717 W. 9th Reaches Full Height

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — 717 W. 9th won’t be going any higher. The 35-story tower still has plenty of work to be done before it’s ready for residents, but yesterday developer Meruelo Maddux Properties held a “topping off” ceremony to mark the end of vertical construction on the tower.

The project, which broke ground in December of 2006, will bring 214 one- and two-bedroom apartments to the market when it is completed in late 2009.

The company put out a press release to mark the milestone, and in it Chairman and CEO Richard Meruelo talks bullishly about the future of Downtown. “Downtown Los Angeles is transforming itself into a city that not only welcomes businesses and workers, but is quickly becoming one of the most sought after residential addresses in the city,” Meruelo said. “We are proud to be a partner in that transformational effort and prouder still to represent some good economic news for downtown Los Angeles.”

The project is located across Flower street from Ralphs. Just to the south, work continues to progress quickly on Astani’s Concerto project, another highrise slated for completion in late 2009.