LOS ANGELES, CA — OCTOBER 17, 2019 — Centre Urban has been selected as one of four finalists for the joint-development of the future Metro Little Tokyo / Arts District Station, as part of the larger Regional Connector project. In January 2019, Metro received eight different responses from interested parties, which was later whittled down to the top four teams in June.
As part of the joint-development process, Metro held two community open houses on October 17, 2019 at the Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple where the four finalists presented early looks at their visions for what could rise above the Little Tokyo / Arts District Station. Community members were asked to provide feedback, which was recorded by Metro staff and will be presented to each development team. Metro hopes to recommend a developer to the Board of Directors in early 2020. The Regional Connector is expected to open in mid-2022.
As reported by L.A. Downtown News, "Centre Urban’ concept focuses on melding elements from Little Tokyo and the Arts District’s past with the future, according to Martin M. Q. Nguyen, principal at the Downtown-based development firm.
“This is a key site and key player to both Little Tokyo and the Arts District,” Nguyen said during the presentation. “This is the crossroad of the historic and traditional history of Little Tokyo, yet the start of the innovative and new concepts that come out of the Arts District.”
'Centre Urban' vision for the site, alongside their development partners, Stantec and Kritzinger & Rao, features 20,000 square-feet of creative office space spread across a two-floor building. Visitors will have to cross a large lawn to enter the offices, which will be focused on independent start-ups from the community.
An “urban village” will anchor the offices, Nguyen said. A total of six independent retail spaces totaling 2,500-square-feet, a 3,400-square-foot restaurant and an 18,000 square-foot “food village” than can house 22 different stalls and a bar will make up the village.
There is also a 1,700-square-feet space for a historic café on the Central Avenue side of the site. During the meeting, Nguyen floated the idea of the space eventually holding a revived Atomic Café. The legendary cafe’s historic brick building sat at the construction site for 100-years before being demolished in 2015 to make way for the new station.
Additional features include a 500-square-foot mobility hub, a “smart market,” and potential for a rooftop event space."
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