While Canadian developers are planning skyscrapers for Downtown Los Angeles, development schemes are a little more subdued on the low-slung Westside.  Out in Culver City, the Vancouver-based Bastion Development Corporation is midway through construction on the Oliver Apartments, a mixed-use complex featuring 30 residential units and roughly 8,700 square feet of ground floor retail space.  Renderings of the project portray a modern, four-story structure, accented with wood paneling and large street level windows.  An earlier design for the Oliver featured multiple lime green flourishes along the building's southern facade.  Luckily, it appears that non-colorblind decision makers prevailed here.  Bastion's apartment project is a rare site along this stretch of Washington Boulevard, which is a late comer to the mixed-use party.  However, the Oliver may soon be joined by a larger, five-story development across the street.  That project, which would straddle the Los Angeles/Culver City border, proposes 97 residential units and 15,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space.

• Washington Boulevard Mixed-User Getting Started (Building Los Angeles)

While foundation work for Access Culver City moves slower than molasses, the Runyon Group is making quick work of their mixed-use development across the street.  The Platform at Culver City broke ground in November 2013, and is slated to offer more than 80,000 square feet of high end retail, destination restaurants, and creative office space when complete.  Designed by Abramson Teiger Architects, the project entails several new buildings, in addition to the adaptive reuse of two existing low-rise structures.  In the upper right hand corner of the above image, we see the beginnings of the Washington Arts Building, a five-story edifice which will feature parking, art lofts and street level commercial space.  The dirt lot under excavation at center left will make way for Boxcar, a modular four-story office building above two signature restaurants.  Just south of Boxcar, the Landmark Repair Shop repurposes a former auto repair building into additional restaurant space.  Platform is rounded out by two additional buildings, located out of frame to the left, and a landscaped central courtyard known as the Conservatory.  A significantly larger development from Lowe Enterprises is also planned for the opposite side of Washington Boulevard, to be located on Culver City Station's current park-and-ride lot.

• The Platform Has Shovels in the Ground (Building Los Angeles)
• The Platform (Runyon Group)
• Commercial Projects (Abramson Teiger Architects)

Fresh off a demoralizing round of layoffs in March, Sony Pictures Entertainment is roaring back with a vengeance.  According to a notice recently distributed by Culver City's Planning Commission, the film and entertainment giant is seeking approval for an expansion project that would add new office and production facilities to its historic Washington Boulevard studio complex.  The first aspect of the project, a 218,000 square foot office and support building, would rise eight stories, replacing a current surface parking lot next to Sony Picture Studios' Overland Avenue entrance.

Additionally, Sony plans to demolish a group of low-rise storage buildings, making way for a new, 52,000 square foot production services facility.  The new building would rise directly north of a four-story office structure that is currently under construction near the campus' Mentone Avenue gate.  To serve these new facilities, Sony also proposes capital improvements to the complex's Culver Boulevard parking garage.  Plans call for expansions on its east and west sides, plus the extension of its sixth level, resulting in a net increase of 1,328 parking stalls.

• Sony Pictures Entertainment: Eight Story Office... (Culver City)
• Conformance Review for Proposed Sony Studio Support Building (Culver City)

After climbing upwards at a snail's pace for two years, the wooden frame of the Sony Studios-adjacent NMS@Culver City appears to be (mostly) complete.  Located at the northwest corner of Hughes Avenue and Washington Boulevard, the low-rise edifice will feature 131 rental apartments above 12,000 square feet of ground floor retail and restaurant space.  The $63 million project from locally-based NMS Properties has fallen significantly behind its previously announced development timeline, which called for the residential-retail complex to open in Spring of this year.  Now one month into Summer, the Killefer Flammang-designed building is still nowhere near ready for occupancy.

Further east, construction has run more smoothly on Downtown Culver City's two other mixed-use developments.  Greystar Real Estate Partners' 115-unit Access Culver City has finally peeked above ground level at the corner of Washington and National Boulevards.  Across the street, steel and concrete are quickly rising at the future site of the Platform, a retail and office project from the Runyon Group.  Both project may soon be joined by 500,000 square foot development from Lowe Enterprises, which would create apartments, hotel rooms, offices and retail space on Culver City Station's current park-and-ride lot.

• NMS@Culver City Making Slow, Steady Progress (Building Los Angeles)

The above image should be a very familiar to all passengers coming to and from the Expo Line's current Culver City terminus.  Nine months after breaking ground at the corner of Washington and National Boulevards, the Runyon Group is still roaring ahead with construction on their mixed-use development known as the Platform.  The Abramson Teiger-designed  project will feature an eclectic mixture of retail, restaurant and office space.

