Two-and-half years after plans were filed to redevelop an industrial site in the Arts District with a mixed-use complex, a document published by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council has finally unveiled renderings of the project.
The project is a joint venture between Mateo Arts, LLC and DART Partners, LLC - an affiliate of SRG Properties. The proposed development would rise from an approximately 1.43-acre site fronting Mateo, Bay, and Sacramento Streets, replacing a vehicle storage facility. Plans call for the construction of an eight-story building containing 106 live/work apartments - including nine to be set aside as affordable housing at the very low-income level - with approximately 120,000 square feet of commercial space. This includes nearly 14,000 square feet of retail space and approximately 13,000 square feet of restaurant space.
Common amenities are planned throughout the property, including a swimming pool, a lounge, a fitness center, and co-working spaces. Additionally, parking for 402 automobiles would be provided on three levels - with residential parking located below-grade, commercial parking at grade, and office parking on the second floor.
The design by architecture firm Gensler calls for a building that would rise up to 127 feet in height, with stepped roof levels and terraces used to relate the project's scale to the surrounding neighborhood. The office and residential components of the project are split into separate wings on opposite sides of an elevated central courtyard. The live/work dwellings are highlighted by a series of exterior shutters, while the office space features gridded windows. Proposed exterior finishes include brick, concrete, and metal, in reference to surrounding properties.
The combination of office space, live/work apartments, and retail has become a common thread of many developments in southern part of the Arts District. Along Santa Fe Avenue one block east, both Onni Group and Jade Enterprises are planning similar multi-use developments at underused industrial sites.
Other ongoing developments in the area include the under-construction Soho Warehouse and proposed office developments from Tishman Speyer and Lowe.
All of these projects come in the wake of Warner Music Group's arrival at the former Ford Factory at 7th Street and Santa Fe Avenue. The entertainment company decamped for the Arts District from its longtime home in Burbank earlier this year.
