WATCH THIS HILARIOUS JERK-OFF VIDEO OF THIS JERK-OFF PROJECT
[And watch this blog and for much more on this pompous, ego-driven, billion dollar white elephant waiting to happen.] See also: Neighborhood Council Blog
Just what we need...more five star hotels, botique shops, restaurants and entertainment along "Tumbleweed Connection". I know, I know...build it and they will come. FIRST, YOU BRAG IN LA WEEKLY THAT YOU PLAN ON BUILDING SO MUCH HIGH DENSITY HOUSING THAT TRAFFIC WILL COME TO A GRIDLOCK HAULT. THEN, YOU PLAN ON PEOPLE FLOCKING TO THE AREA TO GO TO PF CHANG'S? Riiiiiiiiight! I think the City should be sticking to basics; prove to the constituents that they can tie their shoelaces (accomplish something). How come the only people that do not see the problem with this are the ones making the money off the development?
Not to say that I am against more of these billion dollar downtown boondoggle projects by the CRA (Community Robbing A-holes)...but I hope an earthquake destroys the enitre project two-seconds the ribbon cutting ceremony! Except, then the CRA would just be happy -- because then -- they could build it all over again, and make the money all over again!
AND NOW, IF YOU LIKE TRAGIC FAIRYTALES, HERE'S ONE:
PRESS RELEASE [Propoganda Fantasy Spin]
L.A. LIVE Welcomes New Cornerstone of Emerging Vibrant Downtown District With Hotel and Residences Groundbreaking Today; Major Financial Investors in Hotel and District Also Announce [We need a moratorium on “new cornerstones” downtown.]
Friday June 1, 9:00 am ET
Governor Schwarzenegger, Mayor Villaraigosa and Business Leaders Join AEG to Break Ground on The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE, The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotel at L.A. LIVE [Of course, there were cameras in attendance.]
LOS ANGELES, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- AEG, developers of L.A. LIVE, the world-class sports, entertainment and residential district being built in [the un-world class, skid row homeless infested] downtown Los Angeles, will break ground today on a 1,001-room hotel/224-room residence tower that will serve as the project's anchor [cause it’s gonna sink the city], at a ceremony led by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. [Battle of the choppers.]
Also on hand to mark the start of construction of the 54-story, Class A high-rise [in an “unsafe” Class F zone] were [a couple do nothing] Los Angeles City Council; Speaker of the California State Assembly, agendized, niche, extremist activist Fabien Nunez (sic); Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Marriott, International Inc., J. W. Marriott, Jr.; and President and CEO of AEG Timothy J. Leiweke. [Creating a joint powers authority called, “Gentracorp”] The hotel/condominium tower, which will total 2 million square feet on 2.5 acres of land [that will now not be used for practical amenities, affordable housing, health and social services, vocational training, housing for middle-income/average downtown worker], will contain The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE, the JW Marriott and The Ritz-Carlton hotel.
Scheduled for completion in early 2010, [I wish it could get here sooner, cause the vacancy rate of luxury, five-star hotels and condos is becoming a public safety issue], it will be the final building to commence construction on the extremely active, 27-acre L.A. LIVE site, which is adjacent to STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. [I’ll say it’ll be the final building…the City will be bankrupt after all these massive billion dollar plus CRA boondoggles.]
AEG BRINGS ON DEVELOPMENT PARTNER
Leiweke also is expected to announce that the prominent real estate investment management firm MacFarlane Partners has agreed to become substantial investors in the $900 million hotel/condominium tower. [That’s nice…MacFarlane was almost entirely funded by a grant from LACER (pension money) to invest in minority urban areas that needed emergency redevelopment. Guess that didn’t pay off…so let’s hop on the Ritz-Carlton bandwagon. Hope they don’t blow all those people’s pension money in this complex, speculative, massive construction project, just as construction costs are skyrocketing, other five star hotels, luxury condos and boutique shopping will be competing with you and the water to provide all these downtown “cornerstones” is diminishing.]