Steel framing is now in place for Boxcar, a four-story creative office building located at northeast corner of Washington Boulevard and Landmark Street.  Across the street, rebar and concrete is still rising for the Washington Arts Building, a five-story parking that will be structure obscured by murals on upper floors and commercial stalls at ground level.  Out of frame to the left, other buildings that will contain additional retail and restaurant establishments now rise above the the elevated Expo Line tracks.

A significant portion of the complex's commercial stalls have already been leased, with announced tenants including Aesop skin care, Blue Bottle Coffee and a signature restaurant from renowned New York chef Michael White.  As the Platform quickly moves to become a major destination for for shopping and dining, it becomes increasingly difficult to believe that this was still an abandoned car dealership less than one year ago.

• Concrete Rises for the Platform at Culver City (Building Los Angeles)

Roughly half-a-year after breaking ground, a minor expansion project is wrapping up exterior work on the Sony Picture Studios lot (SPS).  The new Studio Support Building, located near the Sony complex's Mentone Avenue gate, will contain approximately 23,000 square feet of production and office space within its four-story frame.  Exterior materials appears to consist primarily of earth tone stucco, broken up by misaligned windows.

More grandiose expansion plans are also in the works for other parts of the SPS lot.  Over the summer, the studio filed plans with Culver City for a new eight-story, 218,000 square foot office building.  The mid-rise structure would replace a current parking lot adjacent to SPS's main entrance on Overland Avenue.

On the south side of campus, the studio proposes a new 52,000 square foot production facility.  The low-rise edifice would replace a series of nondescript structures adjacent to the aforementioned Studio Support Building.

To accommodate the new office and production space, SPS also proposees a commensurate expansion of its Culver Boulevard parking garage.  Plans call for the six-story structure to be widened on its eastern and western sides, while its rooftop level would be extended to cover the full footprint of the garage.  Altogether, the proposal would yield a net increase of over 1,300 parking stalls.  Some preliminary work for this portion of the project appears to have already started, with heavy equipment and protective fencing now on-site at SPS's Culver Boulevard gate.

• Sony Picture Studios Adding New Office and Production Facilities (Building Los Angeles)

Developer NMS Properties has unveiled a new rendering for the NMS Culver City, a residential-retail complex currently under construction along the border between Palms and Culver City.  The $63 million development, designed by Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang Architects, will feature 131 apartments above 12,500 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space.  The low-rise structure is located at the northwest corner of Washington Boulevard and Hughes Avenue, directly across the street from both Sony Picture Studios and the Kirk Douglas Theater.

Construction crews recently began applying exterior materials to the building's six-story wooden frame.  However, progress on the low-rise development has fallen significantly behind its previously announced schedule.  At the time of groundbreaking, the project was expected to reach completion in mid-2014.  According to the NMS Properties website, opening is now scheduled for sometime during 2015.

Other developments in and around Downtown Culver City have proceeded in more timely fashion.  Across the street from the Expo Line's Culver City Station, vertical construction is mostly completely for the Platform, an office and retail complex which is being developed by the Runyon Group.  At the intersection of Washington and National Boulevards, wood and concrete continue to rise for Access Culver City, a residential-retail development from Greystar Real Estate Partners.

• Checking in on the Slow-Moving NMS@Culver City (Building Los Angeles)

In Culver City, construction is wrapping up on the Oliver Apartments, a residential-retail complex from the Vancouver-based Bastion Development Corporation.  Standing three stories at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Marcasel Avenue, the building will include 30 one-and-two-bedroom apartments above 8,700 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space.  The low-rise structure, clad mostly in smooth-finish stucco and wood paneling, features private balconies on three sides.

Bastion's project is slated for completion in March 2015.  It may be joined in the near future by a larger neighbor which would straddle the Los Angeles-Culver City border.  Plans filed with the city at 11925 Louise Avenue call for a five-story building, containing 97 apartments and 15,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space.

• Oliver (Official Website)
• Mixed-Use Oliver Apartments Rise in Culver City (Building Los Angeles)

Amidst the rumble of passing Expo Line trains, construction pushes ahead for the highly anticipated development known as Access Culver City.

The mixed-use complex from Greystar Real Estate Partners broke ground just over one year ago at the intersection of Washington and National Boulevards, directly across the street from Metro's Culver City Station.  When completed in July, the five-story structure will offer 115 apartment units above 30,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a subterranean parking garage.  Proposed amenities include a swimming pool and an on-site recreation center.

