ConstructLA

Dreamscapes

2010-07-17T16:31:00.001-07:00

This weekend saw the opening of the much-anticipated action thriller, Inception - the biggest non-sequel, non-adaptation box office hit since... Avatar? Inception tells the story of a rogue group of good-looking "dream investigators" who pry the secrets of unsuspecting victims through their highly architectural dreams. Ellen Page, of Juno fame, plays the Paris architecture student charged with designing the labyrinthine (but rarely surreal) landscapes where the high-speed illusory pursuits take place. Among the backdrops for the action are a Soviet-era arctic military base, a placeless cosmopolitan hotel, and a post-apocalyptic Waikiki beach. While the majority of the plot occurs in an in-flight dream en route to Los Angeles, many of the shooting locations, where named and not, are within our city limits.

While Los Angeles is certainly not new to appearing on screen, her scenes in Inception are used not to establish any real life locale or support a preconceived stereotype about this city, but to represent a dreamscape - a building or a place so amorphous or unreal that we might conceive something similar in our own dreams. The architecture of Los Angeles has long been identifiable in this way: with its longs stretches of Wild Wild West ramshackle monotony punctuated by look-at-me displays of ostentatious if not always intelligent landmarks. Now, one of the film's shortfalls (spoiler alert) is that, aside from liberal shows of antigravity and a compellingly tensile Paris skyline, there are conspicuously few scenes that make full use of the absurdity and total unreality that we know dreams are so often capable of. But to the film's credit, a large part of its thrill is that we never quite know when we are in a dream and we are in reality - a testament to the frightening lucidity that we also know dreams are capable of.

Among the most identifiable of the Los Angeles shooting locations are a downtown street corner (Hope and Wilshire), the Music Center and DWP headquarters, and the sleek 2000 Ave of the Stars in Century City. The first of these is used to represent a presumably New York City street, lined with skyscrapers and filled with yellow taxi cabs. In fact, an entire chase seen is filmed at this intersection alone, but is meant to read like a continuous series of urban intersections. If not for the distinctly eye-catching Famima!! that appears constantly in the bottom left quarter of the screen, we might never know we weren't actually hurtling down the monotonously urban New York City blocks. The second is perhaps the best example. The music center and the DWP are possibly the two most distinct of our mid-century modernist palaces. The cold, wide emptiness and the unrelenting repetititon of steel and glass reflecting off the shallow moat waters somehow feel equally at home in our nightmares as they do as our civic centers. The last of these represents more the hulking bravado that has come to characterize the contemporary office building. But the glass tower with a gaping hole through its center, better known as the home to the CAA talent agency, plays the sexily anonymous hotel where our dreamers rub shoulders with billionaires and high-rent prostitutes.

But aside from the brief dream-like glimpses of our city inserted alongside more majestic profiles of Tokyo and Paris, Inception has also brought architecture back into the discussion of cinematic spaces, and along with it, the more complex and intriguing question of what the spaces in our dreams look like.

The Grove, still our city center

2010-07-09T16:41:00.000-07:00

In an eye-catching display combining social media, outdoor advertising, and pedestrian involvement, the Canada Tourism Bureau has set up shop in vacant storefronts in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, to show a new generation of prospective American travellers all the wonders of our northern neighbor, via live Twitter and Facebook updates from actual visitors. The choice of our three largest cities is quite obvious, but their locations therein less so. They would have to choose locations that not only feature the most pedestrian traffic, but the ones that are most high-profile, in order to garner wider attention, like from the media. So Times Square for obvious reasons in New York, and Chicago's Michigan Ave is that city's main ritzy shopping thoroughfare.

And for LA? None other than the Grove - that much-debated yet much-loved outdoor mall cum public place that is still a huge metric of our urban identity, eight years after its completion. The Canadian bureau's decisioin to invest there poses a great reminder that the Grove is the sort of place we Angelenos like to spend our time and our money, especially given the recent high-profile openings of pseudo-urban mega-places like LA Live and the Hollywood W hotel TOD. The Grove is a civic space as much as it is a shopping mall - we go there to people-watch, to walk our dogs, to work on our laptops, and to grab a bite to eat. But it is a privately built and privately maintained civic space - devoid of the riff-raff we might find at actual public places, and unfortunately devoid of much of the character as well.

When Caruso Affiliated proposed the project early last decade, there were many questions - what would happen to the farmer's market? (it is flourishing), do people actually want to live above shopping centers? (largely no), and what's next? Well, to date the Grove has easily been Caruso's greatest success, with the Americana of Glendale a fairly big disappointment. And the formerly drab Santa Monica Place will reopen this Summer to resemble more closely its crowded but breezy neighbor, the 3rd St. Promenade, another popular urban space in the hands of national chain stores. So if it takes profit-minded developers to build our city's places, and if we are content paying for these places ourselves, through spending rather than taxes, then I see no problem with our urban spaces looking or feeling different from the more traditional ones in older cities. So it goes - what's good enough for Canada is good enough for us.

