This revised map showing the Broad Museum was submitted by the Broad Foundation to the Planning Dept last year
While putting in place loopholes that could cancel their agreement with Related Companies, today the Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority voted today to give the developer another two-year extension to start work on its Frank Gehry-designed hotel and residential project. But as the Downtown News reported last week, Related may start construction on another Grand Ave parcel, near the Broad Museum.
To show you how this all may play out, this map (submitted to the city last year by Broad Foundation) shows the museum and the long-planned residential towers that are part of a later phase of the Grand Ave project. Now, this map isn't final and could change. As explained by the Broad Foundation last month, Tower 1 will likely be replaced by more plaza space. (Check out a map showing more plaza after the jump.)
But if the Related tower is approved---a second meeting to discuss the rental building will be held on Feb 28th---it would rise on the Tower 2 site, according to Bill Witte, President of The Related Companies of California. Right now the luxury tower will likely be 20-24 stories, according to Witte. Construction would start in 18-20 months, he said, and 20 percent of the apartments would be low income units. The retail component pictured in the map would likely stay, too.
Meanwhile, City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who sits on the Grand Ave Authority--also known as the Joint Powers Authority--cast the lone "nay" vote on granting the extension to Related today for its Phase 1 plan, the site where the planned Gehry-designed project will rise.
Perry, who previously expressed frustration that alternatives haven't been offered for the now stalled-Grand Ave site, seemed to want a back-up plan. “My concern is extending Phase one for two years without having a specific plan in place. Do we have a plan in place for what the new configured Phase one would look like?”she asked committee members. Told no, she voted against the extension.
Perry also expressed hope that the city could take out parcel L, where the Broad Museum site sits, “so we can allow the CRA to finish this L parcel.” But Gloria Molina, another board member, pushed back against Perry, saying the panel was only voting on the extension, and that the parcel "should stay within the JPA at this present time and those discussions [on any parcel swaps], if any, should be brought before the JPA"." Perry didn't respond to an email request to explain why she wanted the site taken from the Joint Powers Authority.
Meanwhile, back to Related Cos' rental tower. If it is built, construction will be underway right about the time that visitors are heading to see Eli Broad's shiny new museum. Asked if he thought Broad wouldn't want a construction site near his new museum, Witte said he didn't think that would be an issue. "People in New York live with construction sites all the time," he pointed out.
At the Broad Museum unveiling last month, this map was handed out. As you can see, Tower 1 is gone, replaced by more plaza, which is represented by the green. Museum architects Diller Scofidio and Renfro will likely be picked to do the plaza. The red represents the museum; the yellow, the residential Tower 2 and retail.
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