Playa Vista to Have High-Speed Net Access

All the 13,000 residential units and the 6 million square feet of commercial space planned for the 1,087-acre Playa Vista project on the Westside will be wired for high-speed Internet access, according to a deal between Cisco Systems Inc. and the project’s developer. The systems will add about $1,000 to the cost of a home, apartment or townhouse in the development, said David Herbst, vice president of Playa Capital, the project’s development firm. Cisco, the world’s largest maker of computer networking equipment, will work with service providers to install always-on Internet connections and networking software in homes and businesses in the project. The systems will let people who live or work in Playa Vista sign on to a PC and locate shuttles scheduled to run in the area, Herbst said. The connections also will allow homeowners to control lights, music and security systems with the touch of a button and will warn them when the refrigerator door is ajar. Developers are building a visitors center, a 409-unit apartment complex and infrastructure for 3,246 homes at the site on the Ballona Wetlands between Marina del Rey and the Westchester Bluffs.