Missing the Target

2010-07-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

If you've been keeping up with the real estate development headlines lately, you might have noticed that every big, ambitious LA development plan includes a Target as its desired anchor tenant. Projects at various phases of development in Mid-City, Crenshaw, Hollywood, Westwood, and Downtown all tout Target as their crowning retail centerpieces. Some actually have the stated support of the Target Corp., while others merely crave the discount store's shiny urban appeal or its supposed potential to spur surrounding retail growth. The CRA has been lusting after Target for years in its attempt to turn a stretch of Washington Blvd south of Downtown into a dense big box haven. Oxymoron?

But why target Target? Perhaps developers point to the success of the West Hollywood Gateway, a project that has seen enormous traffic for its own tenants but has done little to turn around that languishing stretch of Santa Monica Blvd in eastern WeHo. Or perhaps they see Target much in the way the rest of us see it: as the hipper, cleaner alternative to those other trashy discounters we are loathe to visit. But the truth is that as a company, Target is in no position to expand its retail locations as aggressively as these developers might like. Neither is the Los Angeles customer base large enough or desirable enough to support a wealth of new stores.

Wal-Mart on the other hand, may take the cake on both these fronts. It is Wal-Mart, not its snooty rival, that has benefitted most from the recession, as many consumers seek deep discounts on their purchases rather than cut them out altogether. Secondly, Wal-Mart is aggressively studying a plan to roll out a new retail format that is much smaller than its traditional supercenter, and better fitted for urban real estate and the urban consumer. With Wal-Mart's small town and suburban locations built out, and no signs of slowed growth, that company is turning to a new potential demographic - a smart move considering the increasing costs of suburban living and the languishing retail opportunities there. Furthermore, Wal-Mart has but one location in our city limits (albeit a successful location), housed in a stately multi-story Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall location that was once home to a Sears. Should their new urban shop implementation work, I see no better place for a roster of mini Wal-Marts than Los Angeles. And as long as our developers are scrambling to attract their treasured Target, Wal-Mart is sure to score some good rental deals.

Subway-to-the... VA Hospital?

2010-06-29T01:06:00.000-07:00

According to Metro's latest round of community update meetings, the so-called Subway-to-the-Sea rail extension to Santa Monica is simply "out of the realm of funding feasibility," as is the spur joining Hollywood and Highland to the Wilshire route via Santa Monica Blvd. We knew Villaraigosa's 30-10 initiative was too good to be true. But look at the bright side, thanks to Measure R spending, construction on the subway line could begin as soon as the end of 2011.

Initially, construction of the first phase would terminate at a station in Westwood near Wilshire Blvd. But after suggestions by locals, project planners found that a 1-stop extension beyond the 405 to the Veterans Administration campus would indeed return higher ridership and decrease traffic congestion under the freeway. Beyond the VA however, ridership estimates decrease with every successive station, meaning dwindled fiscal feasibility. While Subway-to-the-Sea certainly has a nice ring to it, there simply isn't enough demand in the Santa Monica area to warrant an expensive underground rail construction, especially considering that the Expo phase 2 light rail extension to Santa Monica is already approved and will be completed far sooner than any phase on the Wilshire route. The UCLA area is home to the city's second largest job center outside of Downtown and will benefit enormously from the traffic relief and increased mobility brought by a more expedient subway extension.

As for the Santa Monica Blvd spur, the connection between Hollywood and Beverly Hills will make sense in the future, but right now that stretch also doesn't support the critical building density that would make a subway line pencil out. But as long as the City of West Hollywood continues its hungry, authoritarian concessions to big name developers, the Santa Monica Blvd corridor may well get its subway.

Best of Dwell on Design

2010-06-28T20:42:00.001-07:00

Interior designers, interior decorators, architects, buyers, set designers and home remodelling freaks descended on the LA Convention Center this weekend for Dwell on Design, the west coast's largest design convention. That the event was held here rather than Dwell Magazine's home base of San Francisco is a testament to LA's growing weight in the design industry (if not the fact that there are more decor shops per capita here than you would think financially sustainable). In addition to a handful of seminars ranging from the LA River to local microbreweries, there were of course the multitudes of designer stands, hawking goods and pushing new ideas. The word of the day was green, but the irrational exuberance of yesteryear was present as well. Conspicuously absent from the displays was any aggresive pursuit of technology. But there were still some pretty cool products. Here are my faves:

5. REFLECT Showerhead - Its non-condensing reflective metal face lets you guys get a close shave without risking any Psycho-esque shower cuts.

4. Vapur Anti Bottle - The foldable, rollable, reusable, washable water bottle is the bottled water replacement for those on-the-go types.

3. Dyson Air Multiplier - This sleek, bladeless room fan mimics the hyper-efficient design of Dyson's vacuum cleaners, while seaking to replace the wasteful air conditioner.