The building, designed by architecture firm Togawa Smith Martin, will feature a stucco exterior accented by metal siding and steel canopies.  Access, which is seeking LEED Silver certification, will also feature lush landscaping, a private courtyard and a street-fronting plaza.

Greystar's project is one of several transit oriented developments fostered by the return of rail service to Los Angeles' wealthy Westside.  In Culver City, two additional projects are also taking shape within walking distance of the elevated train station.  South across Washington Boulevard, construction is already underway on an office and retail complex known as the Platform.  Further north, the station's sprawling park-and-ride lot is slated for a massive development from Lowe Enterprises which would consist of offices, apartments, hotel rooms, stores, restaurants and park space. 

• Hard at Work on Access Culver City (Building Los Angeles)
• Access Culver City (Clark Builders Group)

At the southeast corner of Washington and National Boulevards, exterior work has been substantially completed for the Platform, an office and retail complex which is being developed by the San Francisco-based Runyon Group.  The project, designed by Abramson Teiger Architects, includes several newly constructed buildings and the adaptive reuse of several structures from an automobile dealership which previously occupied the four-acre property.  Construction of the Platform is schedule for completion this Fall.  For more information on the project's retail and restaurant tenants, please visit its official website.

East across National Boulevard, developer Greystar Real Estate Partners is finishes the wooden skeleton of Access Culver City, a low-rise residential-retail complex.  The five-story structure, designed by architecture firm Togawa Smith Martin, will feature 115 apartments and 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space when finished.  Designs call for a primarily stucco exterior, accented metal siding and steel canopies.

Although the two aforementioned projects will likely be the first Culver City developments completed in the wake of the Expo Line, they are by no means the last in the pipeline.

Last month, the Runyon Group acquired a second property adjacent to the Platform, which they intend to develop into a creative office space.  Slightly east, developer VCN recently purchased the Surfas Culinary District with the intention of building a mixed-use complex on the site.

The largest changes are currently slated for Culver City Station's sprawling park-and-ride lot, where Los Angeles-based Lowe Enterprises plans to construct a 500,000-square-foot development consisting of apartments, retail, office space and a hotel.

• Runyon Group's Platform Takes Shape in Culver City (Urbanize LA)
• Lots of Progress on Expo-Adjacent TOD (Urbanize LA)

Construction cranes are once again part of the low-slung Culver City skyline, as steel beams rise for a new office building at Sony Picture Studios.

The project, which first emerged last year, is located on a former surface parking lot near the studio complex's Overland Avenue gate.  According to a notice distributed by the Culver City Planning Commission, plans call for an eight-story building featuring 218,000 square feet of office and support space.  The mid-rise structure will reportedly house staff members from the studio's Home Entertainment division, which is currently based out of a nearby office building known as Sony Pictures Plaza.

The office tower is the largest component in a wave of capital improvements that has swept through the Sony Pictures complex during the past year.  Various projects is currently remaking the Culver Boulevard side of the studio include a 52,000-square-foot production support facility and a recently completed expansion of the campus' Culver Boulevard parking garage.

• Sony Picture Studios Adding New Office and Production Facilities (Urbanize LA)

The scaffolding has come down at Washington Boulevard and Hughes Avenue, revealing the (mostly) finished exterior of NMS@Culver City, an upcoming mixed-use complex from local landlord NMS Properties.

The $63 million project, designed by Santa Monica-based Killefer Flammang Architects, consists of a low-rise structure which will contain 131 residential units, two levels of underground parking and 12,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial floor area.  The six-story building will offer a mixture of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, each featuring stone flooring and high quality finishes.  Communal amenities will include a fitness center, a community lounge and a screening room.

NMS@Culver City is currently scheduled to open this this summer.  The project, which broke ground in 2013, has fallen approximately one year behind its original timeline.

• New Look for Culver City Adjacent Mixed-User (Urbanize LA)
• NMS@Culver City (NMS Properties)

A tipster sends word that Lowe Enterprises, a Los Angeles-based real estate firm, has unveiled plans for a 500,000-square-foot mixed-use complex adjacent to the Expo Line's Culver City Station.

Ivy Station, named for the Culver City stop on the defunct Pacific Electric Air Line, would replace a 5.2-acre site that currently serves as a park-and-ride lot for eastbound commuters on the 8.6-mile light rail line.  Architectural renderings displayed on an official website portray a series of modern low-rise buildings centered around a large park.  A site plan indicates that a series of paseos would bisect the development site, allowing for cut-through pedestrian traffic from Venice, National, Washington and Robertson Boulevards.

