As evidence, check out the 27 new projects that Los Angeles Downtown News is tracking. They represent developments in a variety of neighborhoods, from the Sixth Street Lofts in the Industrial District to Meruelo Maddux Properties' 90 apartments at Eighth and Hill streets to Dennis Needleman's $50 million City Front Place at the southern edge of the Fashion District. People are betting big all over the community.

Another sign that the market is getting stronger comes in the form of several new mega-projects. Polis Builders and McGregor Company revealed plans for the $65 million, 400-apartment Santa Fe Yards near the Southern California Institute of Architecture, and Related Cos. is creating 750 units in four towers on a block in Little Tokyo. Even the hotel industry sees the potential: The Wilshire Grand hotel announced a $40 million renovation that will revamp all 900 guest rooms.

There is also heat in some of Downtown's best-known places. The $1 billion LA Live broke ground last Thursday. At Broadway and 11th Street, Urban Partners revealed plans to remake the Herald Examiner Building; they intend to restore the historic structure and erect two new Thom Mayne-designed towers.

Altogether, Los Angeles Downtown News is now tracking an amazing 142 projects, an increase from 123 in our previous Development issue. With more players snapping up lots and buildings, and with residents streaming into the area, expect the number to keep growing.

NEW PROJECTS

These projects were announced or garnered public interest within the last four months.

Architect David Gray is looking to turn a five-story industrial warehouse at Ninth and Santee streets in the Fashion District into 38 apartments. Plans are still being worked out, but Gray said units would average 950 square feet. Construction could start as soon as June 2006 and finish by 2008, Gray said.

Developer the Kor Group is in the early planning stages on a project that would turn a Chinatown office building into housing, said Tyson Sayles, a senior vice president for Kor. The 150,000-square-foot structure at 808-810 N. Spring St. is vacant. In March Kor paid $9.2 million for the edifice. The developer has yet to decide whether it will build for-sale or rental housing, though the estimated number of units could range from 98 to as many as 150.

Santa Monica-based architect David Gray is spearheading the conversion of the building at 810 S. Spring St. into condominiums. Plans call for turning the 12-story structure into 93 units averaging 950 square feet. The development would include penthouses and a rooftop deck and hot tub, Gray said. Construction is slated to start next February and finish about 18 months later, he said.

Construction is expected to finish in December on a 75,000-square-foot auto dealership on the southeast corner of Figueroa Street and Washington Boulevard in the Figueroa Corridor. Designs by Whitfield Associates call for three identical two-story buildings that will house Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche dealerships. The $16.5 million project is the first part of a plan by developer the Shammas Group to create a suburban-style auto mall along Figueroa Street south of Downtown.

Kor Group is working on early plans to convert seven buildings from Palmetto to Hewitt streets - the former Barker Bros. furniture warehouse in the Arts District - into about 230 condos. The developer, who has several housing projects in the area, has had initial community meetings and plans to get its tract map to move forward with construction by mid-October, said Project Manager Kate Bartolo.

Developer Brad Gluckstein plans to build a five-story apartment complex with 80 units on a parking lot at Fifth and Bixel streets. Designed by Santa Monica-based Aleks Istanbullu Architects, the 76,000-square-foot building will include five townhouses, nine lofts, 13 studios and 28 one- and 25 two-bedroom units. The apartments will range from 550 to 1,400 square feet. The project is in the entitlement phase and construction is scheduled to start by the end of this year and finish in June 2007. No cost has been announced.

A parking lot known as Block 8, bounded by Second, Third, Los Angeles and San Pedro streets, will be turned into a $250 million market-rate housing community. Developer Related Cos. plans to break ground next summer on the four-structure project, which will include 750 condos and apartments, retail and a 600-space public parking garage. The first part of the project to be constructed, a 22-story tower, will rise on the southwest corner of Second and San Pedro streets; it will include 240 condos alongside the garage. There will be three additional six-story structures: one will house 95 condos on the southeast corner of Second and Los Angeles, across from the new Little Tokyo Library; the second will be sited mid-block along Los Angeles Street between Second and Third with 175 condos; and the third will include 240 apartments on San Pedro. The condos will start at $337,000, and will average $570,400 for tower units and $478,000 for smaller residences. Apartment rents are projected to range from $1,295 for studios to $1,870 for a two-bedroom unit. On the southern half of the site, a 12,672-square-foot park will include landscaping, fountains, public art and pathways. Little Tokyo leader Ted Tanaka has been added to the project team to coordinate the public spaces. Daniel Gehman, a principal with Thomas P. Cox Architects, which is designing the project, said the City Planning Commission is set to approve the development Nov. 2.

Permits are being sought for eight luxury loft condos in a converted industrial building at 120 N. Santa Fe Ave. Mark Kreisel (owner of the defunct Al's Bar) is developing the Bridge Lofts, which will range from 3,408 to 5,147 square feet. Each will have a private garage and entrance, 27-foot ceilings, two fireplaces, two bathrooms and a 400-square-foot rooftop deck. Prices will range from $1.2 million to $1.5 million.

Developer Dennis Needleman plans to construct five levels of condominiums above an existing row of single-story, side-by-side stores he owns at East Washington Boulevard and South Maple Street. The $50 million project, designed by Yung Kao of Alhambra-based Architech Group, includes 135 one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 880 to 1,800 square feet. Needleman said the condos would sell for $400,000 to $800,000. The 200,000-square-foot building will also feature a swimming pool, barbeque area, fitness center and koi pond. An eight-story parking structure will be built nearby. Needleman said he hopes to secure permits later this year and start construction in 2006, with an opening the following year.

Construction could start as soon as February on a multifamily affordable housing complex near Crown Hill. West Los Angeles-based Meta Housing is securing financing for a four-story ground-up apartment complex at 204 Lucas Ave., said Meta spokeswoman Nancy Morris. Plans call for 21 one-, two- and three-bedroom units. The project, just north of Meta's Emerald Terrace development, is expected to wrap by early 2007.