2. Woollypocket - The felt-like bags are made from recycled water bottles and can be hung alone as indoor decoration or strung together en masse to form grand outdoor living walls.

1. Nook Pebble crib mattress - Made from organic eucalyptus fibers, the hypoallergenic, water-repellant infant mattress uses pebble-like bumps to optimize nighttime air flow.

The Art of Advertising

2010-06-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Last week the MAK Center for Art and Architecture celebrated the conclusion of its seminal public arts project, “How Many Billboards? Art In Stead.” In an attempt to infuse art into an urban context where it is least expected, and draw attention to the conspicuousness of outdoor advertising in Los Angeles, the Center commissioned 21 artists to create large works that would occupy billboards across the city. From Silver Lake to West LA, drivers were greeted with surprising, sometimes subversive visual messages in place of the banal movie posters to which they were so accustomed. Supplementing the short-lived outdoor exhibition were a number of panel discussions organized by the Center around the often conflicting roles of public art and outdoor advertising. Unfortunately the session I attended seemed to be more of a town hall protest against the greedy lawlessness of the media companies rather than an academic discussion of art and commerce in the city. I have long believed that, with its year-round sunshine, car-obsessed sprawl, and of course its playing host to the film industry, LA is a city suited perfectly to—and in part developed from—a culture of spectacle. Our greatest landmark originated as an advertisement for a housing development, and the two biggest additions to our skyline in recent memory (LA Live and the Hollywood W) have paid painstaking attention to the inclusion of paid signage and outdoor media. The city’s main excuse for opposing big new outdoor advertisements is the fact that, unlike observers in Times Square or Tokyo’s Shibuya, LA’s eyes remain defiantly behind steel and glass cages hurtling by at speeds not suited to even temporary distraction. We are a city obsessed with and defined by our visual culture. This is a reality that makes a temporary citywide art show just as interesting as the capitalist establishment it seeks to question.

Click here to see photos and descriptions of the billboards.

Hollywood Freeway cap park inches forward

2010-04-18T17:32:00.000-07:00

US Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) has agreed to request the $5.85m necessary to begin prelimary studies and planning for the park. Though this is a tiny droplet in comparison to the estimated $950m necessary to build the park, supporters say it is a crucial step. The park, thought by many to be a pipe dream since its conception in 2006, would comprise 44 acres of parkland on a "cap" constructed over the freeway between Hollywood and Santa Monica Blvds. The park is seen as a much-needed addition of open space to an area of the city that has only .005 acres of parkland per resident. Friends of the Hollywood Central Park, the non-profit founded to get the project off the ground, says the majority of the money will come from private foundations. It is one of 2 cap parks planned for the Hollywood Freeway.

Source: Los Angeles Business Journal

SFO pokes at drab LAX to woo travelers from Down Under

2010-04-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

The City of San Francisco released the above video as part of a campaign to attract US-bound travelers from Australia and New Zealand to connect in San Francisco International Airport. While the "bad airport" featured in the cheesy video isn't directly referred to as LAX, our humble international terminal is the only other one with direct flights to Sydney and Aukland. OK, OK, we know LAX isn't the most pleasant airport to travel through, but it's getting an expensive upgrade! And besides, could the production quality of that video been any lower (c'mon, Gavin Newsom as a cab queue attendant)?

Source: LA Times

Korean Air chairman frustrated with state of downtown development

2010-04-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

At the annual Town Hall Los Angeles meeting held last month, the chairman of Korean Air and owner of the Wilshire Grand hotel spoke of the urgency of jumpstarting his ambitious $1b redevelopment of that prime Wilshire Blvd spot. Since the economy soured, construction lending has largely frozen citywide. Downtown properties have been particularly insolvent, struck by an aftermath of an overspeculative pre-bust boom. Perhaps in a last ditch attempt to attract supporters, investors, and lenders, chairman Yang-Ho Cho promised 8,000 construction jobs and 4,000 permanent jobs to result from the project. Plans call for 560 hotel rooms and a 65-story office tower. Whether downtown's hotel and office market is built out remains to be seen.

Source: Korean Air

Long-vacant church gets religious owner of a different order

2010-04-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

The historic Second Church of Christ, Scientist building on Adams Blvd near USC was just bought by the Art of Living Foundation, after sitting vacant for a number of years. The 100 year old building has become somewhat of a landmark in the North University Park neighborhood, and is notable for its wide-span oxidized copper dome and its soaring Corinthian columns. It was built in 1910 as the West Coast sister to Boston's First Church of Christ, Scientist, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1986. The Art of Living Foundation, a 30 year old local spiritual group dedicated to yoga and meditaion, paid an estimated $10m for the property. A new-age Eastern religion taking the reigns from an older new-age Western religion? How LA.

