Greater Los Angeles Region: Projects and Developments

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by Curbed LA

Westfield Century City's $700M Upgrade: Tom Ford, Eataly, More
Monday, June 16, 2014, by Natalie Alcala

Following in the footsteps of The Grove, Glendale Galleria and FIGat7th, Westfield Century City is undergoing a major rebirth. The outdoor shopping center recently announced its plans to become "a landmark destination truly international in impact and scale," complete with $700 million facelift that will include a slew of new luxury retailers and world-class cuisine.

By the numbers, Westfield Century City 2.0 will feature 422,00 square feet of new retail space, 220 shops and restaurants (70 will be new), eight acres of outdoor space (including a new central plaza), 20 new residences across ten floors, 3,375 new jobs and—our favorite—4,700 parking spaces to double the property's current capacity. As for tenants, a trusted source tells us that Nordstrom will likely join the roster, as well as Tom Ford, Armani and, as rumored, NY-based artisanal Italian food marketplace Eataly.

The project is slated to complete spring 2017

http://la.racked.com/archives/2014/0...ataly_more.php

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LA Times

Walt Disney Co., the world's largest entertainment and media company, is betting on the "Star Wars" franchise to further grow revenue at Disney resorts and theme parks.

Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive, plans to "significantly" ramp up the "Star Wars" presence at the parks, he said during an earnings call with analysts Tuesday.

"As we spend money at the parks on new attractions that are based on known brands, the likelihood of their success is greater," Iger said. "You're going to see better bets being made."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...805-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LA Times

Knott's Berry Farm unveils Halloween Haunt 2014 mazes

The biggest highlight of Haunt 2014 is sure to be the new Special Ops: Infected zombie apocalypse attraction taking over six acres of Camp Snoopy.

Visitors will be armed with infrared laser simulated assault rifles similar to the mock guns used by military and police training academies.

Guided by squad commanders, teams of 12 Haunt visitors will set off into an infected zone swarming with zombies. The mission: Kill as many zombies as possible.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/themep...807-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by SGVT

Outlets at Tejon to open Thursday

Reflecting Southern California’s strengthening economy, a 320,000-square-foot retail center north of the Grapevine is set to open its doors Thursday .

Located midway between Santa Clarita and Bakersfield along the 5 Freeway, the $90 million Outlets at Tejon features more than 70 stores and restaurants, including H&M, Aeropostale, Hop Topic, Tilly’s, Nike and the only Pottery Barn Outlet store in California.

Outlets at Tejon is situated along California’s major north-south corridor, which sees nearly 65 million people pass through each year. The center is expected to draw heavily from the constant flow of travelers and tourists. Moreover, more than 3.2 million people live within an hour’s drive of the retail complex.

“We anticipate great business from the tourist industry,” Zoeller said. “Outlet shopping is a big part of the itinerary for international shoppers coming into this country, and we are perfectly located.”

More evidence of the location’s expanding visibility can be found at a Starbucks located across the freeway. That Starbucks is the company’s top performing location in California and it ranks among the top five in the nation.

“We’re opening with the center being 100 percent leased and we’re already looking at phase two, which would increase it to about 500,000 square feet,” Zoeller said. “The timing of phase two will depend on demand. If it’s there we could pull the trigger and open that phase as early as 2015.”

The center is also fueling an employment boost for the region. Zoeller said Outlets at Tejon will employ about 3,000 workers.

Outlets at Tejon and the Tejon Ranch Commerce Center are all part of the larger Tejon Ranch project. At nearly 270,000 acres, the historic Tejon Ranch is the largest contiguous expanse of private land in California, comprising 422 square miles.

The 1,450-acre commerce center includes such companies as IKEA, Caterpillar and Famous Footwear. Tejon Ranch also has an agricultural and farming component with 8,000 acres under cultivation and 14,000 head of cattle.

Filming is frequently done on the property and three residential communities are planned that would create a total of 50,000 homes. Construction of the first phase, Tejon Mountain Village, is expected to begin in two or three years, Zoeller said. Full buildout is expected within 50 years, he said.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/business/2...-open-thursday

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LA Times

At the Thermal Club, wealthy gearheads will have private vrooms

In the shadow of the Santa Rosa Mountains, a private playground for some of the nation's wealthiest gearheads is rising out of the desert heat.

A refuge for classic Maseratis or screaming new Ferraris, the Thermal Club will stretch over 344 acres of land, half an hour from Palm Springs. A 4.5-mile ribbon of asphalt snakes through the grounds, punctuated by a half-mile straight that begs for 150-mph passes.

Surrounding the track will be hundreds of multimillion-dollar villas, each designed to house a car collection on the ground floor and posh living rooms and kitchens above. Some models come with a glass floor between the two, all the better to gaze at the machinery below while sipping post-lap cocktails.

