Results tagged “development”

For a few years now, a big swath of open space at Laurel Canyon and Mullholand Drive has been up for sale. The current owner has been nice and patient enough to sell the land instead of turning it into a housing development, but only under a payment plan with goal dates to be met. The next date is August 17th and the Mountain Recreation and Conservation Authority is $145,000 short. Paul Edelman, the Chief Ecologist for both the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a state agency, and the Authority, has made a case for Los Angeles to put money behind saving this land on the Huffington Post:

Where there's a will, there's a way. For years, the owner of Annandale Canyon in Pasadena wanted to develop his property into 24 luxury homes. But neighbors fought it, even imposing a tax on themselves to raise over a million dollars in order to assist the city in purchasing the land. In total, it was sold for $6.2 million with funds coming from the tax, a Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy grant (even though the land is not in the SaMos, it's in the the San Rafael Hills.) and other sources. Now the 20.6-acre site and an additional 31,000 square foot neighboring property will be used by advocates as a template for other acquisitions in Pasadena, according to the Pasadena Star News.

A new mixed use tower to across the street from the LA Convention Center was approved today by City Council. It will be New York City-based architect Daniel Libeskind's first for Los Angeles and the savvy architectural readers at Curbed LA are mostly giving a thumbs up. The building, located at 1340 S Figueroa Street, will include " include 273 residential units stacked atop an eight-level podium, restaurants and a spa," according to the LA Times.

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited Los Angeles last week and took a tour of the Gold Line Eastside Extension, which is expected to open soon (no date had been announced, though). The line will run between Union Station and East LA. "This whole rail line is way ahead what we are talking about in Washington," exclaimed LaHood. "This is what we mean by livable communities. You build it and they will come."

The Grove and Americana developer Rick Caruso had another project approved today by the LA City Council. A new 88-unit apartment complex with a Trader Joe's on the first floor will be built at Burton Way and La Doux Road near the La Cienega/San Vicente intersection. "Between this project, and the recently completed SLS Hotel, the neighborhood is definitely seeing some significant changes," noted Curbed LA, who has project renderings.

It was April 17th, 2006 when a contractor working on a Bel Air home looked over into Stone Canyon and swore he saw a bear. He immediately reported it to the LA Department of Water & Power, who own and operate the reservoir and in turn told the California Department of Fish & Game.

We live in a city filled with thousands of landmarks, but whether it's just our proclivity for changing courses like our capricious weather patterns, or it's a matter of life imitating the kind of art that put us on the map, even when we call something a "landmark" it doesn't mean it's even here anymore. Or, really, that it even makes sense. Such is the case with one of the most unusual landmarks to spring up in the city, the Tower of Wooden Pallets that accidentally became art, then a landmark, then--to most--just a memory.

Bad news for residents of the Hollywood Entertainment Distirct. Whole Foods today told Racked LA that the storefront "planned for the southeast corner of Selma and Vine is on hold until the market takes a better turn." That location is near the mixed apartment complex and the currently under construction W Hotel.

              

Into the hills of Sherman Oaks where expensive homes sit and windy roads lay are many a cul-de-sac. One of those areas off Beverly Glen leads a few Angelenos in the know about a little-known hiking trail in a practically ignored city park called Deervale (it's not even listed on the city's website).

The famous track is in bankruptcy and going on the auction block next September. So just in case you're interested in buying it, you should know developer Rick Caruso of The Grove and Americana fame, is rumored to wanting it for himself. Considering he already has stake in the track's north parking lot--a $500 million, 820,000-square foot "The Shops at Santa Anita" currently in the Environmental Review process--it would make sense, but you never know.

Developer New Century is not thrilled about today's announcement about their property being placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list. In fact, they've already sent two press releases, picked up by Curbed LA. The first one partially here: "We are disappointed to see the Century Plaza Hotel politicized in this way, particularly at a time when the City of Los Angeles is suffering from extreme economic hardship and is in dire need of new jobs. The naming of the hotel as an historic place is not supported by the facts. The building is less than 50 years old and does not qualify for consideration under stringent criteria for historic designation of a building of this recent age. [This fact is addressed in that LA Times story]."

After last week's announcement of a two new commercial, hotel and residential towers by Korean Air, another Southern Korean firm has announced plans for a 43-story downtown skyscraper between Figueroa and Flower streets near the Convention Center, finds the LA Times. It is scheduled to be heard this week by the Los Angeles Planning Commission. And add to that this good news for foodies: As noted last week, the popular Silver Lake restaurant and bar, Malo, plans to open its second location sometime in 2010 below Seven Grand (appropriately at 7th and Grand) in the old Clifton’s Silver Spoon Cafeteria space. Hopefully that means dollar taco Mondays downtown, too.

Just days after Korean Air donated $160,000 to the Million Trees LA initiative, the company announced that they will be demolishing the company-owned Wilshire Grand Hotel and developing a $1 billion development that includes a new hotel, residential and offices. The plans for the complex at 7th and Grand are for a 60-story office building and 40-story hotel that will include 100 residences. "The Downtown office market hasn't seen any additions since the building boom of the 1980s," noted blogdowntown Editor Eric Richardson.

It appears to be a misunderstanding, but on Friday a construction company began clearing a field of fragile ecohabitat in the Los Cerritos Wetlands, which is the largest salt marsh in Los Angeles County.

"Let's not forget the local perspective when talking national policies," LA City Council President Eric Garcetti said last night in a telephone press conference about the federal stimulus package going through Washington D.C. right now. "The economic recovery isn't going to happen in Washington, it's going to happen on our streets."

