K-town to become the next luxury market (Los Angeles: rent, hotels)

[jamills21]

K-Town to Become The Next Luxury Market

[dustin183]

this is a bit of a misnomer. ALL of K-Town will never be luxury. But SOME of it will. K-town is a city within a city. So it will have a tier of luxury, but with it's density, metro access, etc, there will always be many middle-income earners living there; (nothing wrong with that).

[timtemtym]

I definitely agree with this article though it is somewhat hyped (from the perspective of a developer). There is increasing middle to upper income density and great amenities along the wilshire corridor in K-town. It's a unique area for LA to have a subway and residents along with jobs, shopping, and food. I hope someday to live without a car and this would be my first choice area for that.

[midnightfapper]

k-town has a long way to go before it becomes a "luxury market".

lets be honest for a moment, the area is chock-full of low-skilled immigrants in rent controlled shacks and whatnot, it's actually a fairly marginal place. sure, the location is convenient, can't really picture a ton of affluent people moving there en masse unless there are dramatic changes.

that's one of the only areas i actually miss in los angeles, nothing beats pho 2000 on western: http://www.pho2000.com/

[jamills21]

Originally Posted by midnightfapper

k-town has a long way to go before it becomes a "luxury market".

lets be honest for a moment, the area is chock-full of low-skilled immigrants in rent controlled shacks and whatnot, it's actually a fairly marginal place. sure, the location is convenient, can't really picture a ton of affluent people moving there en masse unless there are dramatic changes.

that's one of the only areas i actually miss in los angeles, nothing beats pho 2000 on western: http://www.pho2000.com/

Don't agree because DTLA was in worse shape and is gaining people faster than any part of Los Angeles. It is obvious that more and more people want to live car free or car light. Koreatown can provided that kind of lifestyle. K-town has already been gentrifying the last 5 years which is evidenced by the opening of two hotels, numerous apt. complexes along Wilshire Blvd., and higher scale restaurants.

This article in particular notes that, "We are seeing strong interest from couples attracted to the 24-hour, urban environment. Some are just starting young families. Professions include business owners, engineers, doctors and import/export-related trades."

[David in the City]

Originally Posted by midnightfapper

k-town has a long way to go before it becomes a "luxury market".

lets be honest for a moment, the area is chock-full of low-skilled immigrants in rent controlled shacks and whatnot, it's actually a fairly marginal place. sure, the location is convenient, can't really picture a ton of affluent people moving there en masse unless there are dramatic changes.

that's one of the only areas i actually miss in los angeles, nothing beats pho 2000 on western: http://www.pho2000.com/

Couldn't agree more. This article was clearly written for a developer as a press release. Koreatown still leaves a lot to be desired. There's a small nice stretch along Wilshire, but the rest has A LOT of work left and I don't see the community stepping it up to clean up the hood or maintain anywhere where new development has taken place.

I don't know if it's the culture of the area, but it just screams dirt and please clean me. Graffiti is rampant and beyond what I can report to 311 everyday. A lot of people, not saying everyone, have no consideration. I see people just throw McDonalds all over the street even with a trashcan nearby. It's that "oh someone else will pick it up" mentality.

The area definitely has the potential, but there has to be a cultural paradigm shift that I don't suspect will happen anytime soon before it starts to gentrify at the levels this press release is pretending it is.

[hjt123]

I don't understand what people mean when they say Koreatown has 'potential'? Just because it doesn't have ****ing cupcake shops and a whole foods it's not a 'nice' neighborhood? When I see Koreatown I see a cool Korean and Hispanic neighborhood with great food and architecture, a 24 hour nightlife scene, vibrant street life, and plentiful transit options.

It sucks that when white yuppies move in to 'up and coming' neighborhoods they feel entitled to bring about 'improvement', which is just replacing businesses servicing a lower income or non-white community with sterile chains or effete twee hipster trash. These people have no respect or interest in integration...

[majoun]

Originally Posted by jamills21

Don't agree because DTLA was in worse shape and is gaining people faster than any part of Los Angeles. It is obvious that more and more people want to live car free or car light. Koreatown can provided that kind of lifestyle. K-town has already been gentrifying the last 5 years which is evidenced by the opening of two hotels, numerous apt. complexes along Wilshire Blvd., and higher scale restaurants.

This article in particular notes that, "We are seeing strong interest from couples attracted to the 24-hour, urban environment. Some are just starting young families. Professions include business owners, engineers, doctors and import/export-related trades."

Which happened in Hollywood as well as downtown.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by hjt123

I don't understand what people mean when they say Koreatown has 'potential'? Just because it doesn't have ****ing cupcake shops and a whole foods it's not a 'nice' neighborhood? When I see Koreatown I see a cool Korean and Hispanic neighborhood with great food and architecture, a 24 hour nightlife scene, vibrant street life, and plentiful transit options.

It sucks that when white yuppies move in to 'up and coming' neighborhoods they feel entitled to bring about 'improvement', which is just replacing businesses servicing a lower income or non-white community with sterile chains or effete twee hipster trash. These people have no respect or interest in integration...

I'm non white and I shop at Whole Foods and other chain stores. What makes you think non whites don't like name brand stores (including grocery stores). Crappy grocery stores in run down areas are often more expensive than the major brands, and historically have had less food choice. And non whites aren't necessarily poor, some people do have money and good careers.

[munchitup]

Originally Posted by hjt123

I don't understand what people mean when they say Koreatown has 'potential'? Just because it doesn't have ****ing cupcake shops and a whole foods it's not a 'nice' neighborhood? When I see Koreatown I see a cool Korean and Hispanic neighborhood with great food and architecture, a 24 hour nightlife scene, vibrant street life, and plentiful transit options.

It sucks that when white yuppies move in to 'up and coming' neighborhoods they feel entitled to bring about 'improvement', which is just replacing businesses servicing a lower income or non-white community with sterile chains or effete twee hipster trash. These people have no respect or interest in integration...

I'll second this to some degree. Ktown has some areas that are pretty rough and could use improvements, but much of it is pretty great, if not grimy.

That being said I think it is still years away from being a 'luxury' neighborhood outside of the immediate Wilshire corridor.