"Something like this hadn't been done before," said Tim Rogers, the gas-station magnate who financed the project. "There are plenty of beautiful golf clubs around the country, but not everyone plays golf."

http://www.latimes.com/business/auto...809-story.html
http://www.thethermalclub.com/

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LA Times

Six Flags Magic Mountain turning wooden coaster into Twisted Colossus

Six Flags Magic Mountain plans to convert a classic wooden coaster into the world’s longest hybrid coaster that adds two barrel roll inversions and a first-of-its-kind in the U.S. “high-five” element.

Dubbed Twisted Colossus, the massive makeover is to transform the now-closed 1978 Colossus racing wooden coaster into a 4,990-foot-long wood-steel hybrid ride with two separate lift hills and a pair of near-vertical drops.

Set to debut at the Valencia amusement park in 2015, the Magic Mountain ride is to be built by Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction, which has converted a number of wooden coasters into hybrid rides with looping inversions typically associated with steel coasters.

http://www.latimes.com/travel/themep...828-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LA Times

Prominent L.A. developer to build unconventional office at Playa Vista

Robert F. Maguire III, a prominent developer who helped shape L.A.'s skyline in the 1980s and '90s, is back.

Maguire led development of several of the city's best-known office buildings including U.S. Bank Tower, the tallest structure in Southern California. Now, at 79, Maguire says he is gearing up to develop again.

He plans to build an unconventional office at Playa Vista, the expansive former headquarters site of aviation titan Howard Hughes that has become a magnet for so-called creative firms such as YouTube.

The monolithic granite and glass towers Maguire built for corporate titans of the late 20th century are not attractive to technology, entertainment and digital media firms now leading the region's economic recovery, he says.

"Smart companies want innovative space," he said. "Conventional office space is going to have a hard time competing."

The Playa Vista office market is roaring, in part because the tech-centric Westside, sometimes known as Silicon Beach, is running out of space.

"Santa Monica is full," Maguire said. "The obvious replacement for major tenants is Playa Vista."

His plan is to build an office called WE3, which would be the third building at an office campus called Water's Edge at the intersection of Lincoln and Jefferson boulevards. Maguire has held part interest in Water's Edge since he built it in 2002.

http://www.latimes.com/business/real...828-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by Curbed LA

• Video Link

Per Magic Mountain: "Integrated into the beautiful crosshatching of white wood will be intertwined track, steep banks and unrelenting rolls and spirals." Not to spoil your first ride, but the new roller coaster will also have:

· A four-minute ride on close to 5,000 feet of track, making it the "longest hybrid coaster in the world."

· A "High Five" section, where two trains turn while facing each other so closely that it appears as if riders on one track could high five the riders on the other track (they cannot); this will be the first coaster in the Western Hemisphere to have this feature (there's at least one other coaster in China that employs it).

· A "Top Gun Stall," meaning the coaster will slow down while it's upside-down.

The new, hybrid ride is set to open in the spring of 2015, but you can get good and excited from this insane-o video of what the finished thrill ride should look like.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/0...er_coaster.php

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by SGVT

President Obama may declare San Gabriel Mountains a national monument

President Obama was asked by a local congresswoman to exercise his executive powers to declare 600,000 acres of the San Gabriel Mountains a national monument, a unilateral action that would bypass Congressional approval.

Out of frustration for the slow pace of her bill, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, announced in a news conference Monday that she has had discussions with the White House to act alone and do essentially what her bill proposes — add more federal resources to the heavily-used Angeles and San Bernardino national forests for better recreation, trail upkeep and trash removal.

Chu asked her supporters to put pressure on the White House to support a San Gabriel Mountains National Monument designation.

“Let’s call upon the administration to act and help us finally turn this vision into reality,” Chu said. On Wednesday, Chu picked up support from Reps. Grace Napolitano, D-West Covina, Adam Schiff, D-Glendale, and Linda Sanchez, D-Whittier, who wrote a joint letter in support. “We strongly urge President Obama to declare the Angeles National Forest a national monument,” wrote Napolitano.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/environmen...ional-monument

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Chinese builder Landsea to invest $1 billion in U.S. housing market

The venture, by Nanjing company Landsea Group, could signal the beginning of a wave of Chinese investments in single-family homes in the U.S., part of a larger influx of Chinese money.

Landsea — which builds about 12,000 houses a year in mainland China and also develops in Hong Kong and Germany — comes to the U.S. amid signs that the red-hot market at home is cooling off. Building costs in China have soared in recent years, and lately prices have started to fall in many cities.

Landsea is starting with three projects: 187 units — mostly single-family homes — in Simi Valley; a town house development in Dublin, Calif., near San Francisco; and a condo building across the Hudson River from Manhattan in Weehawken, N.J. Its U.S. operations will be based in Pasadena, designing and developing homes but using local contractors and materials to build them.