According to the project's website, plans call for a mixture of creative office space, luxury residences, a boutique hotel with ground-level shops and restaurants.  The project would also feature approximately 1,600 parking spaces, including 300 reserved for Expo Line passengers.

Although specifics are currently unavailable, the Los Angeles Business Journal has previously reported that Ivy Station would feature approximately 200 apartments, 150 hotel rooms, 200,000 square feet of offices and 75,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.  Additionally, the Cuningham Group - an architecture and design firm with offices in Culver City - has been linked to the project.

Further details about the proposed development - including its budget and timeline - are currently unclear.

Besides Ivy Station, similar projects featuring a combination of offices, apartments and ground-floor retail space are in predevelopment near Expo Line Stations at Bundy Drive and La Cienega Boulevard.  The rail line has also prompted a slew of smaller transit-oriented developments, including two projects now under construction at Culver City Station.

• Ivy Station (Official Website)

After sitting dormant for years, plans to develop a property along the Palms-Culver City border are finally moving forward.

Yesterday, a tipster passing through the itersection of Overland Avenue and Washington Boulevard noticed something different: the long vacant two-story which once housed Core Church had been demolished.

According to documents from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, South Carolina-based real estate firm Greystar intends to develop the .9-acre site 10601 Washington Boulevard with a seven-story edifice featuring 135 residential units and approximately 14,000 square feet of ground-level retail and restaurant space.  The project would include a mixture of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, including 11 units reserved for low-income households.

According to plans filed with the city, the building would offer a wide variety of residential amenities, including a fitness center, a swimming pool and a rooftop deck.  Additionally, the low-rise complex would sit atop an underground garage with parking accommodations for up to 294 vehicles and 179 bicycles.

Designs from VTBS Architects call for the building to feature exterior fininshes including cement plaster, corrugated metal siding and brick veneer.

The project is Greystar's second residential-retail development in the Palms-Culver City area, following a 115-unit building currently under construction near the Expo Line's Culver City Station.

• DIR-2013-3248-CLQ-ACI (LADCP)

A tipster has passed along the official website for 8777 Washington Boulevard, a proposed mixed-use development which would replace the Surface Culinary District near the Expo Line's Culver City Station.

The project - slated for a one-acre site at the northeast corner of Washington and National Boulevards - would entail nearly 30,000 square feet of creative office space, 80 residential units and approximately 16,000 square feet of ground-level commercial uses.

Renderings portray a low-rise complex linked by a central core. The building would feature three floors on the western side of the property, housing the project's office component and nearly 8,500 square feet of street-level commercial space.  Five floors on the eastern side of the parcel would contain a mixture of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments and slightly over 6,700 square feet of retail space.

Plans call for a wide range of amenities within the apartment complex, including a communal courtyard and a rooftop sun deck featuring a pool, spa, shade area and exercise equipment.  Likewise, the office component would offer balconies and breezeways on each level.

Parking for residents, office users and commercial tenants the low-rise development would be provided in an on-site parking structure.  The garage, which would feature an at-grade level and three underground levels, could accommodate up to 345 vehicles - substantially more than what is required by code.

The project is being developed by Vitruvian Culver City, a limited liability company which purchased the Surfas property earlier this year for $16 million.  Both GlobeSt and Culver City Crossroads have reported that Surfas, which sells professional kitchenware, will operate a 13,200-square-foot store within the new development.

The Vitruvian development is the fourth mixed-use complex to emerge at the crossing of Washington and National Boulevards since the completion of the Expo Line's first segment in 2012.  Projects from both Greystar Real Estate and the Runyon Group are currently under construction on the opposite side of Washington Boulevard.  West across National, Los Angeles-based Lowe Enterprises has unveiled plans for a 500,000-square-foot development on Culver City Station's park-and-ride lot.

• 8777 Washington (Official Website)
• VCN Gets Surface Culinary for Mixed Use Development... (Culver City Crossroads)

At long last, a rendering has emerged for an eight-story office building currently under construction at Sony Pictures Studios.

The project, designed by glocal architecture firm Gensler, is replacing a former surface parking lot adjacent to the studio's Overland Avenue entrance.  According to a document distributed by the Culver City Planning Commission, the mid-rise tower will include approximately 220,000 square feet of office space, support functions and a ground-floor cafe.

According to architectural plans, a half-acre park site immediately east of the building may be converted into a park for studio employees and visitors at a later date.

The building will reportedly house Sony's Home Entertainment Division, which is relocating from an office tower located east of the studio lot.