Source: LA Times

City, Universal launch 2 websites intended to boost tourism

2010-04-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angles Convention and Visitors Bureau have teamed up with Universal Studios Hollywood to offer 2 new websites aimed at attracting tourists to Hollywood and Los Angeles. The first, discoverLosAngeles.com, offers quick and easy activity, accommodation, and dining advice in a good-looking format. The newer experienceHollywood.com focuses on attractions in the Hollywood area, duly anchored by less than subtle links to Universal's own site. Long known as a grungy, crime-ridden section of Los Angeles, Hollywood has experienced an immense renaissance in less than a decade, and organizers hope to capitalize on this headway. Or in their words:

"like a glamorous starlet, Hollywood has made a major comeback and is living like a newly discovered ingénue everybody is talking about."

City rejects supergraphics/Cahuenga peak compromise

2010-03-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

Two of the city's most heated land use controversies collided this week when a prominent manufacturer of vinyl "supergraphics" offered to contribute to the Save the Cahuenga Peak fund, but only if their signs were allowed to remain. SkyTag, based in Beverly Hills, is best known for their massive "murals" defending free speech, identifiable by the close-up abstraction of Lady Liberty's face. The posters, which at one time could be seen flanking skyscrapers across the city, were deemed illegal by the city council in a fiery standoff in which councilman Eric Garcetti authorized arrest warrants for the building owners who installed the posters.

But in an interesting turn of events, SkyTag has offered to pay the remaining $12.5m required to secure the land above the Hollywood sign named Cahuenga Peak from the Chicago developer who plans to build multimillion dollar homes there. The company, desperate to secure the future of its most profitable business segment, is well aware of the impending deadline set for the Cahuenga Peak buyout funds to materialize. Several interest groups and private citizens have publicized the cause and raised roughly $9.5m. CBS Corp., NBC Universal, the Walt Disney Company, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, and Twentieth Century Fox, as well as Hollywood heavyweights Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, number among the donors to the cause. But Fox River Financial has given the Trust for Public Land until April 14 to secure the full $22m purchase.

Attractive proposal, right? Wrong. The city council is not biting. "We're not going to trade off beautification in one place for visual decay in another," said Hollywood area councilman Eric Garcetti. The problem with that argument is that supergraphics are temporary, and there legality can be debated indefinitely; but once the Cahuenga developer builds those houses, the Hollywood sign vista will be marred forever. SkyTag's plea comes soon after a federal appelate judge ruled in December that the city's ban on so-called supergraphics was unconstitutional. Twenty of the signs remain. Ironically, the iconic and jealously guarded Hollywood sign was itself a 200x50 ft advertisement when it was installed in 1923 to promote a housing development.

Source: LA Times

Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza plans massive expansion

2010-02-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

A promotional display has popped up in the middle of the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza mall. On it are pretty renderings that depict what one developer hopes the downtrodden mall can transform into. The revitalization project, which is still in early planning stages, hopes to add 2.5m sf of retail, residential, office, and hotel to the existing 1m sf mall. The new mall would resemble more of an "urban village" with pedestrian pathways and access to the planned Crenshaw corridor lightrail.

In the CEQA "Notice of Preparation" document compiled by the CRA, the plan calls for 1.8m sf of retail/entertainment, 150k sf office, a 400 room hotel and about 1000 dwelling units. The majority of the newly constructed buildings would be built on what are now surface parking lots, and all parking would be concentrated in two large structures at the southwest corner of the site. From the looks of the proposed site plan, the developer is aiming for an LA Live South, complete with "public plazas," restaurants, and an "entertainment district." This will be an ambitious, even dubious, feat. Rios Clementi Hale Studios prepared the initial architectural designs. The developer is Capri Capital Partners of Chicago, who has owned the property since 2006.

The LA Sentinel reports that support for the mall addition is strong in the local area, likely because it will add investment and jobs to a part of the city that has long lacked both. But projects of this magnitude rarely get off the ground in the current economic climate, and unfortunately this project's location poses a huge hurdle to its financial feasibility. LA Live barely scraped through on its final phases, and that was with lots of public money and a pre-recession groundbreaking. The Grand Avenue project, one of the largest and most exclusive mixed-use proposals out there, is on the back burner and running out of steam. But perhaps Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza can take advantage of its under-market status. When Macy's moved out of the historic Broadway department store building in the late 1990s, Wal-Mart was quick to fill the void, and remain's the only Wal-Mart in Los Angeles and the only 3-story Wal-Mart. Developers must be careful to improve the center in a lucrative and prestigious way, while preserving the African-American identity and pride of place the mall has come to embrace.

LA Trade Tech unveils phase I of massive building spree

2010-02-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Trade Technical College, the career-based community college located on Grand Ave and Washington Bl downtown, completed the first round of an aggressive building campaign early last week. For a long time, the 21-acre campus hardly resembled a college campus at all, and bore more similarities to the gritty industrial tracts that surround it. But administrators are hoping to turn around that rough-hewn image with a sprinkling of new buildings that the architect calls "competitive" with other downtown buildings. This first $85m phase is a small slice of the $600m that voters approved for campus renovations and additions back in 2002.

