Samitaur Constructs, which has worked for decades with architect Eric Owen Moss on a collection of eclectic office buildings in Culver City's Hayden Tract, is turning a page.
This week, Hackman Capital Partners announced the formation of a strategic alliance with Samitaur to manage the Conjunction Points portfolio, which includes 800,000 square feet of space in 26 different properties. Current tenants include Nike, Scopely, Jukin Media, Vespertine and ChowNow.
Moving forward, Hackman Capital Partners will lead an effort to renovate and update the portfolio. The developer has invested heavily in Culver City, including on a planned development in the Hayden Tract and at the Culver Studios campus.
A Metrolink train in San ClementeWikimedia Commons
A schedule overhaul taking effect on October 21 will increase service on Metrolink by nearly 23 percent, the transportation agency announced this week.
The roughly 500-mile regional rail network will see an additional 32 weekday trains, with the biggest impacts seen on the Orange County, San Bernardino, and Inland Empire-Orange County Lines. More modest expansions to service are planned for the Ventura County and 91/Perris Valley Lines, while a Riverside Line trip has been cut.
“Customers and community members have been asking for more frequent trains, midday options and better connections, and we are listening,” said Metrolink Board Chair and City of Highland Mayor Pro Tem Larry McCallon in a news release. “The new schedule will allow Metrolink to reach beyond the traditional, Monday-through-Friday commuter windows and deliver a service that appeals to even more Southern Californians.”
The biggest boon to the schedule change will be for those looking to switch between different Metrolink routes - the number of connections available throughout the day is increasing by more than 300 percent, with wait times between transfers largely between 10 and 20 minutes.
More information can be found at metrolinktrains.com/scheduleupdate.
View of The Grand looking north from Grand AvenueHunter Kerhart Architectural Photography
Another out of town university is setting up shop in Downtown Los Angeles.
"The University of Michigan will establish a new location for the Ross School of Business in downtown Los Angeles," said University of Michigan President Santa Ono via social media. "Plans are for the University of Michigan - Ross Los Angeles campus to be located at The Grand LA, in the Grand Ave Arts Corridor, known as the city’s epicenter of culture with iconic art, theater and entertainment venues. The facility is also close to LA’s business district."
MLive reports that the Ross School's lease will cost $12 million over a 10-year period, with the school set to take 20,000 square feet of space. Construction is scheduled to be completed by Fall 2025.
The Grand, which opened in 2022 across the street from the Walt Disney Concert Hall, features a 305-room hotel and 436 rental apartments in a pair of Frank Gehry-designed towers. The property also includes a large retail podium, much hof which has remained empty since the property's debut two years ago.
Signing ceremonyGovernor Newsom
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed dozens of new bills this week relating to housing and homelessness. Included among them among them are bills that streamline approvals for housing developments on commercially-zoned land, expand of existing programs promoting development near transit, and introduce penalties on jurisdictions which reject housing projects protected by state law. Additionally, Newsom new guidance on up to $2.2 billion in funding for the acquisition of hotels and motels by local jurisdiction for conversion to supportive housing.
For the full list of laws signed, click here.
Here's what we're reading this week:
Newsom decries SoCal city that’s banning homeless shelters "Last month, Norwalk passed an ordinance temporarily banning homeless shelters, single-room occupancy housing and supportive housing. The ordinance additionally banned liquor stores, laundromats, car washes and payday loan establishments." (LA Times)
710 Advisory Group Calls for 3D Model of Neighborhood Before Freeway Construction "Members say visual representation crucial for understanding community impact and informing future plans" (Pasadena Now)
Newsom points finger at cities and counties for failing to get people off the street "According to Gov. Gavin Newsom, cities and counties are to blame for failing to get people off the street — despite all the money he’s given them to do so....That was the message the governor pushed Thursday as he signed a package of housing and homelessness bills at an event in San Francisco with legislators, carpenters’ union members, and members of the press." (LAist)
Metro Ridership Keeps Growing; August Boardings Set Pandemic-Era Weekend Records "August and July weekday ridership saw the twenty-first and twenty-second months of year-over-year Metro ridership increases: nearly a million daily riders (Streetsblog LA)
Labor advocates sue Metro over $730-million contract to build subway cars. Will it hurt Olympic planning? "A delay in getting new rail cars could push back Metro’s expansion and leave passengers stuck with the dingier older cars as hundreds of thousands of people descend on the region for the Games." (LA Times)
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