Just west of Metro's La Cienega/Jefferson Station, curving steel ribbons are being hoisted into place at the site of a new office tower from developer Samitaur Constructs and architect Eric Owen Moss. Now, the same project team will attempt a similar project less than one block south.
The proposed development, which is scheduled for review at the November 19 meeting of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission, is slated to replace a surface parking lot at 5850 W. Jefferson Boulevard. Plans call for the construction of a 22-story building featuring nearly 345,000 square feet of office space above a four-level, 908-car subterranean parking garage.
Moss's design for 5850 Jefferson calls for a circular footprint at the lower floors of the building which gradually taper and twist into a rectangular form on its upper levels. The glass-clad tower would be set back behind roughly 66,000 square feet of greenscape, which is described as a "park-like" setting.
A staff report to the City Planning Commission recommends that the project should be approved in its current form. Requested entitlements include relief from a 75-foot height-restriction for the property.
While the proposed tower may go beyond the zoning limits previously envisioned by City Planners, the height of the building would not be precedent setting for the surrounding community.
The other Samitaur and Eric Owen Moss project - Wrapper - will rise 17 stories in height, creating more than 170,000 square feet of offices for rent on what was previously a surface parking lot.
The 5850 Jefferson project, with a 320-foot peak height, would go beyond the profile of Wrapper, matching the scale of the neighboring Arq apartment tower at the Cumulus District - a mixed-use complex consisting of more than 1,200 apartments and retail space.
The proposed development is the latest bet on office space in the western side of the Baldwin Hills community, which abuts Culver City and the Hayden Tract.
One block south at 5950 Jefferson Boulevard, developer Urban Offerings broke ground earlier this year on a four-story building which will include 75,000 square feet of offices above ground-floor commercial space.
Other firms - including Redcar Properties and Lincoln Property Company - have recently purchased nearby offices campuses with an eye towards expansion.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has also secured approvals to build a 220,000-square-foot headquarters campus on an empty site at 6000 Jefferson Boulevard, although the future of that project is unclear since the company was purchased by Jollibee in 2019.
