Warner Center 2035 Approved by City Council

By Craig Clough and City News Service

A wide-ranging plan approved by the Los Angeles City Council Wednesday re-envisions the San Fernando Valley's Warner Center commercial area as a pedestrian-and bike-friendly urban hub, with transit-oriented developments near the Metro Orange Line.

“This new plan reinvents a Warner Center that was conceived in the 1970’s as a collection of monolithic structures and expansive parking lots into a modern, pedestrian and transit focused community,” said City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who represents the area, in a press release

The Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan guides future development of the area, now made up of retail space and a concentration of entertainment and healthcare industry firms.

Warner Center supports around 40,000 jobs and will soon be the home of the headquarters for Farmers Insurance, according to Blumenfield's office.

Brad Rosenheim, executive director of the Warner Center Association, hailed the partnership between the city and stakeholde before the vote saying the resulting plan has the potential to "set a new standard for specific plans in the city of Los Angeles for decades to come."

The plan impacts the College, Commerce, Downtown, North Village, Park, River, Topanga and Uptown areas, each with its own distinct land use and goals. The River district, for example, includes plans to have businesses face the Los Angeles River.

“The Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan is a transformative vision for the future of Warner Center and the entire West San Fernando Valley,” Blumenfield said. “Today's passage is a credit to an unprecedented collaboration between local stakeholders and the City. I was pleased to support it during my 5 years representing Warner Center in the Assembly and to take it over the finish line as Councilmember.”