Lots of Activity at G.H. Palmer's Broadway/Olympic Site

Downtown stakeholders breathed a collective sigh of relief last February, when developer G.H. Palmer - he of freeway-adjacent, "fauxtalian," infamy - revealed more contextually appropriate plans for a mixed-use development near the Ace Hotel.  That historically-themed design will soon be put to the test, as the Beverly Hills-based developer has finally begun work on the the project known as Broadway Palace.  Crews are currently demolishing an existing building and surface parking lot at the southeast corner of Broadway and Olympic Boulevard, clearing the way for the first of the complex's two buildings.

The low-rise and mid-rise project, designed by Nelson/Boivin Architecture & Planning, calls for a cumulative 686 apartment units and over 50,000 square feet of ground-level commercial stalls.  The buildings, which will be clad in brick veneer, are to rise on opposite sides of Olympic Boulevard.  Planning documents indicate that the project may be linked together by a pedestrian bridge, an amenity which became a controversial issue for a different Palmer development earlier this year.

Image credit: Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council

The first of Broadway Palace's two buildings, known by the prosaic title of "Building A," will rise six stories from the former parking lot at 1026 South Broadway.  Upper floors will comprise a mixture of 240 studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments.  Ground-level frontage on Broadway, Olympic Boulevard and Main Street will be lined with approximately 17,500 square feet of commercial space and seven live-work units.  Parking accommodations for 421 vehicles will be situated within a three-level, partially subterranean garage.

North across Olympic Boulevard, the lion's share of Broadway Palace's residential units will rise from a longtime parking lot at 928 South Broadway.  The abnormally shaped "Building B," will contain a total of 439 studio, live-work, one and two-bedroom apartment units above 35,000 square feet of street-level retail and restaurant space.  This portion of project checks in with a copious 1,152-car garage, contained on four underground levels.

Building B features an unusual design, calling for for a ten-story, concrete-framed structure along Broadway and a six-story, wood-framed building along Main Street.  This peculiarity is the result of a section of the Broadway Design Guide which stipulates minimum building heights within its boundaries.  As a result, new developments are forced to maintain Broadway's signature mid-rise street wall even while they replace surface parking lots and dilapidated one-story structures.

Palmer's colossal mixed-use development is the latest entrant into an ongoing development boom which has enveloped several blocks on the eastern periphery of the South Park neighborhood.  Slightly west along Olympic Boulevard, four low-rise residential-retail projects are simultaneously under construction from the Houston-based Hanover Company and the Miami-based Lennar Corporation.  To the north, the Onni Group has nearly topped-out on a 33-story apartment tower at 888 Olive Street.

Other mixed-use developments are currently wending their way through the planning process.  Local investor Barry Shy recently unveiled plans for multiple residential projects in and around the Historic Core, including a new 15-story tower across the street from Broadway Palace and the adaptive re-use of an adjacent building.  South at the intersection of Broadway and 11th Street, a trio of historic structures are slated for conversions into boutique hotels and creative office space.

1026 and 928 South Broadway

• Geoff Palmer Planning Two Huge Broadway Buildings (Downtown News)
• 928 & 1026 S. Broadway (DLANC)

Keeping Up With Geoff Palmer's Latest Faux-talian Fortresses

The Lorenzo, seen from the intersection of 23rd and Flower Streets

Amongst the first developers to cash in on Downtown LA's 21st century residential boom, Geoff Palmer has lined the Central City's freeway ring with his Italian Renaissance themed apartment buildings.  True to form, his newest projects both overlook the 110, albeit in very different parts of the neighborhood.  The Lorenzo, which stands seven stories tall, occupies the majority of a city block bounded by Flower Street, Adams Boulevard, Grand Avenue and 23rd Street.  Sitting adjacent to the Expo Line's busy 23rd Street Station, the multi-phased development contains a total of 910 residential units and 34,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.  With furnished apartments and private shuttle service, the Lorenzo seeks to tap into the student housing market generated by nearby institutions such as FIDM and USC.  The building offers "resort-style," amenities, including a game room, basketball courts, four pools and a tanning salon (seriously?).   Say what you will about the architecture, but they haven't scrimped on perks.

The Lorenzo, looking south from across 23rd Street

The Lorenzo, looking west on 23rd Street

Three miles north, construction is not quite as far along on Da Vinci, Palmer's second under-construction complex.  Slated to open this summer, the 526-unit development will consist of two buildings, linked by a skybridge, taking the place of former surface parking lots along Temple Street and Fremont Avenue.  At ground level, the project will feature over 8,000 square feet of commercial space.  Designed by Nelson/Boivin Architecture & Planning, Da Vinci caters itself to the professional community.  The project's official website touts its on-site conference rooms, executive business center and (gasp) fax and copy center.  Who needs Kinkos, anyway?  While the apartments may not sit within easy walking distance of the Financial District, the building will be located just a few blocks north of the future subway station at 2nd and Hope Streets.

