Projects Continued from page 13 Wilshire Grand hotel at 930 Wilshire Blvd., said a Thomas Properties official. The hotel would be razed and replaced by a residential, office and hotel complex, owner Korean Air announced earlier this year. Preliminary designs by AC Martin Partners call for a 45-story tower housing approximately 560 four-star hotel rooms and 100 residences, plus a 65-story Class A office tower. The project would be designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver certification standards. The development would include an approximately 18,000-square-foot landscaped plaza at Seventh and Figueroa streets, ground-floor retail and 1,900 underground parking spaces. The new structures would rise on a full city block bounded by Figueroa, Francisco and Seventh streets and
Development Wilshire Boulevard. Groundbreaking is expected in 2011, and construction of phase one would take three years. B 7
CIVIC
DOWNTOWN REGIONAL CONNECTOR
September 21, 2009
Environmental Impact Report on the project. Officials would begin seeking funding once the Metro Board of Directors approves the final EIR, which could take an additional two years to complete. The project is expected to be partly funded by Measure R, the countywide half-cent sales tax approved by voters. At metro.net. NA
EXPOSITION LIGHT RAIL photo by Gary Leonard
14 Downtown News
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is in the midst of an 18-month environmental study of a proposed twomile transit link which would connect the Gold, Blue and upcoming Expo light rail lines through Downtown. Metro officials are examining the potential impacts of two primary versions: an estimated $800 million, at-grade light rail line or a $910 million subway, both of which would run along Second Street. After the study Metro will prepare a draft
According to an Expo board report released this month, the Exposition Light Rail Line is 50% complete, and the project has been hit with a 50-week delay. The report states that there is a “significant risk” to the $808 million budget due to the delays. Work is currently underway on replacing the tracks that will connect the Metro Blue Line to the Expo Line in Downtown, said Gabriela Collins, a spokeswoman for the Exposition Construction Authority. The light rail line will connect Downtown to Culver City. Other work for the project includes the relocation of water and sewer lines as well as gas, power and cable TV lines, the installation of street signs, traffic signals and street lighting. The eight-mile route will share two stops with the Blue Line and will add nine new stations. Management of the project is a joint venture of FCI Construction, Inc., Fluor Corp. and Parsons Corp. At buildexpo.org. NA
FEDERAL BUILDING The $90 million seismic upgrade at 300 N. Los Angeles St. in the Civic Center is 70% done, said Gene Gibson, regional public affairs officer for the General Services Administration. Completion is expected in the summer of 2010. During construction, the building is occupied and open to the public. The work includes new fire safety systems, replacement of original ceiling and lighting systems, signage, security systems, elevators and the removal of hazardous materials, Gibson said. D4
FEDERAL COURTHOUSE Efforts to build a new federal courthouse at First Street and Broadway remain stalled, said Gene Gibson, regional public affairs officer for the U.S. General Services Administration. Congress had appropriated $314 million for the project, which called for 41 courtrooms, judges’ chambers and office space for federal agencies. But an increase in construction costs forced the GSA back to the drawing board and estimates last year soared to more than $1 billion for the project. The 3.6-acre site, which is now just a fenced-off hole, previously held a state office building. C5
LAPD HEADQUARTERS The Los Angeles Police Department is in the process of moving into its new $440 million headquarters, the replacement for Parker Center. The 10-story, 500,000-square-foot structure, designed by DMJM and constructed by Sylmar-based Tutor-Saliba, broke ground in November 2006. The grand opening will take place Oct. 24, one week before LAPD Chief William Bratton leaves the department. The building, just south of City Hall, will include a small, landscaped park along Second Street, a 400-seat auditorium and a 300-car LAPD garage. It will hold 2,300 people, 800 more than Parker Center. A water feature in front of a planting by the sidewalk serves double duty as a security wall. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification of the building was