The two five-story buildings are located on Grand Ave between Washington and 23rd St., and were designed by MDA Johnson Favarro. Both buildings are about 120,000 sf and are expected to receive LEED Silver certification. When the Spring semester begins in February, the buildings will be home to 2 lecture halls; the admissions, registration, and administration offices; and various other offices and classrooms. Plans also call for a rooftop photovoltaic system that will supply up to 20% of the school's electricity demands. Up next for the school are a new track and field, a sports and wellness center, and a construction technology building.

The architecture, which features a suggestive combination of brick and concrete curving in Gehry-esque waves, is meant to represent "trade as art." On the rear are huge letters near the top of the building that spell out LATTC and are visible from the 10 and 110 freeways. The striking contrast of red brick and sinuous white walls forms a pleasing respite from the low, bland architecture that has come to define this stretch of Grand. But the buildings don't feel out of place here, as they seem to pay homage to the area's--and the school's--industrial heritage. The construction is not without fault however. The buildings frame what is dubbed an entry plaza and is meant to establish a new gateway for the campus, but instead forms just a typical driveway complete with security arms, and is hardly welcoming to pedestrians.

Source: LA Downtown News

LA Times: Hollywood W Hotel "ungainly"

2010-02-02T14:43:00.000-08:00

The 15-story, $600m W Hollywood Hotel and Residences opened this morning after 10 long years of planning and construction. The development, which sits atop the Hollywood/Vine Metro Red Line station, boasts 305 hotel rooms, 143 residences, and 375 rental units, 78 of which are designated low-income. The mess of buildings, billboards, and public space occupies an L-shaped site with the historic 1924 Taft Building at its corner. LA Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne calls it "equal parts Chateau Marmont, LA Live, and Pershing Square," going on to say that it aptly symbolizes an LA that is "groping toward a denser, more vertical and more public future while still reluctant to abandon its love affair with the car and the glossier, more exclusive corners of celebrity culture."

The W Hotel is the largest mixed-use development to open in Hollywood since the Hollywood/Highland TOD in 2001. But the W project is higher market, more aspirational, and further from Hollywood's epicenter. Because of this, the W project faces more challenges than its neighbor to the west. Back in April of last year, we reported that the new W hotel would attempt to steal back the traditional press junket from the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. It has made an admirable attempt at this lofty goal, with 20 large suites specially suited to accommodate hair and make-up crews and heavy-duty electrical demands. But the W must also cater to a high-end residential market that doesn't want that glitzy Hollywood exposure. Still more divergent are the needs of the low-income renters and Metro passengers - a group that seems likely to be ignored by an upscale hotel management.

The intractable scale and awkward amalgamation of uses and users is less the result of poor planning than it is of a pioneering compromise between a multitude of diverse stakeholders. Nothing like this has ever been seen before in Los Angeles. As Hawthorne suggests, it may be too much to ask that low-income subway commuters mingle with the glamorous Hollywood elite. The complex also suffers from chronic design schizophrenia; a whopping five architecture offices (HKS, Designstudio, Architropolis, Daly Genik, Rios Clementi Hale) produced designs for different aspects of the project, with almost no regard for the intentions of the others. The flashing hotel lobby poses as much of a contrast to the stark rooftop pool as the subway station does to the valet station. Whether the W Hotel and Residences proves to be that much-fantasized catalyst of urban activity and merger of LA's notoriously divergent classes will be its chief test over time.

Rooms sell for between $259 and $1000/night and residences are 30% sold.

This Just In: Broad eyes Downtown for museum

2010-01-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

All of Downtown has been abuzz this week after billionaire developer/philanthropist Eli Broad officially announced that a Grand Ave site is also under consideration for his $60 million art museum and foundation headquarters. Just last week, we reported that a strange site in Culver City was Broad's elusive third choice. But the President of neighboring West LA College has heard nothing from Broad's people, so that revelation may have been a distraction.

Broad obviously has very strong ties to--and friends in--Downtown, from his support of the lingering Grand Ave behemoth to his recent $30m bailout of MOCA. Impatient with developer Related Co.'s inability to get things going on Grand Ave, Councilwoman Jan Perry has expressed excitement at the prospect of Broad moving in nearby. The site under consideration is a surface parking lot on the south side of Disney Hall, sunken below street level on Grand Ave. The lot is one of the smaller parcels owned by Related Co., a developer that has been hit hard by the real estate setback, and is waiting for the capital market to rebound before plowing forward. Related would likely get an extension on their city-mandated deadline to break ground if some of the land is sold to Broad's project.

