Western Real Estate Business magazine covers the multifamily, retail, office, healthcare, industrial and hospitality sectors in the Western United States.
Issue link: https://westernrealestatebusiness.epubxp.com/i/818922
64 • May 2017 • Western Real Estate Business www.REBusinessOnline.com DESIGNING IN THE ARTS DISTRICT Blatteis & Schnur's At Mateo mixed-use development brings creative office and retail space to the Los Angeles Arts District. By Katie Sloan A t Mateo — a 130,000-square- foot mixed-use development currently underway by a part- nership between Blatteis & Schnur and ASB Real Estate Investments — is bringing a modern mix of creative of- fice and retail space to Los Angeles' Arts District. The development is set to feature artisan eateries and drinking estab- lishments, fashion-forward retailers and creative office space. "At Mateo is in an area of Los Angeles called the Arts District," says Robert Schnur, co- chairman of Blatteis & Schnur. "The district reminds me of the beginning era of SoHo in New York City. It's very urban, gritty and special." "The neighborhood is very eclectic, exciting and is a draw for both locals and tourists," he continues. "We are building what we hope to be the most significant development in the neigh- borhood." The four-building development is approximately 185,000 square feet, and will feature a mix of retail and creative office space along four main paseos. There are two 28,860-square- foot floors completely dedicated to office space, one of which is leased to Soylent, a meal replacement brand. The project also features a 542-stall parking structure. "The project spans almost two blocks, and has about 550-feet of frontage on a street called Mateo, and about 300-feet of frontage on a street called Palmetto, and it was very im- portant to us as developers that we build a project that looked and acted as if it was born in the neighborhood, but functioned as a modern develop- ment," says Schnur. In order to attain the look and feel of the neighborhood, Blatteis & Schnur used materials excavated from former buildings. "We wanted to use materials with great heritage," says Schnur. "We incorporated used bricks from two sources — one was a high school in Indiana, which James Dean attended, and another was a brewery in Cleve- land, Ohio." "We also were fortunate enough to have found the original cobble- stone street from the Arts District that was unearthed from another de- velopment," he continues. "They are 150-year-old granite cobblestones. We will be using them for good portions of our common areas, as it is an open- air center." The retail mix — while currently unannounced — is being carefully se- lected to tailor to the wants and needs of the neighborhood. "We're working on a thoughtfully collected selection of the right mix of creative office us- ers, restaurateurs and retailers that fit the neighborhood," says Ashley Brown, senior vice president at Blat- teis & Schnur. "We're working with several celeb- rity and chef-driven restaurant con- cepts, and then either new to market retail concepts or retailers with estab- lished roots in Los Angeles that un- derstand the Arts District and will be a really great draw," she says. At Mateo isn't the only large-scale development currently underway in the Arts District. "Another develop- ment within the Arts District neigh- borhood is the Sixth Street Viaduct, which is going to include parks and bike paths," says Marc Guth, partner and developer at Blatteis & Schnur. "It's really going to become another big draw to the neighborhood." The Sixth Street Viaduct project — located across the street from At Mateo — is working to remove an existing historic, decaying bridge over the Los Angeles River and re- place it with a new viaduct offering pedestrian, bike and vehicular paths alongside a large public park. "It's an almost $500 million project," says Samuel Brownell, partner and head of acquisitions at Blatteis & Schnur. "There's a tremendous amount of public investment in the Arts District currently." "One of the things that is most spe- cial about the neighborhood is that there's a very affluent demographic," continues Brownell. "There's a very wide range of creative users that are starting to take root in the neighbor- hood, and it ranges from world-class art galleries like Hauser & Wirth, to some of the best restaurants in all of Los Angeles, and very high-end resi- dential projects. We're very excited about the project, and look forward to seeing it come to fruition." n A view of the mixed-use development from the corner of Palmetto and Mateo streets in Los Angeles. The development is set to offer creative office space, retail and restaurants. The project will also feature a 542-stall parking garage. At Mateo is a mixed-use development located in the Arts District of Los Angeles. 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