Brand Studio
sponsored by:
The Max Collaborative

Introducing A34, An Oasis of Greenspace and Art in the City of Angels

The Max Collaborative partners Kevin and Jon Ratner
The Max Collaborative partners Kevin and Jon Ratner

This ground-up mixed use development is bringing greenspace and local style to LA’s Lincoln Heights neighborhood.

Sitting on 5.03 acres at the corner of Avenue 34 and Pasadena Avenue, A34 will replace a functionally obsolete industrial site with a three-building development featuring 468 mixed-income homes, a swath of publicly-accessible greenspace, and 9,000 square feet of retail. Developers The Max Collaborative and The Pinyon Group tapped KFA to design A34, which will be home to a host of co-working and recreation amenities for residents and celebrate the neighborhood’s rich heritage with installations by local artists. TRD sat down with the A34 team to learn how this one-of-a-kind development came together.

Transit-Oriented Design

The development and design team took a thoughtful approach to creating public spaces that connect A34 to the neighborhood. Even the name itself is a nod to the building’s Lincoln Heights location.

“Rather than just picking a name out of a hat, we wanted a name that connects to the location and the local area,” says Kevin Ratner, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at The Max Collaborative. They went with A34, which is short for Avenue 34.

“It was very important to us to deliver density in a way that embraces and complements the neighborhood,” says Robert De Forest of The Pinyon Group. “The project will feature over 200 newly planted trees, abundant open space, and community-serving retail.”

KFA Architecture envisioned the project as an oasis of greenspace nestled between the 110 and the 5. By putting the building’s parking underground, the architects were able to set aside nearly half of the lot as greenspace, maximizing natural landscaping and inviting the community in with publicly-accessible areas.

“We see the site as a campus,” explains Lise Bornstein, Partner at KFA Architecture. “The architecture plays half the role and the landscape plays the other half of the role, and the open spaces in between are super important.”

KFA followed standards set by Fitwel, a design system that gives guidelines for building healthier spaces, when designing A34, with a particular focus on biophilia, encouraging mobility and building a community. For example, a main paseo or pedestrian boulevard runs north-south on the site to encourage walkability, which is particularly important due to the site’s proximity to the Heritage Square metro light rail station.

“So many urban infill projects have walls in the front that create a barrier to the neighborhood, and the design for A34 is open and much more about inviting people in,” says Bornstein. “We’re trying to create a shared landscape full of experiences for everybody.”

An Artistic Connection

The Max Collaborative team enlisted The Feel, an L.A.-based fine art focused interiors firm, to curate local art for display around A34’s campus.

“We really tried to very much keep it local,” says Ratner. “Every single artist in this project has a unique relationship with Los Angeles and with the East Side specifically, and that comes across in the work.”

A34 will feature about 55 unique pieces of art from 20 local artists ranging from paintings, drawings and photography to textiles and ceramics. The property will also showcase a number of murals, including one that will be visible from the 110.

Highlights include a commissioned painting of the nearby historic Five Points intersection by Diego Cardoso, a former urban transportation planner who became a self-taught painter after he retired. 

“He does amazing portraits of the city,” says Emily Mast, lead advisor at The Feel. “His work is like a love letter to everyday L.A.”

The artists selected for A34 come from diverse backgrounds, reflecting the rich cultural diversity of the Lincoln Heights neighborhood, with origins in Mexico, the Philippines, Ecuador, and more.

“There are a lot of artists that are based in this area, so it has not been a problem to find outstanding talent,” says Mast. “The more difficult challenge is making hard decisions regarding who to include and which pieces to put where.”

Artists were selected not just for their talent, but also because they possess a specific relationship to the neighborhood’s creative legacy. For example, featured artist Molly Schulman co-founded Maiden LA, a 100% inclusive survey of art happenings in Los Angeles County that aims to broaden how a city’s artistic landscape is defined. 

All of the art will have QR codes that residents and guests can swipe with their phone to learn more about the art and the artist. 

“The buildings are going to be completely transformed by the art,” says Mast. “The investment in original works of art really sets this project apart.”

A Haven for Residents

While much of A34’s greenspace will be open to the public, a portion of the outdoor area, including two rooftop decks, will be designated as amenity spaces for residents. The project’s two resident courtyards feature distinct vibes: one will be home to recreational facilities including a pool and hot tub, a game area, a performance stage, and grills, while the other will be home to tree-covered seating and a small dog park. 

The project also features a pair of rooftop decks. “From there you can see Dodger Stadium, Downtown, the Hollywood sign and Griffith Observatory, and there are great views of Mount Washington and some of the parks to the east,” says Ratner.

A34’s indoor amenities are geared toward community and productivity, including workspace and maker rooms on top of lounges and gyms.

“The world has moved to work-from-home environments,” says Ratner. “We tried to create different options so that people aren’t just sitting in their units working alone.”

It’s all part of the design and development team’s commitment to making the most of the unique opportunity that the A34 site represents.

“It’s very rare to have five acres next to transit,” says De Forest. “Building density near transit is a huge goal for our city. So, being able to convert an obsolete industrial property to needed housing without displacing any existing residents is a tremendous opportunity.”

Construction on Phase One at A34, which includes about 300 units, is expected to be completed early next year, with full completion by the end of Q1 2025.

Visit the Max Collaborative site to learn more about the design behind A34.