The agreement also calls for MacFarlane Partners, an experienced investor in urban development and redevelopment projects that manages more than $15 billion in real estate assets, to provide investment oversight and consultation on the continued development and implementation of the project's overall vision and business plan. [Cut us in, y'all...we're on the list. So MacFarlane works with Grand Ave’s “Related Co.” AND THIS project. That’s about $5 billion investment (as a starting point)…MAN – hope they don’t invest that LACER money into this, too. They got a lot of eggs in one speculative, skid row infested, non-vibrant, and no one really cares that it is dead, or is rallying to revive area.]
"Having MacFarlane Partners on board not only brings tremendous experience and expertise to this project, but more importantly, the confidence that they provide for us is invaluable," said Leiweke. [WHY, you didn’t have confidence in yourself, or the project yourself? Oh, I get it…I guess if you wanna get one of these billion dollar projects put through in this town, you gotta cut MacFarlane in.] "Victor MacFarlane, Greg Vilkin and their team are the experts at what they do [being a part of every downtown project, like $95 million Forest City Loft developments] and this partnership will help to make a good project great." [They won’t try and ruin it for us, and try and get in our way.]
"Having invested in several properties in downtown Los Angeles over the past five years, we are a firm believer in downtown L.A. as a full-fledged, '18-hour city' with thriving residential, commercial and entertainment districts," said Victor B. MacFarlane, managing principal and chief executive officer of MacFarlane Partners. [Check the verbiage: He doesn’t say it IS a “full-fledged, ’18-hour city’…he says he is “ a firm believer” in it. Yeah, I’m a firm believer that the mayor will deliver on his campaign promise. That don’t mean squat. I’m a firm believer in ending homelessness and reforming the schools…not much progress there, either.] and "L.A. LIVE promises to be one of the most exciting projects in which we've invested and it will certainly play a central role in downtown being a place for people to live, work and play." [Oh, they ‘promise’! Will they refund the tax breaks and subsidies and give back the space to be used for something needed, practical affordable if they don’t deliver on that promise? Can I have that promise in writing? Again, CRA investments in speculative best wishes.]
FINANCIAL SERVICES LEADERS TO BECOME L.A. LIVE FOUNDING PARTNERS
During an early morning business leader's summit on the economic rejuvenation and investment outlook [if you need to rejuvenate, the outlook doesn’t look to good] for downtown Los Angeles, Leiweke also will announce that Wachovia and AEG have entered into an agreement for the nation's fourth-largest bank holding company to become a "Founding Partner" of the entire L.A. LIVE development. The partnership calls for Wachovia to become the exclusive financial services partner of L.A. LIVE and to receive prominent branding, proprietary events, consumer promotion and client entertainment within the entire, 27-acre development. [How about “The Wachovia Middle Class Out-of-State Relocation Center?]
"From the business, marketing and community perspective, Wachovia is truly the ideal organization we were hoping to bring in as a Founding Partner for L.A. LIVE," [Yeah, their business is marketing to the communuity] Leiweke added. "Since entering the marketplace less than six months ago, Wachovia has clearly invested in our state and community in the right ways on so many levels. [Yeah, 54 levels!] While their understanding of what's important and how this city does business [oh, you mean making sure you cut everyone in] has been remarkable, what makes them such an outstanding company is their intelligent expansion on a business level and their total commitment to making a difference with their community initiatives." [Total commitment to making a difference of their bottom line.]
THE RITZ-CARLTON RESIDENCES AT L.A. LIVE CREATES A NEW LIVING ENVIRONMENT
The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE, a lavish collection of distinctive dwellings starting on the 27th floor, will top the 54-story L.A. LIVE tower that is set to dramatically re-shape the city's world-famous downtown skyline. Designed by world-renowned California architecture firm Gensler, the modern skyscraper is being developed as an iconic home and hotel above the bright lights of Los Angeles.
The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE will offer world-class amenities and the legendary services of The Ritz-Carlton, the city's most breathtaking views from the Angeles Crest Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, and an unmatched, prestigious address at the center of the all-new L.A. LIVE. A total of 224 residences currently are available for reservation.
