There might be another blockbuster development joining Frank Gehry's hotel/art museum in downtown Santa Monica. The city is looking for proposals to develop a project on Arizona between Fourth and Fifth to include a combination of retail, cultural, office, hotel, and residential uses, along with a programmable space for public gatherings and seasonal activities. The request for proposals to develop the 2.5 acre city-owned site went out to three big-name-packed teams:
OMA, VTBS, and OLIN, with Metropolitan Pacific Capital, Clarett West Development, and DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners as developer
Local experience: OMA is Rem Koolhaas's firm, and has angled for several projects in LA (LACMA, The Broad museum Downtown, Universal Studios), but hasn't had any luck yet. VTBS has worked on mixed-use projects around town before, including the Movietown Plaza in West Hollywood, while Olin designed the gardens for the Getty Center. Clarett West, meanwhile, is developing Blvd6200 in Hollywood with DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners.
Robert AM Stern with Brooks + Scarpa, with Forest City as developer
Local experience: Forest City is developing Blossom Plaza in Chinatown. Robert AM Stern Architects designed The Century in Century City. Brooks + Scarpa is the local firm behind one of the unsuccessful designs for the new courthouse downtown.
Koning Eizenberg, Rios Clementi Hale, and RTKL, with Related California and Community Corporation of Santa Monica developing
Local experience: Koning Eizenberg transformed the old Paul Williams-designed YMCA in South Central into new affordable apartments and designed the new Pico branch of the Santa Monica library. RTKL master-planned LA Live, and Rios Clementi Hale worked on Grand Park with Related, which is developing the Grand Avenue Project (to name one of many projects). Community Corporation of Santa Monica has developed 1,500 affordable apartments in 90 buildings in Santa Monica.
Proposals are due from each team in May.
· AND THEY'RE OFF [AN]
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