‘Playa Vista Studios’ a New Annex for Hollywood? : Movies: Aerospace firms are leaving the area, abandoning 17 buildings including hangar-like structures that could be converted into sound stages and offices.

A new Hollywood studio complex with sound stages made from converted aircraft hangars and office space for movie and TV production companies is being discussed for Playa Vista, a mammoth development planned for the Westside of Los Angeles.

Owners of the $7-billion residential, office, retail and hotel project near Marina del Rey have been “out in the marketplace” touting the plan to various entertainment firms, hoping to attract them to the 1,087-acre site at the base of Westchester bluffs.

Some are already dubbing the idea “Playa Vista Studios,” although developers say there is no official name.

McDonnell Douglas Helicopters and Hughes Aircraft radar operations now occupy the site, but both aerospace firms plan to pull out by year’s end.

Left behind will be 17 buildings (including the hangar-like structure used to build Howard Hughes’ famed Spruce Goose) that could be transformed into Hollywood sound stages and production offices, according to Nelson Rising, senior partner of Maguire Thomas Partners, the developer.

“What we’re hearing is there is a tremendous demand for facilities for a full range of production activities,” Rising said.

“I don’t know how this will shake out,” he added, but went on to say that part of the site is already being used for filming and that 1.5 million square feet of space could handle production of feature films, TV sitcoms, commercials and live audience shows.

Rather than mirror a traditional studio and backlot, the developers say Playa Vista could one day house an alliance of independent Hollywood production companies, craftsmen and vendors.

“It’s going to happen in one of two ways,” Rising said. “Either we will gradually accommodate people’s needs building by building until we establish critical mass, or a group of users will come together and use it all.”

Fueled by a production boom, major studios have earmarked more than $1 billion for Los Angeles-area construction to expand or remodel their lots.

An example is 20th Century Fox, where increased TV and movie production has made available space tight. Fox’s 53-acre Century City backlot has 18 sound stages and the company is spending $20 million upgrading various facilities and has plans to build a 1,000-car garage.

“Four years ago, when we started rezoning efforts, we thought we could put all our L.A.-based activities on our (Century City) lot,” said George Vradenburg, executive vice president of Fox Inc. “Now, we’re not going to be able to fit them on the lot.

“Most studios are expanding movie output,” he added. “MGM was in a virtual dormant state a year and a half ago. Now, they’re planning a pretty full output. MGM is coming back to life.”

Vradenburg noted that Fox recently lost its lease on its Channel 11 TV station in Hollywood because the building’s owners thought there was such a competitive market for space among entertainment firms that they could easily find other tenants willing to pay more.

Officials at Paramount Pictures say the need for sound stages and support facilities ebbs and flows.

This production boom has forced some film and television production firms to venture out of the traditional entertainment enclaves of the Westside and San Fernando Valley to as far away as Valencia and Long Beach.

Playa Vista officials say their development could consolidate locations for many of these smaller firms at a site close to Hollywood’s existing creative community.

The master plan for Playa Vista calls for 13,000 residential units and 5 million square feet of office space over the next 10 to 15 years. The project could employ 20,000 people when completed.

Critics argue that the Playa Vista project could worsen an already congested San Diego Freeway and paralyze companies doing business at nearby Los Angeles International Airport. An environmental group called Save Ballona Wetlands, which alleges that city officials failed to adequately consider traffic, air pollution and other consequences of the proposed development, has filed suit to block the first phase of construction.

The site includes the huge hangar-like building where Hughes’ famed Spruce Goose “flying boat” was constructed. Known as Building 15, it is 720 long and over 70 feet high, Rising said, leaving huge potential for sound stages.

Another hangar-like structure called Building 17 already has been converted into two sound stages by Hollywood Locations, a company that handles filming rights to Maguire Thomas properties.

The firm has turned part of the 450-foot-long structure into a permanent courtroom set that was recently used in the Warner Bros. film “Murder in the First” starring Christian Slater, Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon. The set had been in Sylmar until the Jan. 17 earthquake struck.

“Studios have reached the point that they’re busting out at the seams,” said Chris Ursitti, co-owner of Hollywood Locations. “A lot of companies are now going as far south as Long Beach. Aaron Spelling could be a good candidate (for Playa Vista). They took over a couple of warehouses in Valencia.”