This Just In: Broad eyes Downtown for museum

All of Downtown has been abuzz this week after billionaire developer/philanthropist Eli Broad officially announced that a Grand Ave site is also under consideration for his $60 million art museum and foundation headquarters. Just last week, we reported that a strange site in Culver City was Broad's elusive third choice. But the President of neighboring West LA College has heard nothing from Broad's people, so that revelation may have been a distraction.

Broad obviously has very strong ties to--and friends in--Downtown, from his support of the lingering Grand Ave behemoth to his recent $30m bailout of MOCA. Impatient with developer Related Co.'s inability to get things going on Grand Ave, Councilwoman Jan Perry has expressed excitement at the prospect of Broad moving in nearby. The site under consideration is a surface parking lot on the south side of Disney Hall, sunken below street level on Grand Ave. The lot is one of the smaller parcels owned by Related Co., a developer that has been hit hard by the real estate setback, and is waiting for the capital market to rebound before plowing forward. Related would likely get an extension on their city-mandated deadline to break ground if some of the land is sold to Broad's project.

The City of Los Angeles was initially left out of consideration for the museum. In old age and frustrated by a lifetime of red tape, Broad is desperate to expedite this project as much as possible. But Santa Monica's city council isn't voting on the deal until next month - a time frame that may prove to hurt their bid. Some Santa Monicans argue however that the city is offering too many concessions to bring Broad's museum to the derelict Civic Park neighborhood (selling the land for $1, for example); they believe a much better deal can be reached via a developer who has commercial plans for the site. Meanwhile, Beverly Hills, who doesn't even own the property Broad wants, might as well kiss its chances good bye.

Source: Santa Monica Daily Press; Photo: Eric Richardson

Culver City enters running for Broad art museum site

In an interview last week, billionaire developer and philanthropist Eli Broad revealed that a 10 acre site in Culver City is also under consideration for the location of a new museum that would be endowed in his name. When Broad announced plans for the museum back in November of 2008, a site at the southeast corner of Santa Monica and Wilshire Blvds in Beverly Hills was the principle consideration. A year ago however, Broad announced that he was also looking at a 2.5 acre city-owned lot next to Santa Monica's Civic Auditorium. The Culver City site is located along Jefferson Blvd on the West LA College campus.

Broad's revelation was shocking to all, but perhaps more so to Mark Rocha, West LA College's president, who says that he hasn't heard from Broad's foundation. After reading about the competition between Santa Monica and Beverly Hills last year, Rocha wrote the foundation, asking them to consider his site as well. Unfortunately that vacant lot is currently being used as a staging area for the college's capital construction project, and will likely be in use for another 2 years.

But Broad says that at age 76, he wants the project to move fast, with as little red tape as possible. While Santa Monica already owns its site in question, the City of Beverly Hills would have to acquire the parcel that Broad has been eyeing. And whichever city gets the honor of landing Broad's museum would be asked to donate the land, contribute $1m+ in construction fees, provide parking, and pay for landscaping. It is a pricey investment that each municipality believes will be well worth the prestige and popularity of the Broad collection. While Broad has said he is not trying to pit each city against the other to generate the best deal, he is probably selecting jurisdictions based on their ability to expedite the bureaucratic process. The City of Los Angeles, notably but not surprisingly, is not on Broad's short list.

The 50,000 sf facility is to house Broad's 2000 piece art collection, his foundation, storage space, and a research component. The museum would be launched by a $200m endowment, said to sustain a $12m/year operating budget. That bequest would be the largest infusion into Southern California arts, second only to the $2.76b Getty Trust. It is estimated to cost ~$60m.

Source: LA Times

Moss' "Glass Tower" Revived by Expo Line

Eric Owen Moss' eccentric tower, which was previously stalled by financial constraints, has enjoyed renewed interest thanks to the Expo lightrail line that will connect Downtown with Culver City in 2010. The first rendition, which was approved in 1999, was composed of two towers and claimed to be the "only high-rise proposal in South Central...the location for two urban riots in the last 50 years." We won't tell them La Cienega at Jefferson isn't anywhere near South Central and is actually adjacent to affluent, suburban Culver City.