Westfield is looking to do a 235,000 square foot expansion of their Sherman Oaks Fashion Square location, bringing back some of the outdoor promenade open air feel it had before the 1994 earthquake. It's been in an extensive community process for over three years with Westfield and neighbors working together, of course, not always agreeing together. After all, this is a regional mall smack dab in the middle of a single family home community.

2008 is the 70th anniversary of Hollywood Park, a once grand-dame in the world of horse racing that may meet the fate of the bulldozer come next year. With racing not the draw it once was, the stands are often sparsely populated, and its home city of Inglewood has their eye on a more lucrative prize.

Eric Richardson from blogdowntown was lucky enough to win a little lottery that allowed him to travel the construction elevators up the 26th and 45th floors of LA Live's 56-story hotel and condo tower. Not bad, save for the parking lots below.

Starting November 1st, developers wanting to build in Los Angeles will have some new green rules to play by. Projects of 50,000 square feet or above will now have to meet the intent (that is, do everything but apply and pay for certification) of the US Green Building Council's LEED standards at the Certified Level. Additionally, the mandatory building law includes residential projects of seven or more stories.

Grove and Americana developer Rick Caruso is running for Mayor. No wait, he is not running for Mayor, but he is, oh no he isn't... and so the broken record goes. Today the LA Weekly takes a look at Rick Caruso, his background, his developments and his political aspirations. Some worry as mayor he would turn the city into one big Disneyland-like development with Cheesecake Factories everywhere, but the Weekly looks at the closer into the man who has influenced a lot of what Los Angeles is today. Here's a little from the large profile:

The battle over Proposition T, a ballot initiative Santa Monica voters will be voting on in November, is heating up. $428,879.00 has been raised since June by a group named "Save Our City" to oppose the proposition. 15 of the 37 givers, mainly developers, were from outside the city, according to a document Prop T proponents made.

Today, the Mayor and the four councilmembers who represent the South LA region will be presenting a 96-page common agenda called the South Los Angeles Initiatives (.pdf). They are "intended to facilitate the eventual completion of targeted economic development projects in the area," a brief press release states. "The strategic plan defines, sets targets for, and measures the progress of projects in 10 initiative areas. These areas include business development; jobs and workforce development; increasing housing; improving retail opportunities; and improving neighborhoods and quality of life."

A bill signed by Governor Schwarzenegger last night will encourage smarter growth for a California that's expected to largely increase in population in upcoming decades. The bill requires the California Air Resources Board to set regional targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions dovetailed into regional transportation planes resulting in a Sustainable Communities Strategy. It also hopes to give developers incentive to build high-density projects near transit hubs.

It's another day in the fight between Santa Monica City Hall and proponents of Proposition T, the city measure that would "establish an annual limit on commercial development" in an effort to slow down traffic growth. In this round, city staff asked city council about beginning to impose a traffic impact fee on developers, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press (.pdf). But Prop T proponents said the city already took a similar action in the early 1990s and could have collected an estimated $45 million by now. But the city says they were only beginning a study on the issue and that it looks like the 1994 Northridge Earthquake distracted them.

Environmental and neighborhood groups are organizing to save Griffith Park from the possibility of development. Last month, Col. Griffith J. Griffith's grandson and the Griffith J. Griffith Charitable Trust put in an application to formally preserve the park by getting it designated as a historic landmark.

At least one disgruntled resident is not happy with the continued reported lack of security at the Lofts at NoHo Commons, which is next to the North Hollywood Metro Red Line station. The anonymously written blog (so take that for what it's worth) reports of stolen car parts, an armed robbery, a drug dealer and a prostitution ring. It also paints a not so cheery picture for the general experience there: "lights are off throughout the residence. The hallways are pitch-black for at least an hour and a half daily. Locks in the stairwells seem to be broken with some regularity." Who knew transit oriented mixed-use living starting at $1565 a month was so grand.

      

This morning, we shined a light on the rebirth of Bob's Big Boy. But with all highs are lows before it. Earlier this year, Bob's at Wilshire and Highland was served with an eviction notice to make way for Beverly Hills BMW (note that this location is not in Beverly Hills.)

It's rare urban farm land against young womens apparel at the old site of the South Central Farm where two years ago farmers were kicked out by owner (now in the Central Valley) real estate developer Ralph Horowitz. After a media blitz of dramatic protests, he kicked the farmers off the land in preparation to develop something, which is now a Forever 21 manufacturing plant that locals and farmers are protesting, says the LA Times. They want an environmental impact report (EIR), which would add another year to the permit process. In a neighborhood full of warehouses, the activists say they don't need anymore, but proponents say the jobs added to the economy are. A hearing is set for later this month.

There's a local initiative facing Santa Monicans this November regarding development in the name of traffic. The Residents' Initiative to Fight Traffic's (RIFT) ballot measure would amend the land use element of Santa Monica's general plan "to establish an annual limit on commercial development" within the city until 2023. The working theory is that traffic can't increase much if new jobs aren't made available in new developments. These days, SaMo traffic is pretty gridlocked and it's hard to imagine it getting worse. Opponents say that growth is inevitable, future planning must be smart and that if passed, it will damage the city for years to come.

This weekend, it was reported that the Sierra Club is still undecided on Proposition 1, which would authorize a $9.95 billion bond for High Speed Rail (as in less than three years to train it from Los Angeles to San Francisco). Sierra, along with the Conservation League, feel that the train's route through the Pacheco Pass between the Central Valley and San Francisco would cause sprawl in the otherwise underdeveloped region. They rather see it go via another route that is already in a developed area.