Heavy equipment and earth movers are on site at the site of a former cold storage facility in the Arts District, as work starts to ramp up for a mixed-use office complex.

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The $100-million development, called Produce LA, is located at the northeast corner of Santa Fe Avenue and Jesse Street - a block from the Los Angeles River.  Approved plans call for the construction of a four-story building featuring 100,000 square feet of office space, 15,000-square-feet of ground-floor commercial uses, a rooftop amenity deck, and parking for 217 vehicles.

Designed by EYRC Architects, the low-rise structure will be clad in corrugated steel panels, a response to the "industrial context of the Arts District."  The facade pattern is intended to protect the building from solar radiation, decreasing the amount of glazing required.

Continuum Partners of Denver and Platinum Equity of Beverly Hills are the owners of the project, which is on pace for completion in late 2020.  The developers obtained $54 million in construction financing in November.

Produce LA is one of several office projects in development in the Arts District, where a collection of vintage warehouses have proven attractive to technology and media companies.  Spotify has established its local headquarters in the At Mateo complex near the 4th Street Bridge, and Warner Music Group has relocated its West Coast operations from Burbank to the historic Ford Factory at 7th Street and Santa Fe Avenue.

Residential developers have followed in tow - highlighted by Greystar's 320-unit AMP Lofts.

Other notable projects in the near vicinity include the new Sixth Street Viaduct, now under construction, and new park space planned beneath multi-purpose bridge.