5 teams selected to compete for L.A. project
The field of competitors for a $1.2-billion downtown Los Angeles development in the area surrounding Walt Disney Concert Hall narrowed Monday as the board of the Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority selected five teams to continue vying for the high-profile project.
The board unanimously selected the list of design and development teams, each of which must come up with a proposal for the project. Planners envision a 3.2-million-square-foot mixed residential and commercial development.
Among the teams the board rejected was one that included New York real estate mogul Donald Trump and renowned British architect Norman Foster.
Eight teams submitted applications. The selection of the finalists was based on the qualifications of both the designers and developers, because the teams must produce a concept for the project as well as arrange funding.
The five teams are:
* The Bunker Hill group, led by Weintraub Financial Services, with Gehry Partners as lead architects.
* The Related Companies, with a proposed design team that would include architectural firm SOM, David Childs and Elkus Manfredi.
* The Grand Avenue Development Alliance, a consortium led by Bovis Lend Lease and designers Arquitectonica, Gary Edward Handel + Associates, MVE & Partners and RTKL.
* J.H. Snyder Co., which has teamed with the Jerde Partnership and Johnson Fain and Rios Associates.
* Forest City Development, which has yet to select its designers.
“We are fortunate to have these teams of talented and respected developers and architects focusing their attention on this pivotal area,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, chairwoman of the Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority, said in a statement. “The Grand Avenue project has the power to transform the Civic Center area in Los Angeles into a more inviting, accessible and meaningful destination for all of our residents and visitors.”
In September, the city and county agreed to a power-sharing arrangement to develop a comprehensive plan for the area. Of the projected $1.2-billion cost, about $300 million would be needed for public infrastructure improvements and about $900 million for real estate development.
Plans call for as many as 1,000 residential units, 1 million square feet of office space, 600,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and restaurant space, and possibly a 400-room hotel.
The teams must submit proposals outlining their visions for the site probably within two months, said Martha Welborne, managing director of the Grand Avenue Committee, which advises the authority.
The Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority -- the power-sharing agency created by the city and county -- will then choose a team that must produce a comprehensive plan by September 2005.