27-story tower planned in booming South Park

Yet another tall tower may be on the way to South Park, where construction cranes seem to be sprouting up on nearly every block these days.

The latest project is a 27-story residential development planned for 949 South Hope Street—directly across the street from Grand Hope Park. It’s a space already somewhat crowded with other residential buildings, and the project would require the demolition of a three-story structure that includes apartments and offices.

Developer Forest City will present plans for the new building to the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee next month. According to those plans, the project would bring 236 market rate units to the neighborhood, though it’s not clear yet whether they’ll be apartments or condos.

The tower would rise from a 17-foot-tall podium that would provide retail and restaurant space at street level. The roof of the podium would be topped with a landscaped amenity deck. Residents of the building would also have access to a swimming pool, spa, fitness center, a barbecue area, and a separate rooftop deck.

Parking would be shared with a 14-story apartment complex next door in an existing underground garage.

The project is being designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, and preliminary renderings show it would have a sleek, narrow design with walls of glass and columns of balconies for residents. The two rooftop decks would be neatly landscaped with trees and other vegetation.

A construction timeline for the development hasn’t been set in place yet. Less than a block away, work continues on a 33-story tower at the northeast corner of Ninth and Hope streets. That project is expected to wrap up in early 2018.