Office, Apartment, and Retail

This morning, Curbed brings us news on three separate developments.  First on the list, after nearly two years mired in legal battles, that parking lot and burger shack on the corner of Selma and Vine is about to be transformed into a beautiful 8 story office building, with 2,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

Next up is a controversial new mixed use development, at Klamath and Eastern in El Sereno, which is currently fighting its way through the approval process.  If approved, the project will feature a charter school, cafe, and 20 residential units.

In other news, it looks as if that residential project planned for the corner of Sunset and Everett, will get an additional 58 parking spaces, as well as 8,000 square feet of retail space.

Medallion 2.0

Blogger Brigham Yen brings us an update on the second phase of the Medallion Development at 4th and Main.  The new project will potentially include 4 separate 13 story residential towers featuring 400 high end luxury condos/rentals, a 5 story parking structure, a 24,000 square foot movie theater, 38,000 square feet of additional retail space, and 25,000 square feet of public green space.  Construction is slated to begin in late 2015.

This Week in Food

Monday: Green Village, a fresh new take on traditional Chinese (Fish in Wine Sauce!) just opened its doors on Ventura, near Firmament.

Two new pizza parlors -- Olio Pizza at Grand Central Market on 3rd and Broadway, and Fresh Brothers Pizza at Franklin and Bronson in Hollywood -- are now serving customers.

Skinny Kitchen, where all plates contain less than 500 calories, has opened its doors on the corner of Lankersham and Magnolia.

Tuesday: The Factory Lofts, on Factory Place near Alameda, will soon receive a new retail tenant in the form of the Factory Kitchen.  The 3,000 square foot fining dining establishment will begin serving in the fall.

Kippy's Raw Organic Coconut Ice Cream is now open on the corner of Lincoln and Rose in Venice.

Wednesday: The Electric Lotus has found a new home at the corner of Hollywood and Vermont.  Meanwhile, Public House has moved its operations to the space next door. 

EMC Seafood, a fancy new seafood restaurant and bar, has opened at 6th and Mariposa.  And they have oyster sliders.  What more do you need?

Thursday: Another high end coffee house/cafe is joining the Arts District lineup.  Stumptown Roastery and Cafe, located on 7th Place and Santa Fe, will open its doors at the end of this year or the beginning of next.

Fat Sal's is now serving its signature sandwiches at the corner of Fountain and Highland.  

Friday: A fantastic new Japanese eatery, by the name of Kimukatsu, is now serving customers at the corner of Mississippi and Sawtelle.

Desmond on Wilshire

Curbed reports that construction has officially begun on a new luxury apartment development located on the corner of Wilshire and Dunsmuir.  Once completed, the Desmond on Wilshire project will feature 175 units, subterranean and surface parking, a gym, a pool, and a rooftop deck.  The project is slated to finish sometime next year.

Metropolis

Big news from Bloomberg.  In one of the largest local development moves in recent history, the new owners of the otherwise barren strip of land between LA Live and the 110, have announced plans to invest over $1 Billion dollars in developing a multi-building project that will include office, retail, and residential alike.

Hollywood High Rise, Mid City Museum

According to Curbed, the team behind the newly approved Hollywood Millennium Project, located on the corner of Hollywood and Vine, have published a rendering of what appears to be the project's final design.  In other news, the new owners of the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple on Wilshire and Lucerne, have announced plans to convert the temple into a semi public art museum.

Art Library

According to the Downtown News, Dan McCleary, local artist and founder of Art Division, a non profit, will open a new art library on the corner of 6th and Carondelet.  The library will feature roughly 5,000 art books, and is meant to inspire and encourage fledgling artists.

Riverside Bike Path + Beachside Zipline

Curbed brings us word that the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation has developed a plan to construct a bike path and greenway along all 51 miles of the river.  If all goes according to plan, the new project will be completed by the end of the decade.  In other news, that awesome new zipline at Venice beach is finally up and running!