The City of Los Angeles was initially left out of consideration for the museum. In old age and frustrated by a lifetime of red tape, Broad is desperate to expedite this project as much as possible. But Santa Monica's city council isn't voting on the deal until next month - a time frame that may prove to hurt their bid. Some Santa Monicans argue however that the city is offering too many concessions to bring Broad's museum to the derelict Civic Park neighborhood (selling the land for $1, for example); they believe a much better deal can be reached via a developer who has commercial plans for the site. Meanwhile, Beverly Hills, who doesn't even own the property Broad wants, might as well kiss its chances good bye.

Source: Santa Monica Daily Press; Photo: Eric Richardson

California passes nation's first green building code

2010-01-22T12:17:00.000-08:00

Long the pioneer of environmentally progressive policy, California became the first state to institute a "green" building code with legislation passed this week. The code, which will go into effect on January 1 of next year, is modeled closely from the US Green Building Council's LEED construction and building energy code. Cities that already enforce green building standards that are stricter than the new state requirements (San Francisco and Los Angeles), will be allowed to retain their local codes. Other cities will be able to adopt individual building codes that are stricter than the state's in the future if they choose.

Among the new building requirements are: plumbing must cut water use by 20%; half of construction waste must be recycled; low-polluting paints, carpets, and flooring must be used; separate water meters for indoor and outdoor must be installed; and building inspections must include appliance efficiency checks. The green building code is part of a state initiative to cut carbon emissions by 25% by 2020. Buildings are the biggest consumers of energy and the largest polluters, responsible for emitting more carbon than transportation and industry combined.

But some environmental groups including the Sierra Club are critical of the plan, arguing that the imposed restrictions are not harsh enough. They also say the two-tier Calgreen system, as it is called, will be confusing for builders and will allow for abuse.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Santa Monica plans second freeway cap park

2010-01-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Santa Monica City Council approved a proposal to cap an additional portion of the 10 freeway on Tuesday. This second cap park would be over the freeway slot between Ocean Ave and 4th St. The decision comes just months after another park was approved over the Santa Monica Freeway between 14th and 17th Sts. But that project is still in early feasibility stages. This latest development brings the number of LA area freeway cap parks under consideration to 4 - the others over the 101 in Hollywood and Downtown.

City leaders hope a park bridge over this section of the freeway would help create a stronger pedestrian connection between the Third Street shopping area, the pier, and the newly revitalizing civic center. The freeway segment is already conveniently "cut" about 20 ft below ground, but is still exposed to the open air. At Ocean Ave, the freeway briefly tunnels below Ocean Park and the entrance to the pier, before emerging again as the Pacific Coast Highway along the beach. By extending the tunneled portion of the freeway, both parks might also benefit from larger green spaces and greater pedestrian access. The park would also be convenient to the Expo light rail station planned for Colorado Ave and 4th St.

The approval allows spending of ~$300,000 for a feasibility study and ~$3m for initial engineering. Local planning and engineering firm AECOM is charged with conducting the preliminary study and will present its findings to the council within 3 months. The park has been a pipe dream of the city's since at least 1999.

The added land, which is in the super-prime center of Santa Monica, would be more valuable than the cost of capping the freeway. Besides the obvious mitigation of the visual and aural impacts of the freeway, and the shifting of transportation priority from freeways to public transit, projects like this are significant case studies in the frontier of "land creation." As suburban sprawl has lost its appeal in the aftermath of recent economic and environmental events, developers are looking to disprove the old adage 'you can't build more land.' Freeways occupy huge expanses of our built environment, often in inefficient ways. Where freeways have been dug below ground, or where they pass through expensive land, there can be innumerable benefits from capping or reclaiming that ugly and wasteful infrastructure. Santa Monica's experiments should be watched closely by civic leaders and developers everywhere.

Source: Santa Monica Daily Press

Culver City enters running for Broad art museum site

2010-01-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

In an interview last week, billionaire developer and philanthropist Eli Broad revealed that a 10 acre site in Culver City is also under consideration for the location of a new museum that would be endowed in his name. When Broad announced plans for the museum back in November of 2008, a site at the southeast corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire Blvds in Beverly Hills was the principle consideration. A year ago however, Broad announced that he was also looking at a 2.5 acre city-owned lot next to Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium. The Culver City site is located along Jefferson Blvd on the West LA College campus.

Broad's revelation was shocking to all, but perhaps more so to Mark Rocha, West LA College's president, who says that he hasn't heard from Broad's foundation. After reading about the competition between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills last year, Rocha wrote the foundation, asking them to consider his site as well. Unfortunately that vacant lot is currently being used as a staging area for the college's capital construction project, and will likely be in use for another 2 years.

