Wednesday, May 23, 2012

North Leucadia Groovyness

N. Coast Hwy 101 and Phoebe St.

25 comments:

  1. Awesome looking structure. But like the prospective buyers who inquired about the obese repossessed condos next to it will ask: "Where am I supposed to park?"

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  3. It's got some interesting lines, & I like *some* of the woodwork. Overall, I think it's a head-scratcher. Whenever I see it, I just think, "why?". Way too much wood, & the form looks cramped in my (novice) opinion. Maybe extensive landscaping will fix some of that?

    I forget - is this another live/work thing, or is it purely commercial?

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  4. The architect married a rich girl. Apparently, they wanted to build something cool... make a statement! They succeeded I'd say. They intend to rent them for $3000 each, and the storefronts for $1200.

    It is amazing that they'd attempt something like that as the colossal failures sitting right next door lay unsold and half empty. The architect who built those was also trying to make a statement.

    At this point, I'd like to make a statement, "beer". There I said it time to go have another.

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  5. At least they don't look like Pacific Station.Talk about ugly.

    Nice photography. The question is...do they qualify as funky?

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  6. I like them and think they are funky.... the questions is will they sell? I don't think so and I don't think they will rent for $3,000 per month. That area has some sketchy crack losers, stealing shit left and right.

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  7. Poor Leucadia...stuck again with another poorly designed building. (Think of the Barratt American subdivisions).

    These buildings are too large, too much bulk and too tall for the tiny lot. Two buildings would have been okay - not 4. Will the post office parking lot be there main parking location?

    Jerome Stocks has his appointed cronies on the Planning Commission approve this kind of design sin. He needs to be voted out in November. He's done enough damage in town.

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  8. I think the look just seems too L.A. for our area, but I hope it eventually blends in. We'll see.

    Judging from his web site, this design is a radical departure from his previous work.

    How did he get so many Leucadia gigs? (this place, the Dos Palmas building, the wine place)

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  9. I like the archecture. Well done!

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  10. I'm glad someone is investing in Leucadia. Perhaps more people might invest in the 101 corridor if there was something other than a thorn-infested wasteland along the tracks. Leucadia has such potential, but is unfortunately highlighted by some seriously broken down buildings. Can't funky coexist with nice rather than old and busted?

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  12. Rob:
    It's live / work in theory. But in reality no one who lives there will work there and no one who works there will live there - creating twice the parking problem.

    Buster:
    Those using the post office parking lot for the condos/ businesses will be promptly towed.

    HH: I'll buy.

    Rob:
    I'd like to see them blend in eventually too. But I hope the elements don't curl up the fancy wood planks before that. The condos next to it already have dry-rot balconys.

    Ryan:
    Funky only fails with nice when there's inadequate parking

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  13. Winston, thanks for the information. I wonder about how that wood will weather, too. How are you so familiar with the complex nearby -- is it really repossessed & rotting?

    How does lack parking affect you & your neighbors currently? I've never noticed a problem in that area, but live a few blocks away.

    Do you believe the streetscape will adequately fix the parking problem? Is there a lot of support for the streetscape among the regular commenters here?

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  14. Yes. I like the streetscape and wish it built.

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  15. Rob:
    I believe there are mostly pluses to the Streetscape and I welcome it. It will however rob about a hundred parking places from the east side of 101 that are currently well used
    (check out Caylpso, Le Papagayo, the Roadhouse etc.) When those parking spots are gone, of course the west side will be that much more congested, even with the 40 new parking places promised (which will probably become all handicapped places if our Streetscape end up like downtown's. I think the city was sued for not including ADA complient parking and they had to yank out the end of each block to accomodate it. But that was probably one of those items decided in the dome of silence).
    The parking nightmare that will occur at the new condos next to the post office if ever filled will not affect me but itself, the neighboring residents and businesses. #1. Tandem parking on site is a developer's loophole dream. Its not only an incredible inconvenience for the car blocked inside the garage but for the other person who has to decend and ascend a three story building to let whomever out or in. The garages in the first condo experiment are used for storage not cars and there's no way to make cars only mandatory. #2. Even if the garages were used for cars (which they may never be), there are a total of 24 bedrooms and 16 businesses between the two projects. I'm guessing that 20 parking spaces for everyone plus customers and visitors is pretty far from enough.

    Not only is it repossessed, The empty places haven't posted any signs that they're available in over a year. Go figure. And yes, take a look for yourself at the banasters on #1. But don't lean on them if you're getting some fresh air on the second floor balcony.

    Except for two people, I think there is much support on this blog for the Streetscape.

    I'm familiar with the projects because I walk by night. Or crawl as outlined earlier.

    As far as natural wood surviving the elements one block from the Pacific, it usually take a ton of sealant and a lot of maintenance, and those pretty curves are facing a lot of sun. The numerous huge laminated wood beams used at Torrey Pines High School were also an architect's dream, but all had to be replaced. For everyone's sake I hope they don't pucker and buckle. They look great now!

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  16. Is that real wood... I imagine, its a laminate that is supposedly designed to withstand the sun and marine elements..... if not, that builder will have some law suite on his hands, if the places ever sell.

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  17. looks like solid wood planks to me...

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  18. Laminate or hard wood will still require yearly maintenance in this marine environment that we live in. Plus, as it has been been pointed out, most of it faces the south and the sun will beat down on it all day.

    I do like them and I think they are funky. I'm ok with the streetscape too. It's not perfect but what is these days?

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  19. GOD? Really? Who's god? Until humankind stops killing in the name of... Sorry not perfect yet.

    Ok, math is absolute. So far.

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  20. Look carefully at the wood facing south. It hass already scalloped.

    I hope they get some photos for the architectural magazines before the whole thing self-destructs.

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  22. After a more detailed inspection of the material in question while walking to Dos Palmas for breakfast this past weekend, I did notice that there are two types of material on the structure.

    The majority of the exterior is most likely cedar or redwood siding of poor quality.

    The siding has not been sealed and is already showing signs of failure from the weather.

    The other type of material around the deck rail is a laminate composate and I could not see if it was decaying like the rest of the exterior.

    The building to the south is rotting because of the wrong type of material and improper sealing.

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  23. Even if there was sealer (which there probably will be soon), it will require and incredible amount of continued maintenance.

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