Single-family subdivisions by Chinese companies have been rare. Along with Landsea, a subsidiary of Wuhan company Fuxing Huiyu Real Estate Co. has launched a few projects along the West Coast, including condos in Orange County.

The number of Chinese-owned companies with a presence in L.A. County has more than doubled in the last five years to 254, Allen said.

That will probably continue, Allen said, as more Chinese investors look abroad for opportunities to invest in real estate. It took Landsea about a year to find its site in Simi Valley and break ground. There are other builders out there following, he said, scouting the region for places to build.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...905-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Desert dust-up over demolition of tribe's Spa Resort in Palm Springs

Tribal rights bumped up again historic preservation in Palm Springs this week, when the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians started tearing down a 1959 spa and casino in a city that is passionate about midcentury modern architecture.

The downtown Spa Resort Casino complex’s concrete-domed entrance colonnade, which led to the property's hot springs, was the first feature to be torn down in a process that will take months.

The tribe declared a sovereign right to improve the property and said it is protecting an ancient and sacred hot mineral spring.

It has not specified what those improvements will be, saying on that it is "working to create a vision ... a masterpiece for the tourism of downtown Palm Springs.”

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...905-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by Curbed LA

Hyatt Hotel and Condos Headed for Pas's Paseo Colorado

Pasadena's got a case of hotel madness: there are at least seven hotels opening in the city in the next few years. Among them is a hotel slated for the empty husk of a Macy's at Pasadena's Paseo Colorado outdoor shopping center and, although demolition has not even begun, developers have already inked a lease with Hyatt. The 179-room hotel will become a Hyatt Place, the company's brand geared toward "families and and business travelers near airports and in suburban areas," reports the LA Business Journal (the hotel will be near the Pas Convention Center).

Also part of the site's post-Macy's plans are a six-story mixed-user with 71 condos and 25,000 square feet of street-level retail. The project will make use of the underground parking already available on-site. The developer still needs to get approvals, but once those are received, demolition should be done within 12 months.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/0...o_colorado.php

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by Curbed LA

Richard Meier Condos Are Actually Happening in Beverly Hills

The big fancy mixed-use project slated for the site of the old Robinson's May building in Beverly Hills near Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard has been in the works since at least 2007, and the property has sold so many times since then that it seems impossible that the original plans for a complex designed by starchitect Richard Meier (who designed the Getty Center) could still be on the table. And yet! News came through early last month that China's biggest commercial developer, Wanda Group, had purchased the 9900 Wilshire site, but without revealing what they would do with it (or how much they paid). Today, via the LA Times, we find out that, yes, finally, Wanda plans to build Meier's plans for two-mid-rise condo towers (14 to 16 stories), with work slated to begin next year. The plans call for 235 units and about 21,000 square feet of street-level retail, with 876 underground parking spots.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/0...erly_hills.php

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

SpaceX, Boeing land NASA contracts to carry astronauts to space

In a move that returns the U.S. to manned spaceflight, NASA has awarded Boeing and California-based SpaceX with contracts worth a total of $6.8 billion to launch astronauts into space.

And it returns Southern California, once the epicenter for Apollo and space shuttle development, to the forefront of spaceflight.

The contracts landed by Hawthorne-based SpaceX and Chicago-based Boeing Co. are aimed at continuing the final development of spacecraft that will take astronauts to the space station.

Boeing, which has thousands of employees in Southern California, has built nearly every manned spacecraft in U.S. history.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...916-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Mammoth Mountain owner buys Bear Mountain and Snow Summit

The operators of the Mammoth Mountain ski resort, one of the nation's most popular snow destinations, have signed a $38-million deal to acquire the Bear Mountain and Snow Summit resorts near Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains.

The move, which comes in the midst of a historic drought, puts Mammoth Mountain in control of more than 4,000 acres of skiable land in California, visited by about 2 million skiers and snowboarders a year.

The deal to buy Snow Summit Ski Corp. includes a golf course, a driving range and several parking lots — totaling 136 acres of private land — as well as rights to 438 acres of skiable land owned by the U.S. Forest Service.

"In the next few months, expect announcements on developments and expansion plans for all four of our resorts," Gregory said, referring to Mammoth Mountain; its smaller sister resort in the Sierra, June Mountain; plus Bear Mountain and Snow Summit in Southern California.

Since Mammoth Mountain's founder Dave McCoy sold his controlling interest in his resort in the Eastern Sierra to Connecticut-based Starwood Capital Group in 2005, the company has invested heavily to add upscale hotels, condominiums, shops and eateries around Mammoth Lakes, the rustic town at the base of the mountain.

Mammoth Mountain plans to begin this weekend to sell an annual pass that gives snow enthusiasts access to Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain, plus Bear Mountain and Snow Summit, for $689, he said. That's the same price that Mammoth Mountain charged for its annual pass last year.

Skiers and snowboarders who have already bought the Mammoth Mountain pass for this coming season will be allowed to use the pass at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit, Gregory said.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...924-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Chumash casino expansion to include 12-story hotel tower

The Chumash tribe will begin construction in coming weeks of a $100-million expansion of its Las Vegas-style casino that will bring a 12-story hotel tower and rooftop pool to the hills of the Santa Ynez Valley.

The project would add 45,000 square feet to its 94,000-square-foot gaming floor, a five-story garage containing 584 parking spaces and more food and beverage services, primarily with the addition of a food court.

But most significant is the 215-room tower that will triple the size of the hotel; it currently has 106 rooms and 17 luxury suites.

Tribal Chairman Vincent Armenta said the expansion will create 250 much-needed permanent jobs in Santa Barbara County and rejected claims that it would negatively impact water supplies, the environment and law enforcement resources. It is expected to be completed in 2016.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...930-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by LAT

Caltech again ranked world's top research campus by British magazine

For the fourth year in a row, Caltech is being rated the best research university in the world by the Times Higher Education magazine of Great Britain, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Three other California schools were in the journal’s top dozen: Stanford, ranked fourth; UC Berkeley, eighth; and UCLA, 12th.

The Times Higher Education listing emphasizes research and research reputation more strongly than some other rankings of universities. Among its scoring categories are income from research, the amount of faculty research published in scholarly journals and the number of international students and faculty.

After the Pasadena campus, the rest of the magazine’s top 10 in "World University Rankings" are Harvard, the University of Oxford, Stanford, the University of Cambridge, MIT, Princeton, UC Berkeley, with Yale and Imperial College of London tied at ninth.

Other California campuses in the top 100 were: UC Santa Barbara, 37; UC San Diego, 41; UC Davis, tied at 55 with Katholieke Universiteit Leuven of Belgium; USC, tied at 75 with the University of Basel in Switzerland; and UC Irvine, sharing 88 with Tufts.

http://www.latimes.com/local/educati...001-story.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by SGMF

San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Will Protect Clean Water
Improve Healthy Outdoor Recreation in Nation’s Largest Urban Backyard
Wednesday, October 8, 2014

A diverse partnership of cities, residents and organizations applaud the announcement that President Barack Obama will designate a San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. The San Gabriel Mountains, north of Los Angeles within the Angeles National Forest, provide one-third of the region's clean water supply and 70 percent of the region's open space.

"For more than a decade, community support has steadily grown for the permanent protection of the San Gabriel Mountains," said Andre Quintero, Mayor of El Monte, located in the San Gabriel Valley. "On behalf of San Gabriel Valley residents, I want to thank Congresswoman Judy Chu and the California delegation, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and President Obama for working with our communities to make that vision a reality."

Supporters include state and local officials, business and community leaders, environmental justice organizations, churches, water districts, veterans, educators and thousands of residents. Years of public meetings - plus more than 12,000 public comments - built support for better protection of the San Gabriel Mountains and rivers and improved visitor services.

Recent polling showed four-in-five Los Angeles County voters (80 percent) express support protecting the San Gabriel Mountains and rivers - with almost universal support (88 percent) among Latinos.

"The San Gabriel Mountains are a vital natural and cultural resource," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "Designating the area as a National Monument will ensure its resources are managed properly and protected for future generations to enjoy."

More than 17 million people live with an hour's drive of the San Gabriel range making the Angeles National Forest one of the nation's busiest forests with more than 3.5 million annual visitors. Given the diversity of Los Angeles and its adjacent communities, local leaders are encouraged that the national monument designation will provide improved visitor services including safe river access, more rangers, and multilingual/multicultural signs and displays.

http://www.sangabrielmountains.org/h...lean_water_and

[dragonsky]

• Video Link
President Obama Designates the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-...ional-monument
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/lo...278717271.html

[dragonsky]

Originally Posted by SGVT

Walnut gets first look at concepts for $20 million recreation complex

The master plan features two pools. An 8,512 square foot recreation pool will have a river current channel, zero-depth beach style entry and six swimming lanes. An 8,684 square foot competition 35-meter pool will offer 14 lanes.

The new aquatic center at Walnut Ranch Park will also have a 4,945 square foot spray park with interactive play equipment. Adding to the fun will be three waterslides with individual run-out flumes.

A new amphitheater with covered stage and four tiered seating area will hold up to 1,000 people for the very popular concerts in the park and other performances. A secondary restroom will serve either the amphitheater or pools. It will also have a concession stand.

The 6,828 square foot main building will become the long awaited community building. This will feature a 2,200 square foot multipurpose banquet room with a garden reception area and concessions area.

The building will also hold men’s and women’s locker rooms, a lobby, five staff offices and two storage areas.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/government...eation-complex