Construction started last month on the $6 million renovation of the Echo Park pool at 1419 Colton St. The pool, which has been closed for three years, will receive a new roof and electrical systems, along with new bathrooms, locker rooms and shower areas. West L.A.-based Frank R. Webb Architects is designing the project. Completion is scheduled for October 2006.

New York-based WSA Management and Chetrit Group plan to turn the Embassy Hotel and Theater at 851 S. Grand Ave. into a boutique-style hotel. Plans call for transforming the nine-story 1914 building into a 175-room hotel and refurbishing its 1,800-seat theater. It marks the first West Coast project for WSA, which made a name for itself in 2004 with the Hotel Gansevoort, a swanky 187-room boutique hotel in New York City's Meatpacking District. The Embassy was designed by architect Thornton Fitzhugh and is recognizable for the Baroque dome on its roof. The steel and concrete building has served, at various points, as a hotel, church and USC facility. As the Trinity Theater, it was the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1919. Construction is expected to start in early 2006 and finish 18 months later. Stephen B. Jacobs Group is the architect.

Crews are turning the massive boiler room of the Higgins Building at 108 W. Second St. into a bar and lounge. Plans by Marc Smith and Andrew Meieran call for a traditional cocktail lounge in the basement room that once powered the 1910 building. Meieran said he is installing a new elevator for the project, which has 40-foot ceilings. The bar is named after Harlem Place alley, a narrow lane between Spring and Main streets that once served as the epicenter of the city's music scene. Construction should wrap by spring, said Meieran, who with Barry Shy converted the Higgins Building into 135 apartments two years ago..

Fundraising is underway for the second expansion of the Inner-City Arts campus in the Industrial District. More than half of the $4.6 million goal has been raised, and ground could be broken early next year. Designs by architect Michael Maltzan include a 43,000-square-foot theater, parking garage, administrative offices, garden, additional ceramics studio and library. The previous addition included a modern 10,000-square-foot space for painting, drawing and animation. The non-profit provides arts education to about 8,000 low-income, inner-city children from 18 area schools annually.

Construction could start early next year on a residential conversion of the nearly century-old Judson C. Rives Building at 424 S. Broadway, said developer David Gray, who is spearheading the project with Philip Miller. Gray previously converted the Tomahawk building. Plans call for turning the upper floors of the 10-story Rives structure into 60 units, while the rest would be used by the fashion industry.

Kor Group is seeking approvals to build 297 live-work condos at 530 Hewitt St. in the Arts District. The project would rise in a largely vacant collection of seven pre-1920s industrial buildings across from the firm's 30-unit Molino Street Lofts, which opened earlier this year. Molino Hewitt Gallery Lofts could be completed by mid-2007.

The Museum Tower Apartments at 225 S. Olive St., next to the Omni Hotel and the Museum of Contemporary Art, will be converted to condos once leases expire, which likely will not occur until at least the first quarter of 2006. The 20-story building has 217 units that are nearly fully leased. Incoming and current tenants without leases are renting on a month-to-month basis. Goldrich and Kest Industries owns the 13-year-old property.

Developer Izek Shomof is converting the 130,000-square-foot National Building at 609 S. Grand Ave. into 99 loft-style condominiums. Shomof closed escrow earlier this year on the 13-story property at Sixth Street and Grand Avenue in the Jewelry District. Plans by architect Mueller Design call for units ranging from 800 to 1,300 square feet. The former office building was largely vacant, aside from three ground-floor restaurants. It marks Shomof's first Downtown project off Spring Street, where his developments include the 120-unit Premiere Towers and the 35-unit City Lofts. The $11 million conversion is scheduled to wrap next fall. The 1926 structure was originally designed by Parkinson Architects and was known as the Edward, Widley & Dixon Building.

A groundbreaking is slated for next spring on a residential tower at Ninth and Flower streets in South Park. Developer Meruelo Maddux Properties, which includes prominent Los Angeles landowner Richard Meruelo, plans to turn the 30,000-square-foot plot it purchased in July into a 37-story structure with 214 loft-style condominiums and 68,000 square feet of ground floor retail.

The Roosevelt Building at 727 W. Seventh St. is being converted into 222 condos by Milbank Real Estate Services. The former office structure, which sits across from Macy's Plaza, was about 70% leased. Architect Wade Killefer is designing the conversion of the Beaux Arts building; it will take about 14 months. Demolition has begun and a plan check is expected to be completed in the coming weeks. The Roosevelt LA Lofts will feature a Metro Red Line Station in the basement. This marks Milbank's first residential project Downtown. The firm owns several office properties.

A $65 million, 400-unit apartment complex just north of the Southern California Institute of Architecture could break ground early next summer, pending approval from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Developers Polis Builders and McGregor Company are in negotiations with the transit agency to lease land that currently houses a train storage and maintenance facility on Santa Fe Avenue and Second Street. The 2.7-acre site, dubbed the Santa Fe Yards, is bounded roughly by Santa Fe Avenue on the west, the First and Fourth Street bridges on the north and south, and by freight and Metrolink service tracks adjacent to the Los Angeles River on the east. The complex would include a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments and lofts, with rents fetching about $2 a square foot; they would be geared to students. About 10,000 to 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail could include a cafe and other neighborhood-serving amenities. Also planned are 700 parking spaces, 200 of which would replace MTA spots. Early designs by Michael Maltzan Architects reveal a long, raised rectangular structure with an underpass that opens the project to pedestrian activity.

Construction is set to start this month on a Jewelry District cocktail lounge. Cedd Moses is spending $1 million to turn the 4,500-square-foot second floor of the building at 515 W. Seventh St. into a bar that will host live music. Construction is expected to wrap by March. The building, which also houses Moses' offices, is the former headquarters of Clifton's Cafeteria. Moses, who created the Golden Gopher bar and Broadway Bar, said a steakhouse may open in the building's ground floor space.

Crews started construction earlier this month on a half-ground-up, half-adaptive reuse residential project in the Industrial District. Developer Howard Klein is creating 63 live-work units and at least two retail spaces by converting a row of warehouses at 1309-1333 E. Sixth St. and building three new structures nearby. Units in the complex will range from 600 to 1,580 square feet with rents from $1,200 to $3,000. The project is being designed by Seattle-based Tony Bell Architecture. Construction is slated to wrap next July.

