L.A. City Council approves Bjarke Ingels-designed 670 Mesquit project

After nearly nine years in the pipeline, the Los Angeles City Council has given the go-ahead to a Bjarke Ingels-designed Arts District development which would bring high-rise towers to a site just west of the Los Angeles River.

The project, slated for a property at 670 Mesquit Street, would rise between the Sixth and Seventh Street Viaducts. Plans call for the construction of multiple buildings containing:

• 676,000 square feet of offices;
• 894 homes - including 144 for very low- and extremely low-income households;
• a 271-room hotel;
• a charter elementary school; and
• commercial uses including retail, restaurant, and gallery space.

The complex would consist of four interconnecting high-rise buildings, the tallest of which would rise to 34 stories. Plans call for building a deck above the adjoining rail right-of-way to the east to provide a closer connection to the river.

Construction of 670 Mesquit is expected to occur in a  single five-year period or in multiple phases over the course of nine years. However, a groundbreaking date for the project has not been announced.

While the overall design concept for the project is largely the same as when first initiated, the development program has evolved from one that leaned heavy on office space to one that focuses on residential uses. Decreased demand for office space in Los Angeles has led other developers such as Tishman Speyer to pull the plug on projects planned for neighboring sites.

The development site sits just south of the Sixth Street Viaduct, and would use the planned deck above the Los Angeles River to complement new park space now taking shape below the bridge. The property also abuts what could become the future site of an Arts District Metro station.

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• 670 Mesquit (Urbanize LA)