Life of the Neighborhood

The name of the first shop to open on the site of the former General Motors plant in Panorama City could hardly be more appropriate. Party City, a warehouse-style store that sells party supplies, opened last week as the first in a series of retail outlets that city officials hope will restore some economic luster to the neglected center of the San Fernando Valley.

Over the next few days and weeks other stores will open, including Babies R Us, Home Depot, Ross Dress for Less and Officemax. They may not be the kinds of stores that make shopaholics drool, but they are the kinds of stores that hard-pressed neighborhoods along Van Nuys Boulevard haven’t seen in many years. Together with the two-story Wal-Mart at the Panorama Mall, the GM complex provides welcome access to merchandise and--most importantly--jobs.

Odds are the GM site would have remained a vacant eyesore without the efforts of Mayor Richard Riordan, Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and developers from the Selleck Development Group. The three worked together to ensure a high-quality project that holds the potential to bring jobs and pride back to part of town that has been short on both. That’s reason to celebrate.