The former headquarters of the Union Bank & Trust Co. Building was purchased late last month by Meruelo Maddux Properties, which plans to convert it to 90 loft-style apartments by early 2007. The firm paid $12 million for the 1920s bank building at 760 S. Hill St., and construction is underway on the $17 million conversion. Perched on the northeast corner of Hill and Eighth streets, the elaborate edifice reflects the gilded era of flappers, early jazz and growing consumerism. Its brick and terra cotta exterior is studded with ornamentation, while the interior features a marble entry, extensive walnut wood paneling and a carved ceiling created by Italian craftsmen. Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang Architects will incorporate historic elements into the units, while the original titanium bank vault will become the centerpiece of a planned restaurant and lounge..

West Los Angeles-based developer Meta Housing is securing financing for a ground-up affordable housing complex in City West. Plans call for a four-story, 21-apartment structure at 420 Union Drive, said Nancy Morris, a spokeswoman for the developer. The project will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units. Construction is slated to begin in February and last about a year, she said.

The Wilshire Grand Los Angeles hotel at 930 Wilshire Blvd. will undergo a $40 million renovation over the next four years, said General Manager John Stoddard. Plans call for refurbishing all 900 guest rooms, including adding flat-screen televisions and other modern touches. Ballrooms, meeting rooms, common areas and the hotel's restaurants will see improvements as well, Stoddard said. The renovations, which will also include some structural changes, were prompted by the beginning of construction on LA Live, the $1 billion sports and entertainment complex in South Park, that is expected to increase demand for hotel rooms. Long Beach-based Concepts Four is the architect.

Kawada Company of America is in the conceptual design phase for a 302-unit condo tower rising 50 stories at the northeast corner of Third and Hill streets. A 576-space parking garage would occupy seven floors above a podium, and would be topped by a two-story, 50,000-square-foot fitness center and indoor pool. About 10,000 square feet of retail is planned, and possibly a sports restaurant and bar. A slender, Asian-inspired tower would feature condos with a private garden or sunroom. A large roof garden will overlook Downtown. Pricing has yet to be determined for the units, which will range from 500 to 1,800 square feet. Each of the four penthouses will span 2,300 square feet. The 26,400-square-foot site of the development is currently a Joe's Parking Lot; it neighbors Grand Central Market and the senior housing complex Angelus Plaza. The project, being touted by Kawada as the first new mixed-use high-rise in the district, is currently under review by the city, said John Bowman, a land use attorney for Zen Tower.

RESIDENTIAL

Construction is scheduled to start next month on the conversion of the building at 1010 Wilshire Blvd. into 240 for-sale units, said Ori Mansouri, project coordinator for developer Amir L, LLC. The entire 17-story office building had been occupied by SBC, which moved to South Park's SBC Tower in July. Plans by Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang call for turning 13 stories into 800- to 1,200-square-foot condominiums; remaining floors will hold parking, a swimming pool, a recreation area and possibly a health club.

Construction has wrapped and residents are expected to start moving into the 66 condominiums at 330 W. 11th St. next month. Lee Group and CIM Group spent $15 million turning the 81-year-old South Park building into units ranging from 1,151 to 2,609 square feet. Three additional floors were added to the four-story structure, which once housed the UCLA Extension program. Santa Monica-based architecture firm Killefer Flammang handled the designs.

The transformation of the top half of the wedge-shaped office tower at Bixel Street and Wilshire Boulevard is scheduled to finish next spring, said Kevin Ratner, senior vice president for Forest City Residential West, which is developing the 228-condominium complex with Hampton Development and TMG Partners. Plans call for a mix of dual-level (660 to 1,980 square feet) and single-level (700 to 1,200 square feet) condominiums. The 27-story, triangular office tower atop a 15-level, nearly windowless parking garage has been largely vacant since it was constructed in 1987.

Crews are working on demolition and a structural upgrade of the former National Biscuit Company factory at 673 S. Mateo St. in the Industrial District. Developer Linear City is turning the 1925, seven-story structure into 104 live-work units ranging from 750 to 3,779 square feet. The project will also include three-level units with 1,500-square-foot gardens and private elevators. Other touches include hardwood floors, brick walls, oversized windows, 11-foot ceilings and a pool. The project, designed by Santa Monica-based Aleks Istanbullu Architects, will offer 3,000 square feet of retail. Linear City principal Yuval Bar-Zemer said a sales office will open next March and completion is scheduled for October 2006. Linear City previously developed the Toy Factory Lofts in the same neighborhood.

A design change has pushed back the opening of the 69-unit residential conversion at 219 W. Seventh St. in the Jewelry District. Project Manager Gabriel Frig said developer Broadway Exchange Building, LLC decided to add a rooftop patio to the 12-story building and move the planned pool to the basement. The alteration required a seismic upgrade, he said. The rest of the 1911 structure, once the headquarters of the Bank of Italy, is nearly finished. Plans by West Los Angeles-based architect Lucas Rios-Giordano call for open loft-style studios and one-bedroom units. Frig said the project is slated to open by the second quarter of 2006.

Pre-sales are expected to start in the fall for condominiums in the refurbished office building at 530 W. Seventh St. in the Jewelry District. Developers Urban Pacific Builders and West Millennium Homes are spending $21 million to convert the 12-story Beaux Arts structure, also known as the Brooks Brothers Building, into 80 units ranging from 850 to 2,300 square feet. Condos will start in the mid-$300,000 range, while penthouses with private rooftop decks and views of South Park could fetch more than $1 million. The project will include a spa and fitness center, community rooms and barbecues. Santa Monica-based Donald Barany Architect designed the project. It is slated for an early 2006 completion.

Construction is scheduled to start in December on the residential conversion of the Chapman Building at Eighth Street and Broadway in the Jewelry District. Developer All Pacific Financial plans to turn the property into 168 loft-style condominiums, said company representative Fred Afari. The 13-story building formerly housed garment businesses, and currently leases ground-floor space to retail tenants including a jewelry store. Plans include restoring the historic marble and columns throughout the building. Architect Wade Killefer is designing the project. Afari said construction would last about 12 months.