Emerson College Nears Completion

According to Curbed, construction on the ten story satellite campus for Boston's Emerson College, on the corner of Sunset and Gordon, is nearing completion.  When it opens early next year, the new building will feature a ground floor cafe, fitness center, lounge, classrooms, and housing for approximately 220 students.

This Week in Food

Tuesday: After months of excited anticipation, the LA expansion of Canada based italian restaurant, Terroni, has finally opened.  The chic new dining space is located on the corner of 8th and Spring in Downtown.

The Huntington Apartments Building, at the corner of 8th and Main, will soon welcome a new retail tenant.  Wild Food & Juice, a vegan eatery and juice bar, will make its debut sometime this summer.

A new italian restaurant is currently being planned for the corner of 7th and Hope.  The well designed Vic's on Seventh will open later this year.

Thursday: Little Tokyo based ramen shop, Daikokuya is now serving dinner at Sawtelle and Olympic.

Friday: It looks like that quaint french restaurant on Beverly Glenn, Four Oaks, will soon be reopened.  While an exact date has yet to be announced, the new owners have said that the menu will feature a fantastic selection of fresh farm to table courses.

Bulgaraini Gelato has opened a new kiosk at the Grand Market, and is now serving the happy historic core residents.  Yay!

LACMA has permitted several food karts, including C+M, Haute Dog, and Fullilove BBQ to park on the museum's campus, and service patrons.  Because, let's face it, art looks much better on a full stomach.

Saturday: Artisan market and cafe, Red Bread, is now officially open at Washington and Redwood.

Lawyering Los Angeles

As the economy shifts from recessed to robust, an increase in government filing, contract preparation, and litigation is sure to follow.  And so it comes as no surprise when a crop of new and expanding law firms emerges to service that demand.  One of those firms is Denver based Messner Reeves which opened its first Los Angeles office on Tuesday, on the corner of Wilshire and Federal.  The 2,500 square foot office provides litigation and transactional services to high net worth businesses and individuals.

Courthouse

According to Curbed, that barren patch of land on the corner of 1st and Broadway will soon be developed into beautiful new courthouse.  Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 550,000 square foot building will house 24 courtrooms, 32 judges chambers, and 110 parking spaces.  Construction should finish sometime in 2016.

Apartment Living in Brentwood and Mid-City

Hot off Curbed this morning comes news that construction on the 78 unit BW Apartments, at Wilshire and Barrington in Brentwood, is nearing completion, and the project should open sometime in September.  Meanwhile, a new mixed use project, containing 150 residential units, and 4,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, is currently being planned for the corner of San Vicente and Fairfax.

Smart and Final Downtown

Brigham Yen announced this morning the grand opening of Smart and Final's downtown location on 9th and Figueroa.  The supermarket's arrival (or return after several decades) brings downtown's grocer count to three.

Joyous June Home Prices

The Dailey News brings us word that June home prices in southern California rose over 28% since last year.  And, with inventories still tight, and many sales (especially in Los Angeles) commanding multiple offers, the momentum doesn't show signs of stopping.

Condos for Pacific Palisades

Curbed reports that developer GH Palmer and Associates is making plans to develop a 30 unit condominium project on the Tramonto hillside in Pacific Palisades.  Construction should begin sometime next year.

This Week in Food

Lots of new eater openings and announcements this week.

Monday: Atwater's new Village Tavern is officially open for business at Glendale and Larga.

Big news for the Historic Core.  The Medallion mixed use development at 4th and Main will receive six new restaurant tenants - BigMista's BBQ, Cafe Uzes, Raw Juicery, Bountiful Bakery, and D&D Produce, as well as a new unnamed farmer's market.

A new americana style restaurant by the name of Louie's opened today in Mar Vista, at the corner of Venice and Grand View.

Tuesday: Blossom's downtown location is expanding into the next door space at Winston and Main.