But Broad says that at age 76, he wants the project to move fast, with as little red tape as possible. While Santa Monica already owns its site in question, the City of Beverly Hills would have to acquire the parcel that Broad has been eyeing. And whichever city gets the honor of landing Broad's museum would be asked to donate the land, contribute $1m+ in construction fees, provide parking, and pay for landscaping. It is a pricey investment that each municipality believes will be well worth the prestige and popularity of the Broad collection. While Broad has said he is not trying to pit each city against the other to generate the best deal, he is probably selecting jurisdictions based on their ability to expedite the bureaucratic process. The City of Los Angeles, notably but not surprisingly, is not on Broad's short list.

The 50,000 sf facility is to house Broad's 2000 piece art collection, his foundation, storage space, and a research component. The museum would be launched by a $200m endowment, said to sustain a $12m/year operating budget. That bequest would be the largest infusion into Southern California arts, second only to the $2.76b Getty Trust. It is estimated to cost ~$60m.

Source: LA Times

State sells 2 LA office buildings to tighten budget gap

2010-01-12T16:17:00.000-08:00

The State of California listed 17 buildings for sale statewide last month; two are in Los Angeles. Commercial real estate brokerage firm CB Richard Ellis has been contracted with the representation of these buildings, estimated to total $2b in value. The only two buildings for sale in Southern California are located Downtown - the Ronald Reagan building and the Junipero Serra building. The State hopes to raise about $660m from the sales toward its staggering budget deficit of $21b.

The state will engage in what is known as a sale-leaseback, where it will automatically enter into a 20 year lease agreement with whoever buys the properties. This is an ideal situation for a buyer because it guarantees a favorable occupancy rate, which in the case of the LA buildings, is 100%. The Ronald Reagan State Building, which was built in 1990, is considered to be one of the largest and best-equipped Class A office buildings in Los Angeles. It is located on 3rd St. between Spring and Main Sts. The smaller Junipero Serra building on the corner of 4th St. and Broadway, is a historic building completed in 1914.

The 17 building listing is the largest real estate portfolio on the market, and is a bold move for the State of California, desperate to shorten its hopelessly deep budget deficit. Gov. Arnold Schwarzanegger made headlines last year when he proposed the possible sale of large state-owned properties like San Quentin prison in Northern California and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. While that controversial proposition never materialized, the 150 acre Orange County Fairgrounds will also be marketed for sale.

Council to vote on lifting Hollywood height limits

2009-12-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

A controversial mixed-use project slated for the corner of Sunset Blvd and Gower St is asking for an exemption from the area's 45 ft height limit. The project's developers, AREA Property Partners, have plans for a 28-story residential tower and a 17-story office tower on the site of the old CBS studios. Having already received approval from the city planning commission, the project expects to get the greenlight from city council, including council president Eric Garcetti, who happens to represents the area in question.

But the permitting of this project has consequences beyond just an isolated zoning exemption - it will change the height limits for the entire surrounding neighborhood - a historically low-lying area on Hollywood's fringes. And this is what has sparked some very vocal opposition to the tower. Local residents are mainly concerned about large buildings casting shadows over their homes and yards, but many are worried about the potential Manhattanization of a once-laidback part of town. Robert Silverstein, a local land use lawyer often involved with historic preservation said the city was "willingly [permitting] the destruction of its own past." Zoning, he says, should concentrate development in certain areas while leaving others small-scale.

And what does the developer have to say to that? AREA associate Brian Earle says it is part of the "city's desire to have more density...instead of going out we are going up." While it may sound like a developer jumping on the trendy 'denser is better' bandwagon, he has a point. Sunset and Gower is in an underdeveloped stretch of land just outside the confine's of boomy central Hollywood. If a developer thinks he can make something better out of a stretch of low-density strip malls and dingbat apartments, all the power to him. Besides, it takes a lot more to pencil a project than it used to. Hollywood has arguably become the most dense, walkable neighborhood outside of Downtown. That some locals are still enamored by the drugged-up, run-down Hollywood of old remains a mystery.

Grand Ave Scales Back Amid Recession

2009-12-09T12:23:00.001-08:00

Frustrated by stalled progress on developer Related Co's part, Councilwoman Jan Perry of District 9 has called for a smaller project sooner. Unable to secure full financing for the Gehry-designed megaproject, New York City's Related Co. has pushed the entire $3b development to the back burner. The project, intended to be completed in phases, has shown almost no progress since its conception in 2000 and the large lot across from Disney Hall remains empty. The project was scheduled for groundbreaking in 2007.

The Grand Avenue Authority, the committee organized to oversee the project's development, is composed of city, county, and redevelopment agency stakeholders, as the project contains a large public portion. Related's West Coast president Bill Witte defends that the Civic Park portion of the project that would link Grand Ave to City Hall is expected to break ground as early as next summer. It is this portion of the project that has drawn the most frustration from local government, as the land and monetary concessions made by the public sector have yet to see any fruition.

