Could the Venice real estate market be rebounding? There is some new construction activity afoot at 512 E. Rose Ave, with mesh fencing recently installed around the perimeter of the property. Tractors have already begun clearing away the overgrown brush that had been accumulating.
As readers may call, I profiled this site as a prime urban agriculture site in my February 8, 2010 entry, the idea being to use transitional vacant land as a productive space for community gardens and farming. (At the time, I was unaware of pending soil remediation issues, given its prior incarnation as the Pioneer Bakery Building.)
Originally entitled for a mixed-use project consisting of 75 condo units and approximately 5,100 sq. ft. of commercial space in 2005, this 1.5-acre lot has lain fallow in the interim, a victim of the real estate market crash. The financial difficulties of Intracorp, the developer, were well-chronicled on Curbed LA back in 2008.
Pioneer Bakery Building: View from Rose Avenue
Well, a new site plan for the development was filed with LA City Planning, approved in late May. It calls for a three-story building over two levels of parking. Like a loaf of bread, the residential section of the mixed-use project would be sliced into three sections, with courtyards tucked inbetween. A restaurant and series of retail pods totaling just over 10,000 sq. ft. would front Rose Avenue. The developer has also proposed a generous landscaping plan along the sidewalk.
In the absence of a rendering, only time will tell us to what extent the street-level retail uses proposed in this project will bolster Rose Avenue’s status as an emerging retail/commercial corridor. 
Anchored between the relatively new Whole Foods on the east end (at Lincoln) and Venice mainstay Rose Cafe on the west (at Main), it could provide the missing ingredient to draw additional pedestrian activity into this area.
On the other hand, the saw-tooth building façade, with its jagged relationship to the street line, seems like a throwback to ’80s architectural design and is less than encouraging (see site plan at left). There could have been a more interesting way to capitalize upon the curvature of the lot, although this judgment may be premature.
2 Comments
That is one ugly building, couldn’t they come up with something more unique or perhaps forward-thinking? Does everything need to look like Santa Monica’s bad architectural examples of mixed-use buildings with the mixed up facade styles? Its so gross, is that what Venice will be represented by? How about they look at the existing community and what will fit well rather than what has worked as their standard recipe everywhere? Venice isn’t cookie cutter and that needs to be taken into consideration.
The developers should also be aware of the Venice community “law”/preference that no big retail chains be allowed into the neighborhood. I’m sure that after they spend all that money building this, they will be overcharging for the commercial rental spaces that only corporate chains can afford, which will be a huge mistake. Keep it local, bring in local businesses, and price it so that can happen. There are several open retail spaces right now on Abbot Kinney Blvd, so consider if a location as good as that can’t keep tenants, neither will a brand new ugly building in an up-and-coming area. And look at all the overpriced “artist” (cough — for lawyers) lofts that are already available on Main ST and AK, do we need more overpriced lofts that can’t be rented or sold?
I’m glad they are building a parking ramp, but you know it will mostly be used for folks heading to the beach. Hmmm, as a neighbor I’m not sure how I feel about this project. A community garden, a couple smaller restaurants and a parking structure would be nice.
http://www.veniceunchained.org/pr/ak/info/default.asp
I have heard from a fairly reliable authority that big corporate chains will not be allowed, so it at least has that going for it…