WOODLAND HILLS—The city of Los Angeles will be making some changes over the next few years to update the Westfield Promenade Mall in Warner Center. The Los Angeles City Council approved a $1 billion development project that will get underway lasting until 2035.

On December 2, the city council adopted the project in a 14-0 vote to redevelop the struggling Westfield Promenade Mall with new forms of housing, office space, and retail shopping centers. The development plan is one of several to join the large and multi-scale developments within Warner Center.

The Westfield Promenade Mall is currently a 34 acre property located between Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Oxnard Street, Owensmouth Avenue, and Erwin Street. Development is projected to reconstruct 3.2 million square foot of construction which includes:

  • up to 1,432 residential units
  • 280,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space
  • over 730,000 square feet of office space
  • two hotels containing 572 guest rooms
  • a maximum 10,000-seat entertainment and sports center
  • parking for 5,655 vehicles.

The design team for the promenade 2035 development project will be lead by Johnson Fain, HKS Architects and Togawa Smith Martin.

“The Plan calls for a range of low-rise and high-rise structures, the largest of which would stand 28 stories in height.  If built today, the project would include some of the tallest buildings in the Warner Center area,” stated  Urbanize City LA on its website.

An environmental study was conducted showing that construction is projected to start as early as 2021 and run thru 2033.

The project is expected to generate $1.9 billion towards the economy by providing 10,800 construction jobs and 9,700 permanent jobs after completion of project.

The city council did deny an appeal for Winnetka residents who opposed master conditional use of permits for alcohol.

The development plan will be the largest project approved by the Warner Center specific plan area. The plan calls for 54 units of very low income housing, 54 units dedicated to the work force, and 54 apartments for local employees, and the neighborhood is expected to contain affordable housing.

Approval for the Promenade 2035 development plan was formed five years after the Warner Center 2035 Plan. The Warner Center 2035 plan required thousands of new housing units be designed as market rate homes.

“The Warner Center 2035 Plan (WC 2035 Plan) represents a thoughtful approach to plan growth that balance the need for housing, jobs and services for the broader community. A particular emphasis is placed on building a sustainable community with enhanced mobility options reducing the need for everyday car use. Walkability, improved public transportation services and the creation of safe bike lanes are integral elements in establishing Warner Center as a Transit Oriented Community,” states the Warner Center association website.

Due to the lack of affordable housing, Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield specified a plan to intel inclusionary zoning, causing developers to focus on lower income households.

“With thousands of new housing units, job opportunities for our community, and a place-making new entertainment center, the Westfield Promenade 2035 project is a game-changing development for the West Valley,” said Blumenfield. “Our housing affordability crisis will only be solved by building affordable units, and this project includes the very first affordable housing in Warner Center. Thanks to Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield for working so closely with me and the community stakeholders to design a project that helps meet this urgent need.”

The Promenade development 2035 plan calls to downscale entertainment venue to substitute for office space.

Over the past five years the Warner Center neighborhood completed $350 million towards the village shopping center and broke ground earlier this year with $250 million worth of renovations in the Westfield Topanga Mall.