UpHouse Project LA: March 2016

Saturday, March 26, 2016

850 Coronado St.


Photo: Anne Hars

The balloons could be seen to symbolize the inflated housing prices that go hand in hand with the demolition of rent stabilized homes. But the intent of the project is to reference the movie UP which reminds us that a house is not a disposable commodity, it represents a lifetime of caring and should not end up in a landfill just so that some very rich developers can get even richer.

Core ideas:
1)building luxury developments now is Profiteering from the housing and homelessness crisis.
2)what is happening to these residents can happen to anyone.
3)the city needs to adopt a zero loss policy on rent stabilized homes. This will force developers to build along commercial corridors which in turn will help create more sustainable walkable city areas along established metro corridors, preserve existing architecture, lower the waste created by demolition and stabilize property values. If city council says they can’t do this, don’t re-elect them. Maybe its time to clean house...

Developer: Urban Blox
This project was aided by Mitch O'Farrell who spoke in favor of the project.

Los Angeles City Ethics

Thursday, March 24, 2016

2901 Waverly Drive

Photo: Jessica Van Deuren

2925 Waverly Drive


Photo: Jessica Van Deuren

Developer: The Southerly Group, Sam Trude and Michael Rublevitch.
The plan: five luxury small lot units.
History:
According to neighbor Douglas Tornquist:
"The house was built in 1959 for the Tirado family. The architect was renowned Chinese American sculptor, architect, businessman Gilbert Leong. He came from a prominent Chinatown family and married the youngest daughter of the most prominent family in Chinatown, that of Fong See.

Fong see was the richest man in Chinatown, his business was called F. Suie One, there were branches downtown, Long Beach, Beverly Hills. The Pasadena shop remains, run by his granddaughter, Leslee Leong, daughter of Gilbert. They sell museum grade antiquities.

You can read the chronicles of the See family in On Gold Mountain, a history by award-winning novelist Lisa See

The Tirado house is one of few remaining Gilbert Leong houses in the city, and a rare one-owner mid century modern in original condition."

923 Beaudry

neighborhood: ChinaTown
Developer: Khachatur Pogosyan
917-923 Beaudry Ave LLC
Two units are being Ellised.

521 S. Carondelet

Before:

photo: Tiger Munson

After:

photo: Tiger Munson

photo: Jess Van Deuren

521 Carondelet
Neighborhood: MacArthur Park
Developer: Sanruddin "Steve" Kanji
Links:
Chez Corondelet
The Guardian

856 Coronado St.


Photo: Bill Wheelock

Grandmother Zoila, Rachel and James Arias outside the house they called home for 40 years.
L.A.'s Small Lot Homes: destroing low rent housing...
Small Lots, big controversy
the eastsider: silver lake housing development stirs up opposition
The Guardian
Developer: Urban Blox

852 Coronado St

Photo: Bill Wheelock

November 1, 2015
2 Lots, 4 houses, 5 family dwellings.
Developer: Urban Blox.
Plan: 10 luxury small lot houses. 45' tall. no yards. According to developers, families are not their demographic.
Empty since summer 2015