Playa Vista Developers Plan Public Workshops

In a continuing effort to reach out to the community and eliminate any potential roadblocks, the developer of the multibillion-dollar Playa Vista project will hold a series of public workshops this week to discuss the impact of the planned city-within-a-city.

The first of the evening meetings, to be held Monday, will focus on transportation issues associated with the huge development envisioned for the area between Marina del Rey and Westchester Bluffs.

The session will examine the traffic, air quality and noise impacts of the vast office, residential, retail, marina and hotel complex--one of the largest developments in Los Angeles history.

Representatives of Maguire Thomas Partners, developers of Playa Vista, will discuss the importance of achieving a balance between the number of jobs and housing units to reduce commuting and minimize air pollution.

Tuesday’s session will deal with Maguire Thomas’ specific plans for development for the property, including land use and aesthetic issues, public services, grading and geological questions.

The session on Wednesday evening will deal with natural, biological and cultural issues, including restoration of the Ballona Wetlands, archeology, water quality, energy and public works.

All of the sessions will be held at the Airport Marina Hotel, 86O1 Lincoln Blvd., Westchester, beginning at 7 p.m.

Senior partner Nelson C. Rising said in an interview last week that the workshops are intended to offer the public an opportunity to address issues of concern early in the planning process. The meetings are the latest in a series of public sessions that began after Maguire Thomas took over the 887-acre project last year.

An environmental impact report is now being prepared on Maguire Thomas’ plans for the property. Although the evening meetings are separate from that effort, Rising said Maguire Thomas wants to get the public’s thoughts “now rather than waiting until the environmental impact report is completed.”

Rising has said previously that early identification of the issues will expedite Maguire Thomas’ efforts to win approval for the development.

Intense opposition from environmentalists and residents of surrounding areas frustrated efforts by the Summa Corp. to develop a high-rise community on the land, which stretches nearly three miles inland from the Pacific Ocean to the San Diego Freeway. The property had been owned by industrialist Howard Hughes since the 1940s and was part of his estate.

After taking over, Maguire Thomas abandoned Summa’s design. The new plans call for a mid-rise community with 5 million square feet of offices, 11,750 apartment and condominium units, 2,400 hotel rooms, 720,000 square feet of retail space and a small-craft marina with 750 boat slips.