In June developer the Kor Group relit the Art Deco neon clock tower atop the 75-year-old, 13-story Eastern Columbia Building at 849 S. Broadway. It had been dark for more than two decades. Kor is spending about $30 million to turn the turquoise-and-gold terra cotta former retail and office building into 147 high-end condominiums. Plans by Kelly Wearstler Interior Design and Killefer Flammang Architects call for units from 750 to 2,750 square feet with 11- to 14-foot ceilings. Prices will start in the low $300,000 range, with penthouses selling for around $1 million. Amenities will include a rooftop fitness area, leisure terrace, pool deck and fireplace. The development will have retail space and possibly a restaurant. The project is slated for a summer 2006 opening, said Tyson Sayles, a senior vice president with Kor.

Units at this former Spring Street low-income hotel will start at about $350,000 and soar to more than $1 million. Developed by Downtown Properties, construction on the project's 65 condos is set to wrap in the first quarter of 2007. Each unit will feature a balcony, while penthouses will have rooftop gardens. The building's facade is composed of green glazed brick with floral terra cotta detailing. Its most stunning feature, however, is the magnificent lobby with a 20-foot marble entrance and 15-foot-wide grand stairway leading to the mezzanine. Built in 1913, it was originally named the Hotel Stowell after its builder, N.W. Stowell, a capitalist and financier. The hotel catered to wealthy businessmen and became a single-room occupancy hotel in the late 1940s. It has been vacant for several decades. Pre-sales begin in November..

Los Angeles-based Venice Development Group is trying to finalize plans for a ground-up condominium tower at Hope Street and Olympic Boulevard, said General Manager Sean Marouf. The Killefer Flammang-designed development would feature 200 condominiums in 18 stories, with two floors of parking. The building would total about 300,000 square feet and construction could start in 2007, Marouf said.

Construction is scheduled to wrap late this year on 30 live-work units in an existing artist-in-residence structure at Fourth and Mateo streets, said Tyson Sayles, a senior vice president with developer the Kor Group. The Arts District development currently contains 61 live-work rental units in two adjoining 1920s warehouse buildings. The Molino Street Lofts will feature condominiums ranging from 900 to 3,700 square feet.

Construction is slated to start early next year on a 17-story ground-up residential tower at 11th and Olive streets, said Karen Diehl, a spokeswoman for CIM Group, which is developing the $35 million project with the Lee Group. Plans call for 105 for-purchase units with floor plans ranging from 700 to 1,500 square feet. The South Park project will include ground-floor retail. Construction is expected to last about 18 months.

Construction is underway on a $13 million conversion of the Irvine Byrne Building at 249 S. Broadway into 40 lofts. Plans by Santa Monica-based Donald Barany Architects call for units ranging from 800 to 1,400 square feet and 10 penthouse lofts with private rooftop decks. Units will start in the low $300,000 range. The Beaux Arts-style structure was designed by Sumner Hunt, and in the 1940s housed a Mexican consulate. Long Beach-based Urban Pacific Builders is the developer.

The Rowan Building at 458 S. Spring St. is being converted into 200 condos by Downtown Properties, with prices ranging from the mid-$200,000s to more than $800,000. The Beaux Art structure will be restored with its original terra cotta facade and marble-clad lobby, hallways and stairways. Some units on the 12th floor and the penthouse will feature skylights, while a number of condos on the second and ground floors will have private patios and balconies. Six loft-style units will be built on the ground floor. Completion is expected in the first quarter of 2007. Originally designed by John Parkinson, one of the city's premier architects, the Rowan was completed in 1911 as a commercial office building. It housed law firms and stock brokerages, but became vacant after numerous financial institutions moved out of the area. Pre-sales begin in November.

Construction is underway on the $25 million residential conversion of 548 S. Spring St. (previously known as Barry's Lofts II, the Wilson Building and the 548 Building) into 84 condominiums, said developer Barry Shy. Units in the Historic Core property will range from 700 to 1,100 square feet. Shy, who is partnering with Albion Pacific on the project, said completion is scheduled for September 2006.

Work is scheduled to finish next fall on developer Barry Shy's conversion of the building at 215 W. Sixth Street into 84 condominiums. Units will range from 600 to 1,200 square feet. The project would include about 20,000 square feet of ground floor retail.

Crews have begun the conversion of part of the 22-story Chase Plaza office complex at 801 S. Grand Ave. Developers the Lee Group and CIM Group are turning floors 12-22 into 132 one- and two-bedroom live-work units averaging 1,400 square feet. Pricing has not been determined. The ground floor will remain a lobby and will hold restaurant and retail space, while floors two through 11 will house offices. A new residential entrance will be crafted on the building's west side. The project is slated to wrap early next year. Santa Monica-based Van Tilburg, Banvard and Soderbergh is the architect.

Construction is slated to start in the second quarter of 2006 on developer Linear City's 12-story, 125-condominium project at 673 Mateo St. Units will start at 600 square feet and will top out at 1,800 square feet. Pricing for the contemporary-style lofts has not yet been determined. The project will include terraced roof gardens, a swimming pool and a landscaped breezeway that cuts through the building's center. Construction is expected to last 18 months. Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner of Stuttgart, Germany, are the architects.

The $85 million condominium structure at 11th Street and Grand Avenue is about halfway complete, and move-in is scheduled for mid-2006, said Jean Walcher, a spokeswoman for developer the South Group. The 13-story tower will include 176 lofts, four live-work townhouses and ground floor retail. Floor plans range from 850 to 2,800 square feet; prices will start at $300,000, with some units going for more than $1 million. It is the first of South Group's three condominium towers being constructed on a single block in South Park.

Crews broke ground last month on a ground-up, 236-unit condominium tower in South Park. Developer the South Group is constructing the 19-story, 475,000-square-foot structure at Eleventh and Hope streets. One- and two-bedroom lofts, penthouses and townhouses will range from 750 to 3,500 square feet and start in the $400,000 range. The $80 million development also features ground floor retail and four levels of subterranean parking. The project, the second in South Group's three-tower complex, is slated for completion in summer 2007, said Jean Walcher, a spokeswoman for South Group.