"The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE are complemented with a world-class hotel property that answers a long-awaited need for Downtown L.A.'s millions of visitors," Leiweke said. "Nearly 50 percent of the residences have been reserved in just over a month, even before we've publicly marketed the project. The overwhelming interest proves the appetite for downtown living, especially for an exceptional residential retreat at the heart of L.A. LIVE."
THE RITZ-CARLTON AT L.A. LIVE AND JW MARRIOTT HOTEL AT L.A. LIVE
The Ritz-Carlton, a five-star luxury hotel property, will share the floors below The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE with the four-star JW Marriott Hotel. [See Rodney King…We all CAN get along!] A spacious layout of ballrooms, meeting spaces, rooftop decks, swimming pools, resort facilities and 1,001 hotel rooms will be available at the central hotel property, which will provide a new lodging option for the more than 2.5 million convention attendees who visit downtown Los Angeles each year. [And you will force them to now hold those meetings and conventions in Vegas, with your overprice, luxury accommodations that will price LA out of the convention buisiness.]
"The Ritz-Carlton is proud to serve as a hotel ambassador for L.A. LIVE, not only for its future residents, but for all future visitors and guests of downtown L.A.," said J. W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International.[ALL the future residents, visitors and guest won’t be able to fill your hotel rooms, my man. Not unless you build the FLY CALIFORNIA magic bullet train to Aisa.] "The combination of an entertainment district of this scale with such a unique hotel and residential tower project is a proposition unmatched anywhere in the world [because no one had the nerve, or was stupid/evil enough], and we look forward to providing many with a new home -- and home away from home -- in the new downtown L.A." [Many, yes…Millions, no!]
Additionally, The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE, The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotel at L.A. LIVE will create more than 800 full- and part-time jobs in Los Angeles after completion. [So would any other practical and needed project of that size.]
"Each and every component of this project will equip downtown with the key facilities and resources to attract the best and most important events for our city," added Leiweke. [IT’S A BUNCH OF FIVE STAR BULLSH*T!!! HOW CAN YOU SIT THERE AND SAY “EACH AND EVERY COMPONENT…KEY FACILITIES?” Sorry…I call schools, affordable/mid-priced housing, homeless services, vocational training, everyday amenities, things people who didn’t step off their private jet need are KEY facilities…I’d say NOTHING in this project is key?] "Most importantly, our investment and that of those in the surrounding residential district combined have brought Los Angeles a fully privatized, fully financed and fully entitled development. We're proud to have this anchor hotel set in the city for one and all to see that L.A. LIVE is truly alive." [Ha ha, Eli! We don’t need all that City and County corporate welfare…we are TRULY alive. Who do you think he means “isn’t” truly? Hey, Eli? You gonna let MacFarlane’s partner say that to you?]
The sales and preview center for The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE is scheduled to open this fall, along with the first phase of L.A. LIVE, which will include Nokia Theatre l.a. live, a 7,100-seat, live-performance theater that will host concerts, family & cultural shows, Broadway musicals, awards shows and special events; and Nokia Plaza, a 40,000-square-foot open-air plaza that will serve as the central meeting place of L.A. LIVE. The second phase, set to open in 2008, will include an array of restaurants, Club NOKIA l.a. live, a 2,400-seat standalone venue for music acts, bands and cultural shows; and ESPN's West Coast headquarters and broadcast facility. The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott Hotel at L.A. LIVE are set to open during phase three in 2010. [And I can think of no better way to put this prime space to use, than a second billion dollar luxury project because you HOPE people will care about downtown LA again, they way people are going to care about vinyl records again. And the days of “Leave it To Beaver” are returning again, soon, too!]
ABOUT L.A. LIVE
AEG is currently overseeing the development of L.A. LIVE, a four-million-square-foot, $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, residential & entertainment district adjacent to STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center featuring NOKIA Theatre l.a. live, a 7,100-seat, live-performance theater; a 54-story, 1,001-room convention "headquarters" hotel (combining JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton brands and 224 luxury condominiums -- The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE), Club NOKIA l.a. live, a 2,200 capacity, live-music venue; a 14-screen Regal Cineplex; "broadcast" facilities for ESPN along with entertainment, restaurant and office space. [And nothing for me and you.]