Wednesday: The Sunset Marquis Hotel will soon resurrect its ground floor indoor/outdoor restaurant.  The new iteration will be called Cavatina, and will open later this summer.

Thursday: Jist Cafe, a quaint little eatery with an impressive breakfast menu, is now open at 1st and Judge John Aiso Street in Little Tokyo.

The Doughroom, at Overland and Palms, is now officially open.

A new bakery/eatery by the name of Four Cafe is now open at the corner of Maryland and Fairfax.

Little Tokyo's Flying Pig restaurant is gearing up for expansion into the Figat7th Shopping Center at ... 7th and Fig ... later this fall.  Three additional restaurants - Twist and Grill, New Moon Cafe, and Gentaro Soba Noodle - have also been announced.

Phorage is now open at Rose and Overland.

Friday: A new coffee/juice bar, by the name of H Coffee and Juice Bar will soon debut on the corner of Melbourne and Hillhurst

Famous food truck Eggslut will soon get its own brick and mortar space on the corner of 3rd and Broadway at the Grand Central Market.  The eatery will begin service in late August/Early September.

Santa Monica's Blue Plate Oysterette will open its second location on 3rd and Crescent Heigts at the beginning of next year.

Settebello is now open for business on the corner of Maxella and Del Rey.

Bottega Veneta

According to The Star, retailer Bottega Veneta has opened a new store on the corner of Melrose, near La Cienega.  The 2,727 square foot space features a carefully curated selection of men and women's leather wear and accessory, and home goods.

Bridge Over Atwater

Curbed reports that a new bridge traversing the LA River, and connecting Griffith Park with North Atwater Park was approved this weekend by the Board of Public Works.  The $6 million dollar, 302 foot long suspension bridge will serve pedestrians, cyclists, and horses.  Development will commence after the City Council approves project later this year.

Wal-Mart for China Town

According to the Downtown News, Walmart will be opening a 34,000 square foot shopping center on the China Town border, at the corner of Caeser Chavez and Grand, in August.  Let the gentrification continue!

Madison Men

According to Apparel News, Local Women's clothier chain, Madison, is in the process of developing a men's line to be featured at the new Madison Mens Shop, which will be carved out of the current Madison Space, located on the corner of 3rd and Robertson.  The store is slated to open at the beginning of next month.

Barrel Cafe

Curbed brings us word that the historic Barrel Cafe, located at the border of Lankersham and Vineland in North Hollywood,  is about to receive a full restoration.  Originally built in 1941, the bareell shaped building has lain dormant since the early eighties.  Once work is complete, the cafe will pick up right where it left off nearly thirty years ago.

Working on Wilshire

Curbed reports that Developer JH Snyder is planning a shiny new 13 story officeplex for parking lot located directly behind Museum Square on the corner of Wilshire and Curson.  The 254,000 square foot development should be completed near the beginning of 2015.

This Week in Food

Monday: A new granita bar, Zia Valentina, is now serving customer's at the Original Farmer's Market on 3rd and Fairfax.

The highly anticipated, and much lauded Girasol, on the corner of Moorpark and Tujunga, is finally open for business.

Tuesday: York Valley Market, a local grocer, has taken over a small space at York and Adams in Highland Park.

Wednesday: Nektar Juice Bar is in the process of building out a space for its new Westwood Village location on the corner of Westwood and Lindbrook.

Thursday: To celebrate our nation's birth, Horse Thief, that highly anticipated barbecue cafe located in the Grand Market on 2nd and Broadway, soft opened today to a crowd of hungry 'fourthers'.

Saturday: Nature's Brew, a charming little coffee bar / restaurant at Union and Hoover, is now open.

Manhattanizing LA

According to Streetsblog, Broadway's six lanes of traffic will soon be reduced to three in order to make way for the new Los Angeles Streetcar, and, perhaps more importantly, contribute to the revitalization effort surrounding the historic corridor by making it more pedestrian friendly.  While it remains to be seen what, exactly, the new street will look like, the data appears to support the theory that fewer lanes will actually contribute to, rather than detract from the local economy.