A groundbreaking is slated for next month on Evo, a $100 million, 23-story complex at 12th Street and Grand Avenue in South Park. The development will offer 311 loft-style condominiums including two-story live-work townhouses that will be accessible from the street, as well as five levels of parking. It is the final phase of developer the South Group's three-building condominium project. Evo will share almost the entire block with the first two phases, Elleven and Luma.

Crews are putting in roofing on a 127-condominium senior housing complex at San Pedro and Third streets in Little Tokyo, said developer Thomas Wong. Units in the $35 million development range from 775 to 2,100 square feet. Amenities include a swimming pool, spa, exercise room and courtyard gardens. The eight-story, 210,000-square-foot structure will contain three retail tenants on the ground floor and one level of subterranean parking. Some tenants will be from the nearby Senshin Buddhist Temple. Wong said crews are also working on installation, drywall, plumbing and electrical systems. Wong said he hopes for a December completion. Santa Monica-based Van Tilburg, Banvard & Soderbergh is the architect.

RESIDENTIAL

Groundbreaking is scheduled for the first week of November on a ground-up residential tower at Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street in South Park. Plans by Houston-based the Hanover Company call for a 28-story tower with one- and two-bedroom market-rate apartments, said Kevin Batchelor, the development partner in charge of the project. The 156 units will average 1,061 square feet. The project, which feeds off LA Live and other South Park residential development, is being designed by RTKL Architects. Construction is scheduled to finish in late 2007.

Construction is scheduled to wrap by Thanksgiving on the $65 million ground-up construction of 303 luxury units at First and Alameda streets near Little Tokyo, said a representative of Costa Mesa-based developer Trammell Crow Residential. Crews are working on finishing touches and landscaping on the project that features studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 504 to 1,226 square feet. Although the project was originally envisioned as apartments, Trammell Crow executives are considering selling the units instead. Construction of the project's second and third phases are scheduled to start this fall. The second phase, called Artisan on Second, will add 117 condominiums; the third will create 210 condominiums.

Plans to convert the former Blackstone Department Store into 82 lofts have stalled, said Wolfgang Kupka, president of developer Vista Realty Advisors. He said the contractor declared bankruptcy and the project is on hold indefinitely. Designs called for turning the 89-year-old complex at 901 E. Broadway into 400- to 1,200-square-foot units ranging from $700 to $2,300. The development was to include ground floor businesses. Last year, the Los Angeles Conservancy awarded Vista Realty Advisors $100,000 to rehabilitate the building. The 1916 structure was designed by John Parkinson, who drafted plans for Union Station, the Coliseum and City Hall. The project is about half-complete, Kupka said.

According to the most recent information available, developer George Peykar is turning the 137,000-square-foot Coulter and Mandell Buildings at 500-518 W. Seventh St. into 55 live-work lofts and 28,000 square feet of ground floor retail. Peykar purchased the 88-year-old Jewelry District properties in 2003 for $8 million. Peykar has said construction is scheduled to finish by late this year.

A developer is raising funds to create 40 live-work spaces on a 2.5-acre plot at Main and Llewellyn streets east of the Cornfield state park. Spearheaded by Jennifer Siegal's Office of Mobile Design, the residential units, intended for artists, are to be fashioned out of prefabricated and converted shipping containers, stacked and arranged in an S-pattern, with roof gardens and communal areas.

Crews began excavation Aug. 5 on a $21 million, four-story complex at Lucas Avenue and Emerald Street on Crown Hill, said Nancy Morris, a spokeswoman for Meta Housing, a Westwood-based developer partnering with Century Housing of Culver City on the project. Plans call for 85 affordable units. Construction is scheduled to wrap in late 2006, Morris said. Meta is also behind the Northwest Gateway apartment complex one block north, on the corner of Lucas Avenue and Glendale Boulevard.

Crews are excavating a small plot for a 10-unit apartment complex in City West. Brentwood-based Thomas Safran Associates is developing an 8,000-square-foot building with four floors above a deck of parking on Fourth Street, between Bixel Street and Lucas Avenue. The one-bedroom apartments will range from 800 to 1,000 square feet and rent for up to $2,000 a month. The project sits on the staging area for Skyline Village, an affordable housing complex the developer and Housing Corporation of America finished earlier this year. Project Manager Andrew Gross said construction is scheduled to wrap in September 2006.

Groundbreaking has been pushed back to October for the $16.5 million affordable housing complex at 440 Hartford Ave., near San Lucas and Fourth streets just west of Downtown, said Dora Leong Gallo, CEO of nonprofit A Community of Friends. Designed by architect Killefer Flammang, the 54-unit project will contain mostly three- and four-bedroom units, as well as a Boys & Girls Club to serve the students of an elementary school being built next door. Gallo said construction is slated to finish in November 2006.

Crews are in the framing phase on a 128-unit luxury apartment complex on a parcel at Second Street and Central Avenue in Little Tokyo, said Gino Canori, project manager for the Related Cos. The six-story structure will house studios and one- and two-bedroom units, along with a pool, spa, fitness center and 12,500 square feet of retail. Apartments will range from 400 to 1,100 square feet and rent for an average of $2.45 per square foot. About 20 units will be priced as low-income housing. The development broke ground last year and is aimed at students from USC and SCI-Arc, empty nesters and young professionals working in the nearby Financial District and Civic Center. The project will also feature an illuminated public art installation by Venice-based Susan Narduli. The project is a joint venture between Related and San Francisco-based MacFarlane Partners. Canori said he expects an April move-in.

An increase in construction costs has pushed back groundbreaking on a 61-unit affordable housing project in City West. 1010 Development Corp., the development arm of First United Methodist Church, is building the $16.7 million project on two lots on opposite sides of the street; one at 1322 and the other at 1405 James M. Wood Boulevard. The project includes 40 two-bedroom units, 21 three-bedroom units, 1,340 square feet of office space, a 1,740-square-foot community room and a childcare center for 45 students. Kelle Rose, a community liaison for the developer, said construction is expected to start by October and last about 15 months. Pasadena-based Ken Kurose Architects is designing the project.

