Mall Trumps Housing At Vermont/Wilshire Site

The Los Angeles Times' Roger Vincent reports that local developer Jerry Snyder wants to erect an 7-story vertical mall (yes, vertical mall) on that dirt lot across from Vermont/Wilshire station. The story notes a previous developer sold this land to Snyder--and if we're not mistaken, wasn't this land originally slated for another mixed use project? Either way, the city's Planning Director Gail Goldberg tells the Times the city will "evaluate whether to allow Snyder to drop plans for the housing that the previous developer was going to put up on the site..." According to the paper, "some transit-oriented developments have suffered because there has been only housing and no shops or job centers nearby, and Goldberg allowed that retail might be important for the site." Meanwhile, a vertical mall is being called "untested" in this market, but those interviewed for the story point to the success of such malls in Asia. The project architect is Elkus/Manfredi, behind such projects as the Grove, Americana at Brand, and the shops at Time Warner Center in New York. [Image via LA Times]
· Developers have high hopes for vertical mall in L.A. [LA Times]For more stories from Curbed LA, go to la.curbed.com.