As for the 2.5 million sf condo-hotel-retail aspect? Related is still waiting on a $700m construction loan that, considering the sickness of the condo market, will be a long time coming. Also of concern is the state of Istithmar, the royal Dubai investment fund that has put $100m into the project, and was recently found to be drowning in $26b of debt. But as Witte has tenuously assured, the Dubai money has been "pretty much spent." Meanwhile, the pressure is on to see if Related can make good on its promise to deliver at least a portion of the project before its entitlements expire in 2011.

LAX Bradley Terminal to get $1.13 billion upgrade

2009-10-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

LA’s Board of Airport Commissioners approved $1.13 billion in construction contracts Monday for the revitalization of the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. Construction contractor Walsh Austin Joint Venture will handle the Bradley West project, which will be the largest public works project in the city’s history. The terminal, which already suffers from overcrowding and chronic delays, hasn’t seen any major improvements since the 1984 Olympic games. Included in the 1 million sf project are added space for ticket counters, security checkpoints, passenger lounges, immigration facilities, and restaurants and retail stores, as well as a capacity expansion of existing gates to accomodate new wide-body aircraft, like Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and Airbus’ A380, capable of carrying 800 passengers.

LAX--and the Bradley Terminal in particular--lags far behind its international peers in capacity
and modernization. The terminal is drab, inefficient, and cramped. Compounding these issues
are the temporary security measures implemented after 9/11, which have yet to be made into
permanent, functional features. But this ambitious project comes at a rather conspicuous time
- the airline industry is suffering its worst downturn in history. Other airports are putting expansion projects on hold, while airlines are cancelling orders for new aircraft. In 2011 passenger volume at LAX will sink to 51 million from its 2000 peak of 68 million. This year, LAX has dropped from the world’s 6th busiest airport to its 8th.

But officials defend that Bradley West is part of a long term vision, and will help equip LAX
for a predicted 2014 recovery in air travel. LAX, which has a good credit history and lower debt
than similar-sized airports, will finance the project with revenue bonds. But first it will have
to increase revenue from concessions and parking, ask Congress to raise the $4.50 passenger
facilities charge, and raise fees and rents for the airlines, which are too low at $11 per passenger.
Whether cautious passengers will go for a fee increase and whether hurting airlines can stomach
a fee increase is yet to be seen.

The project aims for a 2013 completion and will create around 4,000 construction jobs.

Weekend Buzz

2009-10-06T12:04:00.000-07:00

Think fast food makes you fat? Think again (Chain Leader) - October 6, 2009

New York travel writer does LA...without a car (Wall Street Journal) - September 26, 2009

California's Indian casinos get 3,000 more slot machines (LA Times) - October 6, 2009

Federal judge upholds LA billboard ban (The Argonaut) - October 1, 2009

Italian rail car manufacturer commits to build plant downtown (89.3 KPCC) - October 6, 2009

Roski down $1b, slides to 236 on 400 wealthiest list (Forbes) - September 30, 2009

Harbor Commission OKs Massive San Pedro Rehab

2009-10-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission unanimously approved the much-anticipated $1.2 billion San Pedro waterfront revitalization plan on Wednesday. The aim of the project is to improve the long-neglected port district with a 300,000 sf tourist destination of shops and entertainment. If begun in a timely manner, construction on the plan would last a full decade, and would feature an 8.7 mile promenade, new parks, mini harbors, a new cruise ship terminal, and a conference center.

The following day, the US House of Representatives approved a $90,000 budget for the Army Corps of Engineers to study the feasibility of dismantling a portion of the Long Beach breakwater to restore the natural current and improve the quality of beaches located within the wall. According to a private consulting firm, a shortening of the breakwater would indirectly create $7 million in annual sales tax revenues for the city. The Environmental Protection Agency also granted the city $26 million in stimulus funds to help reduce diesel emissions at the nation's largest port.

Long before the construction of local entertainment giants like Universal Studios and Disneyland, the San Pedro waterfront was a major regional tourist attraction. But little of that historic charm remains, as the area has become entirely dependent on international cargo shipping, seeing roughly 7.3 million containers pass through its gates every year. The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handle the majority of the cargo trade between East Asia and the US. As a result of this enormous volume, the harbor district is also the most heavily polluted area in Southern California, choked with diesel fumes from trucks and water pollution from ships.

While they are not explicitly referenced, the Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 attractions in San Francisco seem to be models for the port. In the 1960s when San Francisco lost the majority of its port capacity to nearby Oakland, the city reconfigured its waterfront assets as tourist attractions. While the Harbor Commission and frustrated locals are eager for a revitalized port district, the Port of Los Angeles is still in its heyday. And next door Port of Long Beach can hardly afford to pick up any slack. But another major goal for the grand plan is to create a more desirable port of call for cruise ship operators, who have been fleeing in droves for San Diego. San Pedro's waterfront is a long way from emulating the pleasant waterfront conditions in San Francisco or San Diego, but pollution reduction should be a higher priority than enticement of tourists.