Developers hope to complete the $20 million residential conversion of the University Club building at 630 W. Sixth St. in the Financial District by January, said Jenny Cunningham, a representative of Newport Beach-based Greystone Group. Plans call for 90 one- and two-bedroom apartments and five townhouses with a private entrance on Hope Street. Units will go for $1,500 to $2,600 a month. Named Library Court for its proximity to the Richard J. Riordan Central Library, the building's exterior will feature a new glass curtain wall in combination with the existing marble. The property will also includes an 11,000-square-foot retail space that could house a restaurant. The complex will contain two levels of underground parking.

Move-in is scheduled for this month in the refurbished Security Building at 510 S. Spring St. in the Historic Core, said Bernie Sandalow, a spokesman for the developer. Long Beach-based Simpson Housing Solutions spent $28 million turning the 12-story, 1920 building into 153 units with eight floor plans from 611 to 1,160 square feet. Rents range from $1,300 to $4,200 and 20% are priced as affordable housing. Ground floor tenants include an art gallery, eatery and post office.

Brentwood-based developer GH Palmer Associates is in the planning stages for a 600-apartment complex on Sixth Street between Bixel and St. Paul streets in City West, said Peter Novak, executive vice president for the developer. Specifics are still being worked out, although the project is expected to be finished by summer 2007, Novak said.

Crews are installing the flooring and other finishing touches in the $8 million residential conversion at 620 S. Main St., said Renee Elias, director of finance for Encino-based Project & Cost Management. Developer Oxford Street Properties is turning the 75,060-square-foot, six-story structure into 40 industrial-style lofts averaging 1,250 square feet. Rent will be $1,100 to $2,200. The project is slated for completion by December, Elias said.

The $15 million residential conversion of the Arcade Building at 541 S. Spring St. is scheduled for completion by late this year, said Peterson Go, project manager for Fifth Street Funding. The developer is turning the 12-story Beaux Arts-style structure, also known as the Broadway-Spring Arcade, into 143 market-rate lofts. Each of the building's two towers, which are separated by an interior retail arcade that stretches from Spring Street to Broadway, will house six one- and two-bedroom apartments per floor. The 195,000-square-foot edifice will function as a mixed-use project, a concept common when the structure was built in 1924. Architects David Denton and Killefer Flammang designed the project.

Move-ins are scheduled to begin in November for the eight-story ground-up development at Flower and 11th streets in South Park, said Kevin Ratner, project manager for developer Forest City Residential West. Plans by Johnson Fain Partners call for 264 one- and two-bedroom units ranging from 700 to 1,400 square feet. Market-rate apartments will go for $1,400 to $2,800; rents in 52 affordable units will begin at $500. The $50 million, F-shaped structure will also have 11,500 square feet of retail space.

Construction is slated to start early next year on the first part of a twin 15-story apartment and condominium tower on the southeast corner of Figueroa and Ninth streets in South Park. Developer Sonny Astani is in the design phase, said Brenda Rodriguez, a representative from his Beverly Hills office. Plans call for 450 units, 40,000 square feet of retail and 1,200 parking spots. The first phase has 276 units, Rodriguez said. Astani paid $29 million to Equitable Life Assurance Society for the property in October 2004.

The developer of a $55 million mixed-income housing complex on a former train yard at Second Street and Glendale Boulevard hopes to start construction next month. Plans by West Los Angeles-based Meta Housing call for 276 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, with amenities such as a community room, computer lab, pool, spa, dog park, fitness center and two levels of underground parking. The project has been delayed numerous times, including twice due to permit filing errors. The property contains the Belmont tunnel, which runs beneath Bunker Hill. Last year, the city's Cultural Heritage Commission designated the tunnel a Historical Cultural Monument. Meta Housing said it would keep the tunnel intact, although it will not be open to the public. Completion is scheduled for 2007.

Construction is underway on a ground-up apartment complex at 505 N. Figueroa St., said Peter Novak, executive vice president of the Brentwood-based developer GH Palmer Associates. Plans call for 600 luxury apartments with rents ranging from $1,250 for studios to $1,725 for two-bedroom units. The development, part of Palmer's three-phase Orsini, is scheduled for a May 2007 opening, Novak said. Palmer kicked off the City West upscale apartment rush several years ago with his Medici complex.

A construction timetable has not been set for an ambitious adaptive reuse and ground-up residential project in City West. Developer Michael Delijani plans to turn the Pacific Exchange building at Third Street and Beaudry Avenue into residential units and build two 30-story towers nearby. West Los Angeles-based Nadel Architects is designing the 850-apartment and condominium project. The developer purchased the boxy, 10-story building, the former home of the Pacific Stock Exchange, in the late 1990s. It consists of eight levels of parking, the trading floor and a single level of offices. Delijani has said construction would take place in three phases. Cyrous Davoodian, manager of the real estate division for Delijani's Delson Investment Company, said the project is still in the design phase.

Construction is set to finish by December on a $50 million conversion of a former Packard car dealership into 116 market-rate lofts, said Sean Marouf, project manager for developer Venice Investments. Units in the structure at Hope Street and Olympic Boulevard will range from 750 to 2,000 square feet and rent for $1,400 to $2,800. The project also includes a 25,000-square-foot ground-floor storefront space and a 450-car indoor garage.

Move-ins should start within two months for a 79-unit residential conversion at Olympic Boulevard and Olive Street in South Park. Developer Maz Gilardian spent $13 million to turn the nine-story Federal Reserve Bank building into residences. Units average about 1,000 square feet and will rent for $2,000. A restaurant and bar are also planned for the ground floor of the 85-year-old structure. About 20% have been leased so far, Gilardian said.

The conversion of 205 former hotel rooms in the 93,337-square-foot Holiday Inn at 750 Garland Ave. is scheduled for completion next month, said Stephen Shapleigh of Newport Beach-based owner MKT Community Development. About 85% of the new studio apartments in the 1960s City West structure will be priced at $1,200 a month, though some will cost up to $2,000. The developer is considering providing such hotel-like amenities as room service and a salon. The project also contains a 6,000-square-foot ground-floor restaurant.