The tower's design was modeled after the Cohn Buildings, a pair of contemporary office buildings built near the Sony Pictures' Culver Boulevard entrance.

• Office Building Rising at Sony Pictures Studios (Urbanize LA)
• Sony Pictures 8-Story Building (SNC Engineering, Inc.)

California Landmark Group (CLG), a Los Angeles-based real estate firm, has broken ground on a multifamily residential complex on the border between the Palms neighborhood and Culver City.

3838, named for its address at 3838 Dunn Drive, will consist of a seven-story building featuring 79 market rate apartments, seven affordable housing units and a partially underground parking garage.  The low-rise development, designed by a team consisting of Rios Clementi Hale Studios and PK Architecture, will also include a fitness center, a community room and an approximately 2,000-square-foot rooftop deck.

According to the Los Angeles Business Journal, the $25-million project will benefit from its proximity to the stores, restaurants and amenities of Downtown Culver City, as well as a nearby light rail station at Palms and National Boulevards.  It is the second residentail development to rise on this one-block stretch of Dunn Avenue in as many years, following a similar 131-unit building from NMS Properties.

Construction of 3838 is scheduled to occur over approximately 18 months, with completion anticipated in late 2017.

• Apartments Headed to Palms-Culver City Border (Urbanize LA)
• Fin City (Los Angeles Business Journal via CLG)

With its early 2016 opening date looming, exterior work is now nearing completion on Access Culver City, a residential-retail complex at the Expo Line's Culver City Station.

The project, developed by South Carolina-based Greystar Real Estate Partners, consists of a five-story building which will feature 115 rental apartments above 30,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a parking garage.  Other amenities will include an observation deck, a fitness center, a garden lounge and a heated swimming pool.

Plans call for studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments in a variety of floor plans, as well as two- and three-bedroom townhome units.  Each dwelling will come appointed with stainless steel appliances, in-unit washer-dryer sets.

The building's real-life appearance adheres closely to artistic renderings from architecture firm Togawa Smith Martin, with exterior finishes that include stucco, steel canopies and metal sidings.

Access Culver City is the second of four developments planned around Culver City Station, following the recently completed Platform shopping and entertainment center.  Other projects in the works include the mixed-use Ivy Station complex planned by Lowe Enterprises, and an office and residential development proposed by Vitruvian Culver City, LLC.

• Access Culver City Archive (Urbanize LA)
• Access Culver City (Official Website)

IDS Real Estate Group, a Los Angeles-based property management and development firm, has quietly commenced work on a mid-rise office complex a short distance east of the Westfield Culver City shopping mall.

Culver City Creative, or C3, is rising from a nearly three-acre site at the northeast corner of Hannum Avenue and Bristol Parkway.  The project, designed by the global architecture firm Gensler, will consist of a seven-story, 280,000-square-foot office connected to a parking garage via a system of pedestrian bridges.

Renderings portray an airy 132-foot tall building, accented by a series of colorful external staircases.  Plans call for high ceilings and adaptable 33,800-square-foot floor plates, expandable up to 45,000 square feet.  The building will also include operable exterior openings and large balconies, merging the building's indoor and outdoor space to take advantage of the coastal climate.

In line with other so-called "creative," office complexes, C3 will offer unconvential amenities such as a basketball court, a dog park, food trucks and a high-definition projector screen with pavilion seating.  Tenants will also be provided with complimentary Uber service, shuttling employees between C3, Downtown Culver City, the Culver City Expo Line Station and Runway at Playa Vista.

A completion date for the building is currently unclear.

The project is one of several large office developments planned or underway in the adjacent Playa Vista and Culver City communities, including the Brickyard and Playa Jefferson's Building E.

• Culver City Creative (Official Website)

The Runyon Group, a full-service real estate firm which operates out of Los Angeles and New York, is planning another development near the Expo Line's Culver City Station.

According to an Active Projects list from the Culver CIty Planning Division, Runyon intends to construct a four-story office building at 8888 Washington Boulevard.  The proposed development would include more than 68,000 square feet of floor area, including slightly over 6,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.  Plans also call for a fully automated underground parking garage with space for up to 231 vehicles.

A potential design for the low-rise complex is displayed on the website of Abramson Teiger Architects, the Culver City-based firm which also designed Runyon's adjacent Platform development.  The proposed building, dubbed "Culver Arts," is portrayed with high ceilings and multiple outdoor decks.

Further details about the project are currently unclear.

• Culver Arts (Abramson Teiger Architects)