As more developers flock towards the development surge going on in DTLA, both real estate experts and city officials are noticing a migration towards the growing center’s surrounding neighborhoods. According to LA Times, the city’s latest large-scale project is heading towards Echo Park, the neighborhood just northwest of Downtown. 

Courtesy of SOM

The massive mixed-use project will bring a large-scale residential and hotel building to a nearly six-acre site on Sunset Boulevard, formerly known as the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). The campus, which has undergone several changes since it was built 75 years ago, failed to secure landmark status from the city last year, which would have protected the structure from any major changes.

Last November, the owner of the MWD campus first announced the master-plan project, though details surrounding the development were still murky. After months of planning for the site, which has been named 111 Sunset Boulevard, the $600 million project now has a prominent team attached as well as some detailed renderings.

Los Angeles developer and investment firm Palisades, along with architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, landscape designer James Corner, and Japanese design firm Kengo Kuma are working together to construct 111 Sunset Boulevard. The proposed master plan will feature a high-rise condominium complex, complete with townhouses, apartments, retail, restaurants, and two acres of public space for the community. 

The prestigious team, along with some city officials, aim to rejuvenate the historical area, which has been sitting dormant years. Since the site connects Downtown and Dodger Stadium, and it’s located nearby hot-commodity neighborhoods such as Chinatown, South Park, and Bunker Hill, organizers saw immense potential for economic growth. Prior to the proposal, the 1960s property housed a vacant office building and a defunct church.

Courtesy of SOM

Plans for the 5.5-acre master plan call for the construction of ground-level retail and eateries along Sunset with a focus on creating a new community hub for people to gather and relax. Although the project is currently blocked off to the public, Palisades plans on paving several entryways and walking paseos for easy shopping and transportation access along Sunset. 

Designs for the project feature numerous pedestrian paths, terraces, courtyards, landscaped gardens, fountains, and a sprawling view of Downtown. The master plan will include a mixture of high- and low-rise bungalow-style homes meant to fit in seamlessly with Echo Park’s surrounding residential blocks. Kengo Kuma, an architecture company known for incorporating nature with his projects has been tapped to create this blending effect.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill will oversee the project’s general design, which includes a 31-story and 49-story residential complex that would bring a total of 778 condos and apartments to the area. Palisades plans on setting aside 76 apartments for low-income residents. With nearly 30 major projects happening in DTLA this year, the rapidly growing city center is running out of space for new developments. With this in mind, the development boom is expected to expand to nearby neighborhoods, which have become increasingly more appealing to developers. More and more corporations are looking to build new developments in nearby areas that have yet to be activated.