

The mixed-use Avenue Apartments opened in Hollywood nearly two years ago with 180 units renting for anywhere between $2,350 and $11,000 a month, and they rented up pretty quick. But the groundfloor retail units haven't been so successful. Every one is vacant. Why? Streetsblog LA counts the pedestrian-unfriendly reasons with their dissection of why a retail component fails. They're not totally negative about the project--if they were the type to quote Cher Horowitz, they might just call it a full-on Monet: nice from a distance, but a big ol' mess up close. Those up-close flaws include: -- a gaping garage entrance

-- no inviting architectural elements and a "dominating 'gray concrete' color"

-- neglected and naked sidewalk

But worst of all, the groundfloor retail isn't actually directly accessible from the street. It's half a story up, accessible by a stairway shunted off to the side, and separated from from the sidewalk by a concrete barrier. Seems like a basic point, no? For these sins against pedestrians, Streetsblog dubs the design "primitive." Here's hoping the projects just south on La Brea get higher marks.

· Welcome to "The Avenue Hollywood", Another Anti-Pedestrian Project [Streetsblog LA]

· Tour La Brea and Hollywood's New Avenue Apartments [Curbed LA]