Da Vinci, seen from the intersection of Temple and Figueroa Streets

Da Vinci's second building, looking south down Fremont Avenue from Temple Street

Artist's Rendering of Da Vinci; Image courtesy of G.H. Palmer Associates

Limited as land bordering the freeway has become, Palmer still has more in the pipeline.  In fact, Da Vinci may receive a similarly styled neighbor in the near future.  According to information displayed on the company's website, next up to bat appears to be a 9.6 acre property on the opposite side of the 110.  Located at 1000 West Temple Street, the land is currently occupied by a Bank of America data center.  More immediately, Palmer intends to build an apartment-retail complex at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Broadway.  In a departure from his firm's signature Tuscan architecture, plans call for the buildings to be clad in brick veneer, so as to better match the aesthetics of the Historic Core.  The Downtown News reports that the project is on pace to break ground in late March, with completion expected in 2015.

• City Planners Approve $250 Million Residential-Retail Complex in South LA (Los Angeles Times)
• The Lorenzo (Official Website)
• Da Vinci (Official Website)

Guess Who Wants Another Pedestrian Bridge?

Less than one year after an ugly controversy surrounding a proposed pedestrian bridge at the half-destroyed Da Vinci complex, the Geoff Palmer is ready to rehash the same storyline on Broadway.

According to a case filing from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, the Beverly-Hills-based developer intends to construct a pedestrian bridge across Olympic Boulevard, linking the two halves of his Broadway Palace development.  The project, which broke ground in September, will offer 686 apartments and over 50,000 square feet of ground-floor retail when completed.

Palmer frequently incorporates pedestrian bridges into his Italian-themed apartment complexes, most of which flank the Central City freeway ring.  In May 2014, he argued to the City Planning Commission that a bridge was necessary at the Da Vinci complex to for both internal circulation and protection from a nearby homeless encampment.  While that argument was rejected by the Commission, their ruling was later overturned with the help of 14th District Councilman Jose Huizar, who represents the majority of Downtown.

However, Palmer's other developments are located on the neighborhood's fringes, isolated from significant pedestrian traffic.  The same cannot be said for Broadway Palace, which is located near the popular Ace Hotel and a slew of upcoming residential-retail complexes.  A bridge over Olympic Boulevard, though not specifically prohibited by the Broadway Design Guide, would seem to conflict with the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood envisioned by the Bringing Back Broadway initiative.

• Case Information Summary Sheet: DIR-2015-81-SPR-CDO (LADCP)
• Lots of Activity at G.H. Palmer's Broadway/Olympic Site (Building Los Angeles)

Grading/Shoring Permits Issued for Palmer's Broadway Palace

Broadway Palace (Image: Loopnet)

One month after the massive blaze which destroyed half of the unfinished Da Vinci apartments, developer Geoff Palmer is preparing to begin work on yet another Downtown residential-retail complex.

Earlier this month, grading and shoring permits were issued by the Department of Building and Safety for the second half of Broadway Palace, a mixed-use development planned near the border between South Park and the Historic Core.  The project, located at 928 South Broadway, would create 439 studio, one-and-two bedroom apartments in a low-rise and mid-rise.  Plans call for a ten-story building along Broadway, lined with 35,000 square feet of street-level commercial space.  On the eastern side of the property fronting Main Street, the building would stand six stories tall above ground-floor live-work units.

The design of Broadway Palace forges a stark contrast to Palmer's other Central City developments, all of which feature Italian-Renaissance-themed architecture.  Instead, the building will feature a terra cotta brick facade tailored to resemble the appearances of nearby historic buildings.  The project's ten-story height is also informed by the Broadway Design Overlay, which seeks to maintain the neighborhood signature mid-rise street wall.

Palmer's project is one of several mixed-use complexes in development along an increasingly bustling stretch of Olympic Boulevard.  Besides the first stage of Broadway Palace, currently underway on the south side of the intersection, a quartet of seven-story apartment buildings are in various stages of construction two blocks west.  Local investor Barry Shy also plans to construct a 15-story condominium tower across the street from Palmer's development.  Altogether, the projects would comprise more than 1,800 new housing units.

However, an exact timeline for the Broadway Palace development remains uncertain.  As of this past weekend, the parking lot at 928 Broadway remains in use as a surface parking lot.

• B14LA05595 (LADBS)
• Lots of Activity at G.H. Palmer's Broadway/Olympic Site (Building Los Angeles)