Rivaling Development Teams Give New Insight into Possible Mangrove Parcel Futur

by Rich Alossi
Original story at angelenic.com

1st & Alameda Project Site, Downtown Los AngelesLast night’s First & Alameda Request for Proposal (RFP) meeting provided some new insight into what could eventually become an extension of the Arts District and Little Tokyo areas — the vast city-owned Mangrove parcel. Now that the Gold Line Eastside Extension is well underway and the Little Tokyo/Arts District Station is taking shape, all eyes are on the adjacent empty lot at First and Alameda, which has long held promise for the lifeless outskirts of this neighborhood. Three unique presentations were showcased by rivaling development teams yesterday for a chance to win building rights on the coveted site. Each had varying levels of support from the community, but a common thread among all three proposals is that the mixed-use design must be at a human scale to bring forth a project that will integrate well with the area.

Nikkei Center

First to present was Jonathan Kaji of Kaji & Associates, who discussed his team’s plans for a massive development centered around the intersection called the Nikkei Center. In cooperation with Urban Partners and the Little Tokyo Service Center, the team was savvy enough to perform extensive outreach to the community beforehand. The Jerde Partnership-designed project was well received by Little Tokyo constituents present at the meeting.

Nikkei Center calls for 390 units of rental housing (20% of which to be set aside as affordable units for seniors and low-income households), 80,000 square-feet of retail, 166,500 square-feet of office space and 1,286 parking stalls. Ron Fong, director of the Little Tokyo Service Center, believes the Nikkei Center has a leg up on the other proposals due to Japanese retailers’ familiarity with Jerde Partnership’s previous designs:  Canal City Hakata, Riverwalk Kitakyushu and Namba Parks. Jonathan Kaji was also the state of California’s chief trade representative to Japan during the 1990s.

Nikkei Center Downtown Los Angeles, Little Tokyo

The crowd-pleasing component, however, was the Los Angeles-Nagoya Friendship Garden - a large, but separate green space component that would provide a tranquil environment for the nearby religious temples. Additional items that were discussed to acquire further support from the community are honoring local hiring rules by offering living-wage jobs in addition to public courtyards and event space.

Niemann Properties / Rothenberg Sawasy Architects

With a slick 3-D model and renderings, Niemann Properties and Rothenberg Sawasy Architects (RSA) introduced their “city within a city” to a bewildered audience. The Niemann partnership seems to have underestimated the amount of outreach required in the tightknit communities surrounding the project. Grumbles from the audience were audible when the developer was asked whether there was a plan to incorporate Japanese businesses and cultural amenities into the project. Niemann’s reply was simply “no,” and he further explained that the two-story retail component already had an “Asian feel” to it.

This pitch for a glitzy “urban-lifestyle center” ran contrary to the desires of many concerned locals in attendance, especially elderly Japanese-Americans who have seen a steady drift of Japanese culture away from Little Tokyo to other areas of Los Angeles like Sawtelle Boulevard in West L.A. and Torrance. Despite that obvious miscalculation, the unnamed proposal was the only one to include a commercial office high-rise. The 300,000 square-foot structure would be situated on the Temple Street side of the project site and would act as a northern gateway to the Little Tokyo district.

Renderings (unavailable for this article) suggest that several buildings in a park-like setting would provide the mix of uses and green space highly revered among contemporary urban planning ideals. Pedestrian-friendly 40-foot wide sidewalks would allow for event hosting and strips of outdoor dining underneath 400 residential units, 20% of which would be set aside as affordable. Along with retail space dedicated for art galleries and neighborhood services, a theater area has been included to serve the local arts community.

Tokyo Artpark Crossing

Tokyo Artpark Crossing

Perhaps the most exciting of the three proposals is Tokyo Artpark Crossing, a collaborative effort between Concerto Development, City View, Johnson Fain, Williams & Dame and Ankrom Moisan Architects.

Homer Williams of Williams & Dame, whose projects in Portland’s Pearl District have become well known throughout the world as a model of sophisticated urban design, spoke to the need of creating a sense of place for the key parcel.

“The building is not important… thirty feet and below is what’s important,” proclaimed Williams. Glass at the ground floor should invite passersby to the retail facilities, he explained, pointing to the success of the South Collection buildings in South Park of which Williams & Dame was a partner.

The centerpiece of the Tokyo Artpark Crossing presentation was the team’s contention that retail “direct from Tokyo” would be courted in the development, to emulate the success of Tokyo’s remarkable Roppongi Hills Development. A 12,000 square-foot Japanese grocery store and the possibility of a Japanese culinary school to anchor the eastern portion of the project wowed the audience. Tokyo Artpark Crossing, Second RenderingTwo distinct schemes were presented to the audience, both of which incorporated dense development with a mix of small condominiums for working professionals and live/work units, over half of which would provide workforce and affordable housing.

In the team’s first plan, First Street’s role in the development of Tokyo Artpark Crossing is to connect the Arts District and Little Tokyo along an east-west axis. Large sidewalks and lines of sight would promote not only pedestrian access to the development, but also encourage shoppers and residents to explore the larger Little Tokyo area.

A second design expands upon the transit access of the future Gold Line station, with a park in the center of the development instead of the adjoining southeast parcel.

Choices Ahead

As community input and outreach continues and a final proposal emerges, one thing is clear: Little Tokyo is maturing as a dynamic urban neighborhood and will only continue to improve in coming years. However, those changes must answer to those most affected by such a large-scale vision. Ultimately, the proposal which shows sensitivity to urban context and local demographic needs while delivering architecturally-inspired concepts and complementary uses will win the opportunity to make its impression on Downtown.