Mission in Tujunga

The Daily News brings us word on the groundbreaking of a new housing development, in the city's northern neighborhood of Tujunga, that will cater exclusively to the homeless and mentally ill.  The $15 million dollar Day Street Apartment Project, near Foothill Boulevard, will feature 46 individual units, and is currently scheduled to open in early 2014.

Art Much?

It appears that the city is getting in touch with its artistic side; Blogdowntown reports that the city's DoArt Foundation, in collaboration with the Make Art Public Group, intends to install up to 100 new public benches around town, all of which will feature work by local artists.  In other news, Metro will soon exhibit several curated art exhibits at three downtown metro stations.  Head over to the Downtown News for more information.

Urban Radish - Now Open (Seriously)

After a false start in May, that highly anticipated indie grocer, Urban Radish, located in the heart of the Arts District on Jesse Street, between Imperial and Mateo, has finally opened its doors.  Owners Carolyn Paxton and Keri Aivazis have carefully curated the market's selection, to ensure that patrons find only the finest (and most interesting) products.  Check it out.

Mixed User in Westwood, Park in San Pedro

After over a year of planning, it appears that construction has finally commenced on a smallish mixed use project on the corner of Westwood and Lindbrook in the Village.  According to the most recent information obtained by Curbed, the development will feature 34 apartments and 5,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.

In other news, the Daily Breeze reports on grand opening of the first phase of Plaza Park in San Pedro. The park is located on Beacon Street between 7th and 13th, and overlooks the Port of Los Angeles.

New Projects for Hollywood, South Park, and Echo Park

Big news from Curbed:

It appears that the new owners of the Palladium on Hollywood, between Gower and Vine, are planning two enormous mixed use towers for the parking lots located behind the theater, a la Millenium Project (by the looks of it).

Work on the new Urban Village residential development, located on Olive between Olympic and 11th, is underway, is progressing rapidly, with construction slated to commence in early September.

Demolition begins this week on the buildings currently occupying the site of a planned 18 unit townhouse development on Vestal and Baxter in Echo Park.  Construction on the new homes will commence soon thereafter.

This Week in Food

Monday: The owner of West Hollywood's Night + Market will soon launch a second eatery somewhere in Silverlake, near Sunset Junction.

Chef/Artist/God Roy Choi will open 3 Worlds Cafe--essentially an immobile version of Kogi that serves smoothies and coffee, as well as tacos--later this week on the corner of 33rd and Central.

Tuesday: Southern style eatery, Roadside Eats, is gearing up for a summer launch on Hollywood near Vine.

Mari Vanna, that Russian restaurant and bar on Melrose and La Cienega, is finally open for business.

A new bar, by the name of General Lee's, will soon open in China town, on the corner of Bamboo and Hill.

The Medallion Complex, on 4th and Main, welcomes its latest retail tenant, Bigmista's Barbecue, which will open at the beginning of next year.

Wednesday: Construction on a new celtic style restaurant, located at the corner of Palms and Motor, is under way.  The Wild Thistle is currently scheduled to open next month.

Friday: Go Get Em Tiger, a chic new coffee bar concept from the team behind G&B Coffee, opened today on the corner of Beverly and Larchmont.

Work on the new Dr. J's Vibrant Cafe, at the Medallion on 4th and Main, is coming along handsomely.  The eatery is slated to open early next month.

Chefs/Entertainers/Gods Nguyen and Thi Tran have finally found a permanent home for their insanely tasty Starry Kitchen.  Patrons will soon be able to feast on the Nguyen's signature asian fusion dishes Wednesday through Saturday at the Grand Star Jazz Club on Broadway, near 9th.

Lou Admur is teaming up with the owners of Sqirl Cafe, on the corner of Marathon and Virgil in Silverlake, to open Lou's Wine and Provisions, a new gourmet market and wine bar that will act as an annex to the cafe.