Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood is bordered by Vermont Avenue to the east, Western Avenue to the west, Third Street to the north and Olympic Boulevard to the south. But slicing straight through it is Wilshire Boulevard, a bustling thoroughfare lined with towering office buildings, mouthwatering restaurants, late-night karaoke bars and cozy coffee shops.
Prolific real estate developer Jamison Services has more than 25 residential projects in various stages of development in Koreatown alone. Nine of those projects are planned for the stretch of Wilshire Boulevard that intersects K-Town. The family-run firm has deep roots in the community and sought out Wilshire for its proximity to transit and potential for densification.
Here we’ve rounded up nine residential projects slated to transform the Wilshire corridor.
1. 3350 Wilshire Boulevard
Jamison Services began as a commercial leasing venture and the company recently started converting some of its former office towers into apartments. 3350 Wilshire Boulevard is one such project, featuring 120 studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units. Construction is wrapping up and leasing is scheduled to begin soon.
2. Central Plaza (3440 and 3470 Wilshire Boulevard)
Central Plaza has been in the filing doldrums since 2016, but it seems like progress is finally being made on the proposed two-tower apartment complex. If approved by the City, the 640-unit development could break ground in 2022. The steel and glass structures will boast multiple amenity decks, groundfloor retail and a landscaped paseo.
3. 3540 Wilshire Boulevard
If you like a pop of color with your proposed residential developments, you’ll want to check out 3540 Wilshire Boulevard, another office conversion with a soon-to-be-updated red and gray façade. The project is currently under construction and will bring an additional 206 apartments to the evolving neighborhood.
4. 3545 Wilshire Boulevard
Jamison Services anticipates breaking ground on this two-tower, 760-unit project in 2022. The 32- and 14-story towers will be topped with verdant amenity spaces and bridged by a parking garage for 864 vehicles. An additional 32,000 square feet of retail space will occupy the ground level.
5. 3600 Wilshire Boulevard
Another twin tower development is slated to bring 760 apartments to the site of a current parking garage. Jamison Services hopes to begin construction next year and have the project wrapped up by end of 2023 — an ambitious timeline for a project of this scale.
6. 3700 Wilshire Boulevard
The fate of 3700 Wilshire Boulevard remains uncertain as the office tower the project was supposed to replace was granted landmark status by the City in 2018. Community groups lobbied to protect the privately-owned lawn in front of the building, noting that Koreatown has the least greenspace of any neighborhood in LA. If the project were to be approved, it would feature a 36-story tower with 506 apartments and 62,000 square feet of commercial space.
7. 3875 Wilshire Boulevard
If access to transit is a top priority for you, keep an eye on 3875 Wilshire Boulevard, which will be located just one block from the Wilshire/Western subway station. If approved, the eight-story project would contain 227 studio and one-bedroom apartments, plus 800 square feet of ground-floor retail.
8. 3921 Wilshire Boulevard
Construction is scheduled for completion in April on this office-to-apartments conversion project. Although the original structure was a brutalist, concrete monolith, the renderings show a much more dynamic façade with a pop of yellow and mixed materials. A total of 109 apartments will hit the rental market this spring.
9. 3980 Wilshire Boulevard
3980 Wilshire will also be completed within the next few months, delivering 228 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments to the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Wilton Place. The colorful and curvilinear design features a rooftop pool, state-of-the-art fitness center and 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
