David McBane on August 22, 2011, at 02:07PM – #1

Nice. It's great to see any building, no matter how small, come back to life.

derblut on August 22, 2011, at 09:45PM – #2

Gotta park across the street, and no views, but how amazing would that be to live in such a unique, small building.

LAofAnaheim on August 23, 2011, at 07:38AM – #3

This is good development. True infill. Keeps costs low as no new parking is required, thus cheaper for tents to rent. If people want to drive/park, they can chose to rent a space a block away. But to those who don't want that additional expense, can actually live in downtown LA with a reasonable price.

It's the parking quotas that is making housing very expensive in downtown LA. Cut down the parking requirements and you'll see more housing built. It's expensive for the developer and, in turn, passed to the end consumer.

downtown vibe on August 23, 2011, at 09:23AM – #4

I see this alot.

Build more housing...don't build anymore parking and all our lives will be better.

Problem is, why aren't you insisting that the parking we already have is managed properly and made avaialble to those who need it?

Ronald Reagan Building...huge parking structure. empty at night.

Pershing Square...not for residents or even short term park....mismanaged.

3rd St Parking garage operated by County in Arts district...safe, lighted at night...locked..

LAofAnaheim on August 23, 2011, at 12:57PM – #5

@Downtown Vibe....then talk to those private developers. People apparently think the private sector is fantastic (the Tea Party mantra, right?). So shouldn't it be up to those owners if they chose to open their doors to residents. That's their choice, a free market society. But if we tell them to open up for more parking, that's socialism, right?

Anyways, I have no problem with using EXISTING resources. Heck, downtown LA has 500,000 parking spaces. That's ridiculous for an urban center. 48% of our land is asphalt. Hence, why we're park poor. The phrase "I can't find parking" is not relevant to downtown LA..it's "I don't want to spend more than $4 to park".

Basically, this development gives people a CHOICE if they want to spend money on parking or housing. If they want parking, I would recommend not living here. But nearly every other building in LA has plenty of parking, so let's give the people who don't need parking, a choice as well.

David McBane on August 23, 2011, at 04:00PM – #6

@LAofAnaheim - Those three parking structures that downtown vibe listed are all public owned and run parking structures.

I'll add one to the list - the surface parking in Venice. Publicly owned and managed but closed at night when there is a huge demand for parking in the area.

on August 25, 2011, at 07:09PM – #7

Answer is PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (why is the government just not getting this)

But back on track - I wish this little building the best! - hope they give it the TLC it deserves. Go Broadway!

on September 08, 2011, at 10:42PM – #8

Can someone explain the cinder blocks in the window thing I see all over the place down here?

I recently moved to South Park, and some of us actually do need cars to get around. It wasn't that easy to find a building with parking attached. And who wants to park blocks away from where they live?

I am working on a project at the beach, and during the city hearing the city officials were not happy about the developer having an extra 40 parking spots. I also know some projects I worked on in Downtown that the city was trying to remove parking spots and in place have bicycle stalls to encourage less driving.