The project, considered by many to be the linchpin for a revitalization of Downtown L.A., is expected to produce an estimated $1.2 billion worth of development that would include 3.2 million sf of residential and commercial uses, along with a city park.

The five teams will now respond to the request for proposals that the Grand Avenue Authority expects to issue by the end of January. The winner of the competition will tackle a project area totaling approximately eight acres adjacent to Walt Disney Concert Hall located Downtown, consisting of four parcels that are entitled for up to 3.2 million sf of residential and commercial development.

The five teams are:

The Grand Avenue Development Alliance, a consortium of developers led by Bovis Lend Lease of New York. Other members are Lennar Corp., Legacy Partners, and Gatehouse Capital. The architectural team for this group includes Arquitectonica, Gary Edward Handel + Associates, MVE & Partners, and RTKL.

Forest City Development, based in Cleveland, which plans to conduct a competition to select its architectural partners.

The Related Cos., based in New York City, which is currently completing the $1.7 billion Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle in New York. The architectural team for that project, SOM with David Childs, and Elkus Manfredi, is part of the proposed team for Grand Avenue.

The JH Snyder Co., based in Los Angeles, which has more than 40 years of experience developing projects in Southern California, including the Water Garden in Santa Monica. Its design team includes the Jerde Partnership with Johnson Fain and Rios Associates Inc.

Weintraub Financial Services, based in Los Angeles, heads a team comprised of the Bronson Cos., Apollo Real Estate Advisors and Vornado Realty Trust. This group, called Bunker Hill, LLC, has selected Gehry Partners as the lead architect of its design team.

Development of Grand Avenue will be coordinated with the creation of a civic park connecting two public buildings, City Hall and the Department of Water and Power. Eight developers assembled teams and responded to the Request for Qualifications: Astani Enterprise, Bovis Lend Lease, Forest City Development, Goldrich and Kest Industries LLC, JH Snyder Co., The Related Cos., Sonnenblick-Del Rio Development Inc. and Weintraub Financial Services. The Grand Avenue Authority based its selections on an evaluation of each developers experience in high-density, urban, mixed-use projects and their ability to finance a project of this size and complexity. The authority also looked at the experience and quality of the design team members and an initial concept statement.

The board of the Los Angeles Grand Avenue Authority will make the final decision on the selection of the developer. The board members include Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, L.A. Councilwoman Jan Perry, Los Angeles County chief administrative officer David Janssen, and Bud Ovrom, CEO of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles.