  Now, take a look at phase two of the mega-project, courtesy of a presentation to the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council's Planning and Land Use Committee.

The largest of the two buildings would rise from a 1.6-acre parking lot at 1120 Grand Avenue.  Designs from architecture firm AC Martin call for a 37-story structure, containing 512 condominium units and slightly under 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space.  The building would be served by a total of 752 parking spaces, situated on six above-grade and two below-grade levels.  Residential units would consist of a mixture of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, in addition to six townhouse units along the western side of the project site.  An outdoor deck atop the building's podium would provide an assortment of residential amenities, including a dog run, exercise space and a swimming pool.

The Mack Urban-AECOM towers are among the first high-rise developments to emerge since Los Angeles eliminated its longtime rooftop helipad mandate.  With that in mind, AC Martin has taken full advantage of the now relaxed policy in its designs for 1120 Grand Avenue.  The tower is to be adorned with a dramatic 100-foot spire, greatly augmenting the building's 386-foot roof height.

1155 Olive Street (Image: DLANC)

The second half of the project would rise from an adjacent parking lot at 1155 Olive Street.  Plans included with the presentation call for a 12-story building, featuring 154 studio and one-bedroom condominium units and slightly under 11,000 square feet of ground-level retail and restaurant space.  Parking accommodations for the mid-rise structure would be provided through the adjacent tower's garage.  The tower would also include substantial open space, in the form of outdoor terraces on its third and roof levels.

Due to its substantially lower height profile (142 feet above grade), 1155 Olive Street lacks the ability of its proposed neighbor to significantly impact the Downtown skyline.  However, AC Martin's designs include several architecture features which will help give the mid-rise tower visual prominence.  Most notably, plans call for the building to be framed by perforated metal panels and blue LED lighting.

The decision to move forward with a purely residential phase two represents a slight shift from an earlier proposal for 1155 Olive Street.  Plans submitted to the Department of Building and Safety earlier this year had called for the 12-story structure to feature a 300-room hotel.

According to the September development rundown from the Downtown News, Mack Urban and AECOM intend to commence work on both towers by the third quarter of 2015.

• Mack Urban Site 1 (DLANC)
• Mack Urban Wants to Start with Hotel and Residential Towers (Building Los Angeles)

First Renderings of Mack Urban's South Park Development

Although Mack Urban's upcoming South Park developments bring the exciting potential for new high-rises near the AT&T Center, the project also features a substantial low-rise component along Pico Boulevard.  Here is a first look, thanks to a presentation from the DLANC website.  Set to rise on adjacent parking lots between Olive and Hill Streets, this phase of the project consists of two seven-story buildings containing 360 condominiums and approximately 6,400 square feet of ground floor commercial space.  Designed by AC Martin Partners, the project features 23 townhouse units, in addition to standard residential amenities such as an outdoor pool and an on-site gym.  Residents will be served by a 382-car garage, with vehicular ingress and egress provided via an alley way at the center of the project site.  Automobile accommodations will be supplemented by 403 bicycle parking spaces.  This section of Pico Boulevard, currently surrounded by surface parking lots and nondescript commercial buildings, is poised for significant changes in the near future.  Besides Mack Urban's low-rise project, similar mixed-use developments are in the works from Jade Enterprises, the Wolff Company, and 4D Development.

The presentation also reveals that the project will offer 36,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space, located along Grand Avenue, Olive Street and Pico Boulevard.  Renderings from the Melendrez Design Group portray a series of grassy pocket parks, offering murals, generous seating, water features, and even room for food trucks.  The project offers a variety of streetscape improvements, including new trees, mid-block crossings and sidewalk bulb-outs.  AC Martin sets out to foster pedestrian activity in and around the development site by converting alley ways into inviting, landscaped paseos.  With the neighborhood slated for a residential construction binge over the next several years, setting aside pockets of land for green space will become all the more important.  As the presentation boldly proclaims, this project really is about putting the park in South Park.

• 1211 S. Hill Street Presentation (DLANC)
• Mack Urban Wants to Start with Hotel and Residential Towers (Building Los Angeles)