LA Planning Commission Approves Times Mirror Square Project in DTLA

Onni Group’s Times Mirror Square project cleared the Los Angeles Planning Commission today, after presenting new design changes to its two proposed towers and offering concessions such as a reduction of 80 parking spaces and inclusion of 34 middle income units. 

The proposed development would consist of two new 37- and 53-story mixed-use towers and rehabilitate the existing Times, Plant and Mirror Buildings.  

Current plans are to demolish the existing Executive building along with its parking structure currently located along S. Broadway to make way for the two new towers. The new towers will contain 1,127 new residential units, as well as 34,572 square feet of new commercial floor area at the foot of the building. 

Onni Group also plans to include 1,664 parking spaces that would be placed on a planned 5-story parking podium at the base of the buildings, as well as nine subterranean levels of additional parking space. 

The combined commercial and residential floor area for the new towers will total 1,135,803 square feet and along with the rehabilitation of the Times, Plant and Mirror Buildings the complete project will be 1,511,908 square feet in total. 

The proposed alternative architectural designs for the towers offer reference to the adjacent early 20th century buildings by incorporating Art Deco-inspired design. The most prominent change to the towers’ design is the color of the new buildings themselves, bringing in brown and bronze tones that reflect the existing buildings hues. Similarly, the planned podiums for the buildings would be at level with the existing historic structures, searching to create a more formal street wall, while offsetting the towering size of the new towers.

the As for the top of the towers, architecture firm, AC Martin, have invoked a similar design as those initially submitted to the City in 2016. One rendition seems to cap the buildings with rectangular fins and canopies similar to Onni Group’s various other projects in Downtown Los Angeles, while the other would culminate in a sloping glass roofline. 

As a condition of approval, the Planning Commission voted to differ the design renditions to the Commission’s design guideline subcommittee to provide further refinement before it receives final design approval from the Planning Director. 

As part of the TFAR (Transferable Floor Area Rights) Public Benefit Payment Transfer Plan, 61% of funds will go to the historic renovation of Times, Plant and Mirror buildings, 8% to the General Park Fund and 31% to the Citywide Affordable Housing Fund. The total public benefit direct provision will be $11,953,941.

Additionally, the Planning Commission found that no subsequent EIR or addendum is required for the approval of the project. A Master Conditional Use permit for the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on and off-site was also approved.