Program calls for about 210,000 sf of office space split across 16 floors of varying height, in addition to parking both above and below grade. The exterior ribbon structural system allows for an open, column-less interior. The project is being developed by Samitaur Construct, the company behind the office complex of the same name, another Moss design that was completed to thunderous acclaim in 1995.

The site is located on a large tract bordered by the lightrail line on the north and the Ballona Creek on the West. It is near the beginning of National Blvd, where Jefferson Blvd turns due south. The La Cienega lightrail station is located less than a block away, and is the second-to-last stop before the terminus at National and Washington near downtown Culver City. In the 1990s Moss made a name for himself in nearby Culver City with his designs for the massive redevelopment of Hayden Tract, a gaping expanse of industrial land that was repurposed for office and manufacturing space. The land, home to offices including Ogilvy & Mather, Kodak, and Smashbox Studios, has since quintupled in value. So maybe Moss does have the Midas touch for blighted real estate, but isn't this just another pricey vanity box, albeit in a not-so-desirable part of town?

Metro Board Chooses Right-of-Way Option in Expo Phase II

The Metro and Expo authority boards voted unanimously last week in favor of the Metro-owned Exposition right-of-way route for the second phase of the Expo light rail connecting downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica. That route follows the rail line that was used by the Pacific Electric red car system that was eradicated in the 1950s. The option is cheaper, faster, more convenient, and would attract higher ridership than the alternative.

Opposition to this route came from residents of the Cheviot Hills area directly to the north of the Exposition right-of-way. That neighborhood is composed predominantly of upscale, single-family homes. Residents have voiced concerns that the light-rail line would be noisy, ugly, and would bring urban blight to the plush region. They tried in vain to convince the board that a route traveling westward on Venice Blvd and then turning northward up Sepulveda Blvd would attract more riders.

The other half of the decision was to route the terminal stretch of the line down Colorado Ave through downtown Santa Monica to end at Ocean Ave at the Pier, as opposed to running down Olympic Blvd. Now, the principle remaining controversy is whether certain stations should remain at-grade or be sunken underground - the safer but more expensive alternative. The construction authority has proposed at-grade stations at Overland, Westwood, Military, Sepulveda, Barrington and Centinela, some of which are high-traffic crossings.

First Century City, then the 10 freeway and now this? Cheviot Hills just can't seem to keep the big, bad city from closing in around it.

Mixed Decisions on Expo Lightrail Crossings

California Public Utilities Commissioner Rachelle Chong ruled last week on a pair of controversial street crossings for the Expo light rail, under construction between Downtown and Culver City. Her decision allows for an at-grade crossing to be built at Harvard Boulevard, but rejects the Expo Metro Line Construction Authority's request for the at-grade crossing at Farmdale Avenue. The majority of the line's 38 crossings have been approved, but these last two were met with strong opposition from community members who feared for the safety of the students at local high schools.

'Fix the Expo Rail Line' is the community organization created to protest the seemingly dangerous light rail-street crossings near Dorsey High School (Farmdale Avenue) and the Foshay Learning Center (Harvard Boulevard), in South LA. This decision marks a half-victory for that team, as only one of the two crossings was denied. Grade separation is the act by which the right-of-way for the light rail is either dug below street level into a trench or raised above the street on an elevated rail. Both methods of grade separation are prohibitively expensive, and the Metro construction authority has pleaded that they simply cannot afford the changes, and that they will delay the project indefinitely.

Already included in Metro's plan were two above-grade stations (La Brea and La Cienega) and one short underground passage (corner of Jefferson Blvd. and Flower St.), both implemented because of heavy automobile traffic in those areas. They were built into the initial construction budget and planned for. While it is encouraging to learn that the voice of the community is not mute in this project, the delay of the already too-late rail line to the Westside will be unpleasant to builders, financiers, riders, and neighbors. The slow-moving light rail trains will arguably pose little additional threat to the existing dangers of high-speed local boulevards Exposition and Jefferson. And while protesters have made it clear they want to "fix" the line, rather than oppose its implementation, the transit linkage of Downtown with West LA will be a net gain for residents of those nearby areas. All you have to do is look at the traffic on the 10 anytime between 6 am and 9 pm to understand the desperate urgency of this project.