Construction is slated to start this month on the $17 million conversion of a former bank building at 760 S. Hill St. into 90 loft-style apartments. Units will range from 700 to 1,900 square feet. Meruelo Maddux Properties acquired the 12-story structure for $12 million earlier this year from Heisman Company, which had planned to turn it into apartments, said Heisman partner Rob McRitchie. Completion is scheduled for early 2007. Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang is the architect.

Construction started this month on the $25 million residential conversion of the Title Guarantee Building at 411 W. Fifth St., said developer Daniel Swartz. Plans by architects Killefer Flammang call for 74 loft-style apartments starting at 900 square feet. Ceilings will be exposed concrete and range from 10 to 14 feet. Swartz, who purchased the 12-story structure in 1983 for $9 million, bought out his investors' interest in the property. Architects John and David Parkinson modeled the Art Deco- and Gothic-inspired edifice after the Tribune Tower in Chicago. Built in 1930, the property is perhaps best known for Hugo Ballin's murals in the lobby. The structure, the former home of Spanish language newspaper La Opinión, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Swartz said construction is scheduled to finish in August 2006.

Construction is about halfway complete on a 300,000-square-foot, 120-unit student apartment complex at 3760 S. Figueroa St. near USC in the Figueroa Corridor. Crews are working on framing for the fourth floor of the five-story building, said Casey Smith, director of developer Conquest Student Housing. The $40 million complex will house 512 students in one- to four-bedroom apartments. Rent will be $600 per student. Amenities will include steam rooms, saunas, tanning beds, satellite television, a gym, sundeck, study lounge, dry cleaning, and maid and tutoring services. Conquest has secured leases for the project's 15,000 square feet of retail space from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Coldstone Creamery, Quiznos Subs, Pick Up Stix and Robek's. The project is slated for a June 2006 completion. Conquest owns 18 apartment buildings around USC.

Construction on the first phase of a $34 million housing complex on a 2.75-acre site at Alameda Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue near Union Station is slated to finish by January, said John Faulk, director of development and acquisitions for Newport Beach-based Lincoln Property Company. Crews have finished framing on the first phase and are about two-thirds of the way done on the second. The project will consist of two five-story structures housing 278 units. Sixty percent of the apartments will be one bedroom and the remainder will be two bedrooms; all will range from 640 to 1,400 square feet. The complex will feature a rooftop pool and spa, along with a ground-floor exercise facility and computer center. A bridge will connect the housing complex to Union Station. Faulk said the project is expected to open with the completion of the second phase next March.

Construction is expected to start next summer on a ground-up residential center on a former used car lot at Figueroa Street and Jefferson Boulevard near USC. Downtown-based Urban Partners is spearheading plans for the $130 million mixed-use project with 421 units for 1,658 USC undergraduate students. The building will have 83,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 1,029 parking spots. USC alumni Glenn Togawa and Timothy Smith of Pasadena-based Togawa & Smith are designing the project. Fred Jackson, a development associate with Urban Partners, said construction is expected to wrap by fall 2008.

Construction is scheduled to start this month on a four-story building at 39th Street and Exposition Boulevard. The project by Century City-based developer Century Housing Corporation will create 140 mostly one-bedroom units. The development, for seniors over 62, includes ground-floor parking and common areas. The project is partly funded by a 2002 Department of Housing and Urban Development grant. Completion is scheduled for January 2007.

The residential conversion of the five-story former home of the Victor Clothing Co. at 242 S. Broadway was scheduled to begin in February. Representatives of the non-profit Neighborhood Efforts have discussed plans for 38 live-work lofts ranging from 900 to 1,600 square feet. The building is best known for its exterior wall mural of Anthony Quinn as Zorba the Greek. The developers have said they hope to restore the mural.

Construction is expected to finish next June on a ground-up loft project in City West being developed by Beverly Hills-based Sonny Astani. Plans call for a 250,000-square-foot structure at Wilshire Boulevard and Bixel Street with 234 lofts, 10,000 square feet of retail and 450 parking spots on six stories. The development includes 35 workforce apartments. Brenda Rodriguez, a representative for Astani Enterprises, said work is nearly complete on the concrete decking of each floor.

Work is nearly complete on the foundation and garage of a ground-up residential complex at Bixel and Third streets. The $45 million project by Brentwood-based developer GH Palmer Associates will add 297 units to City West. Last year, the developer agreed to pay $2.8 million to the city; this will exempt the firm from including low-income units in the Visconti, and allow them to convert 60 low-income units in another Downtown project, the Medici, into market-rate apartments. The project is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2006, said Peter Novak, executive vice president of the developer.

Crews are constructing a ground-up apartment complex in City West, said Tom Holland, a principal with developer Holland Partners. The four-story building at Bixel Street and Wilshire Boulevard will house 108 units. A second, five-story, 93-unit tower will rise just south, at Bixel and Ingraham streets. The buildings will be linked via a skybridge. The development will include two- and three-bedroom units averaging 800 square feet. The project is scheduled to open in early 2007. It marks the Vancouver, Wash.-based company's first project in Downtown Los Angeles.

MIXED USE

Officials have previously said a groundbreaking for the mixed-use complex on the site of the former Little Joe's restaurant (it closed in 1998) will occur in summer 2006. The project at the northeast corner of Broadway and College Street is comprised of six contiguous lots at 900-924 N. Broadway, 215-219 College St. and 901 Spring St. Developer Larry Bond, who heads Bond Companies, said the housing will be compatible with Chinatown's design; the plan is based on design principles found both in historic Chinese city planning and the 1938 plan for New Chinatown of Los Angeles. Construction is expected to last about two years. Ultimately, Blossom Plaza could connect with another mixed-use development on the site of the Capitol Milling Building. The city is also building a parking garage, as well as a pedestrian bridge linking the adjacent Chinatown Gold Line station to Broadway.

