His first foray into the residential development business, Charlie Woo, co-founder of MegaToys, a global toy wholesaler and manufacturer, and a noted local business leader/pioneer of downtown's toy district, is looking to put a mixed-use development at the site of current MegaToys warehouse project at 905 E. 2nd Street. The MegaToys warehouse would be destroyed to make room for a 320-unit mixed-used project, according to Woo. "The area just seems better for residential," he told us this morning, pointing to the other residential buildings in the area and the forthcoming Gold Line stop. According to the documents filed with the city planning department last week, the project is a 6-story, 320 condominium unit building with approximately 15,756 feet of retail/commercial space, and a minimum of 766 parking spaces. The project architect is Togawa Smith Martin, the same firm that did the condominium portion of Glendale's Americana At Brand (two other architects worked on other parts of Americana).
Woo, who says that there are numerous MegaToys facilities throughout downtown, is the lead developer on this project, but he tells us he is looking for additional partners. According to the documents, project construction is estimated to start in spring 2009 and last approximately 23 months. That little bitty black and white rendering, seen in documents on the city's planning site, is the only glimpse offered of the project, but Woo promises to send more renderings.
ENV PROJECT DESCRIPTION: A new 6-story, approximately 65-foot high mixed-use project consisting of approximately 320 condominium units, approximately 15,756 gross square feet of retail/commercial space, with a minimum of 766 parking spaces on an approximate 2.9-acre CM-1 site currently developed with an asphalt-paved parking lot and a 49,000 square foot industrial/warehouse structure.....
General Plan Amendment to the Streets and Highway Element of the General Plan to redesignate S. Garey Street from E. 1st Street to E. 2nd Street from a collector street to a local street to permit vacation of the portion of S. Garey Street from E. 1st Street to E. 2nd Street; Tentative Tract Map pursuant to LAMC Section 17.01; The merger and vacation of S. Garey Street from E. 1st Street to E. 2nd Street; The merger and vacation of a portion of the adjacent alley; Merger and re-subdivision of the project site into one lot (Lots 1 &2 ) with front yards on both E. 1st and E. 2nd Street; Site Plan Review pursuant to Section 16.05 of the LAMC; Haul Route approval; Traffic Study approval; Grading, foundation, and building permits; and such additional actions as may be determined necessary....
The existing main rail road tracks used by Metrolink, Amtrak, and BNSF are
approximately 1,200 feet to the east from the project site. Based on the FTA screening guidelines, residential uses at distances greater than 200 feet from the rail road tracks, would have little possibility of experiencing significant adverse vibration impacts.69 However, the future Light Rail (Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension) along E. 1st Street would be approximately 35 feet from the proposed building. Based on the Light Rail project’s Final SEIS/SEIR, the predicted ground-borne vibration due to the future Light Rail, along E. 1st Street adjacent to the project site, would be 72 VdB and would also meet the FTA vibration criteria for residential.70 Therefore, the proposed residential units would not be expected to experience excessive groundborne vibration impacts from the existing and future rail operation....
The above rendering shows surrounding residential developments (yellow hued designated).
Loading comments...