Westlake's got transit, it's got parks, it's got historic buildings—it's also a place whose name, for many, is synonymous with crime. Low rents draw a lot of would-be gentrifiers, but anecdotal evidence tells us they don't usually stick around for too long. All of that could be on the cusp of changing, though. Within the last year or so, no fewer than 10 new housing developments with at least 1,600 units have been spotted moving through the planning process, and multiple historic theaters are being rehabbed to bring in concert-goers and office workers. Some projects involve adaptive reuse of existing buildings, but most are new mixed-use structures being built from the ground up, from high-priced apartments to transit-oriented, very low-income housing. Today Westlake is poised to see an influx of money that many would have thought impossible a few years ago, and it's sure to change the character of the neighborhood in big ways. We've mapped the coming changes:
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Mapping the Huge Wave of Gentrification About to Hit Westlake
Playhouse Theatre
Last fall, the owners of New York's famous Bowery Ballroom announced their plans to rehabilitate the Playhouse and its restaurant for live shows.
Valencia
A parking lot and some unused commercial buildings will need to be demolished before this $60-million mixed-use complex can rise. Designed by Killefer Flammang and developed by Sonny Astani, expect 218 apartments with just 18 set aside for low-income renters, and 4,400 square feet of groundfloor retail.
Wilshire Coronado
Seven stories and 154 luxurious units from the Somerset Group, designed by Rios Clementi Hale and DeStefano Partners. Chic.
Hayworth Theatre
Jenji Kohan, creator of Weeds and Orange is the New Black, bought the Hayworth and is now renovating it so her writing and editing staffs can move in. That's a bunch of new creative office workers for the 'hood.
Bixel/Lucas
Incorporating both adaptive reuse and new construction, this enormous project on the northern part of the block bordered by Bixel/Lucas/Sixth Street/Wilshire was designed by Nadel Architects. It's expected to have 648 total units and up to 40,000 square feet of groundfloor commercial space.
2929 W. Leeward
This project appears to be working through the city channels after a long bit of radio silence, but it would comprise a five-story, 65-foot-tall condo building across four lots (which currently house some vacant residential buildings). It would have 80 units and three floors of underground parking.
2867 Sunset Place
A proposed development of 60 apartments and 77 parking spaces was spotted moving through city planning in February for this site that currently houses a surface parking lot.
2814 W. Seventh St.
There's not a lot of information about this short mixed-use development, other than the fact that it will have 158 apartments spread out over six stories with an undetermined amount of streel-level retail. The site is currently a vacant lot.
678 S. Alvarado
Developer McCormack Baron Salazar and Metro are working together to get 81 low-income apartments over the Westlake/MacArthur Park Station. It doesn't get much more transit-oriented than that. The five-story structure will have 17,000 square feet of street-level retail.
Third and Witmer
This project will require the demolition of nine buildings in favor of one five-story mixed-use structure with 122 apartments (11 reserved for "very low income" households). It will have as many parking spaces as apartments.
1324 W. Wilshire
Two existing office buildings will be demolished in the plan to build this six-story, 52-unit building. There will, of course, be street-level retail—5,281 square feet of it.
1419 W. Seventh
A gym, a rec room, and a third-floor rec deck are planned for this proposed seven-story mixed-use building. The 87 units (and five units reserved for very low income households) will have up to 135 parking spaces (two retail spaces, 133 residential spaces) on two levels.
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