L.A. LIVE will also be the region's most in-demand and busiest hospitality location [Oh! I guess the facts and statistics are in!?!?], featuring 260,480 square feet of conference center and ballroom facilities [good we should put the homeless there, since it will sit empty most of the time]; eight world-class restaurants [GOOD, cause we’re turning into a third-world country], including the ESPN Zone [Oh, I almost thought it said EDUCation Zone], Flemings Prime Steakhouse [no transfats please, that would be bad for the City] and Wine Bar, Katsuya, The Farm of Beverly Hills, Yard House, Rosa Mexicana and dining concepts developed by Wolfgang Puck, Celestino Drago and others [things no one said they wanted or needed]; a 100,000-square-foot special events deck [for your shady special event fee waivers]; the famous Lucky Strike Lanes bowling center [good name it after cigarettes]; the celebrity-owned Conga Room [I was against it until I heard it was “celebrity owned”…I’m sure they’ll feed homeless children that won’t have affordable housing now]; and the one-of-a-kind Grammy Museum saluting the history of music and the genre's best known awards show. [And we all know there is nothing more needed in this city right now than a museum paying tribute to awards shows. Meanwhile, how about finishing the Children’s Museum, first?] All of the aforementioned facilities will be centered around NOKIA Plaza l.a. live, a 40,000-square-foot outdoor event space. [Maybe Zev can put them there, instead of those mountain campgrounds. HEY…I bet Kaiser could get away with illegal dumping there, cause it’s private space!
ABOUT MACFARLANE PARTNERS
MacFarlane Partners is one of the leading real estate investment management firms in the United States, with $15 billion in assets under management. Founded in 1987, the firm offers an array of investment programs for its institutional capital partners that are derived from its core competencies in property development, smart growth/urban revitalization, and single-family home building.
Considered a pioneer of the urban investment concept among institutional real estate managers, MacFarlane Partners invests in real estate development, redevelopment and repositioning projects in urban and high-density suburban areas nationwide. Among the properties in which it has invested are 1100 Wilshire and Metropolitan Lofts in Los Angeles; Bay Street Emeryville and The Uptown Apartments in the San Francisco Bay Area; Half Street in Washington, D.C.; and The Shops at Columbus Circle, the retail component of the Time Warner Center in New York City.
The firm also invests in single-family residential land and housing developments in markets nationwide. To date, its investments have financed the development of 123,000 single-family homes and residential lots in 18 states with more than 100 different homebuilders.
MacFarlane Partners is headquartered in San Francisco, with regional offices in Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; and the greater New York metropolitan area. For additional information, please visit the firm's Web site at http://www.macfarlanepartners.com.
ABOUT MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR - News) is a leading lodging company with nearly 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 66 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, THE RITZ-CARLTON, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The RITZ-CARLTON Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 143,000 employees at 2005 year-end. In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $11.6 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at http://www.marriott.com.
ABOUT AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, The Home Depot Center, Toyota Park, Toyota Sports Center, Anaheim Convention Center Arena, El Rey Theatre, Colosseum at Caesars Palace, NOKIA Theatre at Grand Prairie and NOKIA Theatre Times Square; sports franchises including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Los Angeles Riptide (MLL), four Major League Soccer franchises, two hockey franchises operated in Europe, management of privately held shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), the ING Bay to Breakers foot race and the Amgen Tour of California cycling road race; AEG LIVE, the organization's live-entertainment division, is a collection of companies dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance, touring and a variety of programming and multi-media production. Additionally, the company has begun fully developing London's 28-acre Millennium Dome which includes a 23,000-seat arena, the O2 and over 650,000sf of leisure and entertainment use within the "Dome" and additional arenas; The O2 World on a 45-acre site in the heart of Berlin; Citizen's Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California; Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri; as well as Red Bull Park and a soccer stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. For more information, visit AEG today at http://www.aegworldwide.com.
Contact: zumadogg@gmail.com
zuma dogg blog
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment