History
Warner Center is named for Harry Warner, the eldest of the Warner Brothers, who owned the land since the 1940s, which he used as a horse ranch. His family donated 20 acres (8.1 ha) of land in 1967 that became the Warner Center Park (also known as the Warner Ranch Park), situated east of Topanga Canyon Boulevard between Califa Street and Marylee Street.
In 1968, Robert Allison, then the manager for the San Fernando Valley office of Coldwell Banker, arranged the sale of 630 acres (250 ha) of the land to Aetna Life and Casualty for $30 million. Aetna acquired the land for long-term investment and development purposes, and later brought in Kaiser as a joint venture partner. Mr. Allison spearheaded the early land planning, subdivision and development efforts on behalf of Kaiser Aetna.
Initially, large tracts of the Warner Ranch land were developed in the Canoga Park portion, between Victory Boulevard and Vanowen Avenue. Topanga Plaza was first, followed by engineering facilities and headquarter offices for the aerospace companies Rocketdyne and Litton Industries.
With the sale of the land to Aetna, the pace of development in Warner Center accelerated. Kaiser Aetna acted as a master developer, offering land for sale or lease, buildings for sale or lease, and leased buildings built to owner's specifications. Development sites from very small parcels up to 100 or more acres were offered.
In the ensuing 20 years, much of the build-out of Warner Center occurred, including approximately 4,300 multi-family dwelling units, and millions of square feet of commercial and office space. Notable developments include:
- The 34 acres (14 ha) Promenade Mall which opened in 1973.
- Kaiser Permanente Hospital, which opened in 1986.
- The 1.1 million square foot Warner Center Business Park built in the mid to late 1970s, consisting of low and mid-rise office and industrial buildings.
- The 1.8 million square foot Warner Center Plaza built out from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, with its signature high-rise office buildings that feature reflective glass exteriors and give Warner Center its distinct skyline. The complex includes Warner Center Plaza I (constructed in 1980, completed in 1982, and opened in 1983), Warner Center Plaza VI (constructed in 1986, completed in 1988, and opened in 1989), and Warner Center Plaza III (constructed in 1988, completed in 1990, and opened in 1991).
- The Trillium office project, consisting of twin 17-story office towers totaling 600,000 square feet, built in the late 1980s.
Real estate developer Robert Voit, in partnerships with Robert Allison and New England Life Insurance Company, developed the Warner Center Business Park and Warner Center Plaza. The partnerships were wound down in the early 1990s and since that time the ownership of the properties has become fragmented.
During the 1990s following the completion of the Warner Center Plaza project, relatively little new development occurred. The economic slowdown of the early 1990s, combined with the damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake, served to put the brakes on new development for the rest of the decade.
The next major project was LNR Warner Center, which was built at the site of the former Prudential Life Insurance Company buildings between 2001 and 2005, totaling over 1.4 million square feet of primarily office space.
Also, in the early 2000s, a flurry of new multifamily housing projects were built. This burst of residential building created concerns in the community about issues such as traffic. In reaction to these concerns, City Councilmember Dennis Zine initiated a restudy of the Warner Center Specific Plan in 2005.
The Warner Center 2035 Plan (WC 2035 Plan) is a development blueprint for Warner Center that emphasizes mixed-use and transit-oriented development, walkability, and sustainability. [4]
A Citizen's Advisory Committee was established in 2005, consisting of members of the local neighborhood councils including the Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council and the Canoga Park Neighborhood Council as well as business and property owners, which worked with city planning staff and its consultants to develop the plan. In December 2013 the plan was adopted by the Los Angeles City Council. [4]
By 2035, the plan anticipates an additional: [4]
- 14 million square feet of nonresidential building area
- 20,000 residential dwelling units
- 49,000 jobs
In 2011, the Los Angeles Daily News quoted City Planner Ken Bernstein as describing a new vision for Warner Center as more "cosmopolitan, 21st century." The paper added: "The plan would allow 40-story skyscrapers. Small retail shops — where locals could walk to buy basics — would be encouraged, in an area now dominated by national chains and big malls. The long superblocks and six-lane thoroughfares would be 'cut up' by adding paseos and crosswalks to create a more intimate feel for pedestrians." [5]
In 2012 the City Council approved the Village at Westfield Topanga - which included a new Costco, as well as a massive retail, dining, and entertainment development that would combine with two existing Westfield Warner Center malls (Westfield Topanga Mall and Westfield Promenade Mall). [6]
The 34-acre vacant shopping mall (14 ha), The Promenade, was sold in March 2022 to sports owner and real estate developer Stan Kroenke for approximately $150 million. [7] The combined 65-acre property (26 ha) was expected to be developed into a permanent team headquarters and practice facility for the Los Angeles Rams. [8] The Westfield shopping center called The Village was purchased in January 2023 for $325-million bringing the total property ownership to 100 acres (40 ha). The center continues to operate as an open-air lifestyle and retail destination. [9]