Plans are in place to convert the 60,000-square-foot Capitol Milling Company building into a mixed-use development. Steve Riboli of S&R Partners plans to turn the 1231 N. Spring St. structure into 40 apartments and 25,000 square feet of retail. Riboli is working with Larry Bond, who is developing the nearby mixed-use Blossom Plaza, on creating a public space to fuse the two sites. The structure is a former grain mill and silo. The plans are part of the large-scale Riverview Project at the Cornfield, a mixed-use development on a triangular piece of land stretching from College Street to the Los Angeles River. The four-phase project would use the Capitol Milling Building as a southern anchor and include up to 300 residential units in four four-story ground-up structures, said John Deenihan, a principal with Downtown-based Rothenberg Sawasy Architects, who is designing the project. Construction is not scheduled to start until at least 2007. The Riboli family also owns the San Antonio Winery north of Chinatown.

In May, city and county officials approved the $1.8 billion master plan for Grand Avenue, which would transform the upper reaches of the avenue, and First Street roughly between Hope and Hill streets, with 400,000 square feet of retail, a 225-room boutique hotel, 2,600 residential units and a 16-acre civic park. Architect Frank Gehry, who designed the adjacent Walt Disney Concert Hall, has been selected to design the project's 40- to 50-story "iconic" tower on Grand Avenue at Second Street. The structure will likely feature the hotel and 200 condos on the upper floors. Additionally, work has begun on the Environmental Impact Report, which is expected to be completed by year's end, according to the Grand Avenue Committee. Public presentations will be made during this time as well; the first is an informational meeting set for Sept. 20. Construction on the first phase is expected to begin by December 2006.

The Herald Examiner Building, shuttered since the Hearst-owned newspaper folded in 1989, is being turned into a residential and retail complex with two towers designed by award-winning architect Thom Mayne. Developer Urban Partners, which is working in tandem with property owner the Hearst Corporation, said plans are underway to restore and convert the 1914 Mission-Revival landmark on the southwest corner of 11th and Broadway into offices and condominiums. A 37-story structure will likely feature 330 for-sale units at 120 W. 12th St., while a 23-story building at 1108 S. Hill St. will include 235 condos. Preservation architect Brenda Levin will oversee the rehab of the historic building that could include 24 residential units, 23,650 square feet of retail space, and 32,670 square feet of offices. The Environmental Impact Report was completed Sept. 16.

Boyle Heights-based Homeboy Industries, a pioneering gang prevention program founded by Father Gregory Boyle, plans to break ground this fall on a 20,000-square-foot building at Alameda and Bruno streets in Chinatown. The two-story edifice will house the entity's headquarters, a bakery and the 3,000-square-foot Homegirl Café and Catering. Homeboy Industries helps former gang members and at-risk youth with job training, counseling and job placement. The project is scheduled for a fall 2006 completion.

Groundbreaking for the 207,000-square-foot apartment complex at Fourth and Main streets is expected this fall. Developers Saeed Farkhondehpour and Morad Neman hope to wrap construction in the fourth quarter of 2007 on the $125 million Medallion, which would include 375 market-rate rental units and 200,000 square feet of retail space in two 11-story towers. One would rise on the northeast corner of Fourth and Main, across the street from Pete's Café and Bar, and the other at Third and Main. Units would average 850 square feet. The complex would include three commercial structures of up to three stories. About 25 housing units fronting Main and Los Angeles streets would be scattered on the upper floors. The project would also include a two-acre courtyard and park. M2A Architects and Leo A Daly are the architects.

City Centre Development Company is adjusting plans and awaiting approval from the city on a multiuse complex on 6.3 acres at Ninth and Francisco streets in South Park, said Executive Vice President John Vallance. Plans for the first phase, which could start construction next year, include a 53-story building with 548 apartments and 25,000 square feet of retail. Phase two calls for a 47-story structure with 288 apartments, a 480-room hotel and 10,000 square feet of retail. The third phase envisions a 38-story tower with more than 893,000 square feet of office space, 11,000 square feet of retail and a 95,000-square-foot space for a cultural institution. The project, which has been discussed in different forms for about a decade, previously had a larger office component and retail elements, but was downsized after negotiations with the Community Redevelopment Agency in favor of more residential units. Vallance said he hopes to receive approval before the new year. Construction on the first phase is expected to last two years.

The latest phase of Santee Village, the $130 million conversion of nine Fashion District garment factories, is expected to open by December, said Mark Weinstein of Santa Monica-based MJW Investments. The Textile Center Building at 315 E. Eighth St. has been transformed into 64 condominiums and 5,000 square feet of retail. Units average $535,000, Weinstein said. Construction is also scheduled to start this week on the next phase of the development, a 216-condominium conversion that includes 10 retail spots. It should take about 18 months, Weinstein said. The three-phase mixed-use and mixed-income project will eventually total 780,000 square feet and 445 units on the block bounded by Los Angeles, Seventh and Eighth streets and Maple Avenue. A 165-apartment first phase opened in May 2004. MJW Investments has secured a 70-year lease allowing it to build a parking structure on Maple Avenue. The lot would also serve as a staging area for MTA buses. Weinstein said the project's name has been changed from Santee Court to Santee Village.

Construction is underway on Market Top Flats, the grocery store and condominium component of South Village, a $220 million mixed-use project on a 7.2-acre plot bounded by Eighth, Ninth, Flower and Hope streets. The six-story project includes a 50,000-square-foot Ralphs grocery store and 267 condominiums. The Lee Group is the project's housing developer, while CIM will oversee financing and the development of 10,000 square feet of retail along Ninth Street. The first phase, the 251-unit Gas Company Lofts at 800, 810 and 820 S. Flower St., opened last year. Phase three, estimated at $21 million, would develop 152 rental lofts and 25,000 square feet of retail on the southwest corner of Eighth and Hope streets. Phase four, estimated at $90 million, would develop sites that flank the supermarket on the northwest corner of Ninth and Flower, as well as a vacant parcel on the northeast corner of that block. Two new buildings would be constructed with 520 for-sale units and another 30,000 square feet of retail. Construction of Market Top Flats is expected to wrap in first quarter 2007.