Developer proposes 14-acre, mixed-use complex for Los Angeles Arts District

Dive Brief:

Developer SunCal has proposed a 14.5-acre mixed-use development, dubbed 6AM, for the Arts District in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The 6AM development, which is currently the site of two warehouses, would include more than 1,700 residential units (a mix of for-sale and for-rent), retail, office space, two hotels, a school, 23,000 square feet of what it calls art opportunity space and two parks.
The development is part of what the Times calls a "race to file plans with the city" before a March vote on the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative. The planning measure, if passed, would restrict high-density projects and could prevent the re-zoning necessary for SunCal to forge ahead with its plans for 6AM.

Dive Insight:

As with any major redevelopment project, SunCal has already encountered pushback from residents and city officials around the height (58 stories) of two of 6AM's towers. The project's critics contend that the aesthetic and artistic feel of the Arts District neighborhood, near the infamous Skid Row and populated primarily by low-rise construction, would be negatively impacted. However, some residents would gladly say goodbye to the smog and truck traffic generated by the area's warehouses, the Times reported. SunCal, though, might be facing another potential foe: timing. Downtown Los Angeles has seen aggressive development over the past few years, and real estate experts have been left wondering if that market could support 6AM.

Increasingly, developers all over the country are proposing similar mixed-use, city-within-a-city developments. The desire for convenience, walkability and a sense of community are all at play. Millennials are a particular target.

For example, a Florida developer recently won approval to develop a $1-billion, agriculture-centered, mixed-use project, or "agrihood," near Orlando, complete with residential, retail and office space (172,000 square feet) and an elementary school. Hitting on the trend of locally sourced food, the community will feature a communal garden in which residents can grow their own produce. Developers plan to include more than 2,000 homes, as well as a 20-acre park and biking trails.

In July, San Diego officials began negotiations on another neighborhood-transforming project, the $1.2-billion, portside, mixed-use Seaport San Diego. While the details aren't yet final, the 70-acre development could include two hotels that would provide more than 1,400 rooms, almost 400,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, nearly 20,000 square feet of office space, a charter high school, an observation tower, an aquarium and a beach-side park.