Soboroff to Head Playa Vista Project

Steve Soboroff, a politically connected real estate broker, civic volunteer and defeated mayoral candidate, was named Wednesday to head the Playa Vista project, the largest housing and commercial development venture in Los Angeles and one mired in conflicts for two decades.

Developers of Playa Vista, which could house as many as 30,000 people and create office space for thousands more, hope Soboroff’s experience with big developments will help him push the project past its remaining roadblocks.

The hiring of the onetime volunteer advisor to former Mayor Richard Riordan comes at a particularly crucial time: as Playa Capital LLC and the city of Los Angeles prepare next month to release an environmental impact report for the bulk of the project, known as Phase Two.

Soboroff will replace Peter B. Denniston, who announced in June that he would leave the project to pursue other business interests and spend more time with his family.

Soboroff, 53, said he had been looking for a challenge since finishing third in this year’s mayor’s race. He said that shepherding the giant project, which would be squeezed onto more than 1,000 acres between Marina del Rey and the Westchester Bluffs, is “a perfect fit.”

“Here’s a chance for me to take my business skills--and whatever skills I gained over the last eight years, political skills--and put them to use,” Soboroff said in an interview.

Foes say Playa Vista would overrun wetlands, snarl traffic and foul the air with car exhaust.

When Soboroff begins work Nov. 1, he will inherit a project plagued by lawsuits, political and regulatory hurdles, methane gas deposits and a softening real estate market. Other prominent and politically connected leaders have pressed the project for years and met with only halting success.

Soboroff says he relishes such challenges. He ran for mayor as a problem-solving deal-maker, and was often called “Superman” by Riordan, who had wanted Soboroff to succeed him as mayor.

Riordan and others gave Soboroff much of the credit for closing the final deals on the Staples Center arena and the Alameda Corridor, a freight railway linking the harbor and downtown Los Angeles. Both were contentious projects with shaky futures and considerable opposition.

Soboroff said his public and private deal-making skills are what Playa Vista needs. “The more I looked into it, the more I liked it,” he said. “The times I got everything done were the times I would bring people together.”

Some supporters of the giant project--which could one day include as many as 13,000 apartments, condominiums and homes and 5 million square feet of offices, stores and commercial space--have been concerned that the company has not done enough to inform the public about plans for the second phase of the project. They are to be unveiled as early as next month.

Phase Two could include up to 9,839 housing units, 2 million square feet of offices and up to 560,000 square feet of retail space--about three-quarters of the entire development. The scope of the second phase remains very much in doubt, however. It not only must survive exhaustive public review, but the builders have said they are willing to sell two large parcels closest to the ocean to a public land trust--potentially cutting up to 4,400 housing units and 220,000 square feet of commercial space from the plan.

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who represents the area, was traveling and unavailable for comment. But her chief of staff, Niki Tennant, said she expects Soboroff to more aggressively explain the plans to the public.

“Once he grabs hold of something, he sees it through to the end and he is unwavering in his dedication,” Tennant said. “I am sure one of the first things he will do in his new capacity is to energize an aggressive public information campaign.”

But though some have been charmed by Soboroff’s hard-charging approach and ability to build consensus, others have accused him in past deals of pushing too hard and sometimes unleashing an explosive temper on those who don’t see things his way.

“We think it’s a big mistake for Mr. Soboroff to come in because it is a failing project with very little support from the community,” said Marcia Hanscom, leader of the Wetlands Action Network, one of the groups that have been fighting the project tenaciously for years. “Many prominent people went down with the Titanic.”

Hanscom also questioned Soboroff’s awareness of environmental issues.

As a developer, he made liberal use of the word “preservation” when naming his holding companies, Soboroff once told a reporter. He said the name reassured neighbors concerned about environmental effects. “It works. It’s soft,” he said.

Much of the opposition to Playa Vista has focused on its effects on the Ballona Wetlands, a habitat for herons, terns and various migratory birds. Some project foes have said the project would ruin the wetlands and threaten wildlife.

Developers and supporters, including Councilwoman Galanter, have said the 240 acres of wetlands to be set aside for preservation and restoration are the most sensitive. They note that much of the property scheduled for construction has already been built on.

The area to be preserved could be expanded significantly if the Trust for Public Land can complete a recently announced proposal to buy a 193-acre wetland swath that is on the prized end of the property closest to the ocean, west of Lincoln Boulevard. Whether the public interest group can raise the money remains to be seen.

Other issues loom: Methane gas leaks will require a costly and complex system of vents and membranes before houses and offices can be built. Critics also say that a former airplane factory may have severely contaminated the soil, which could saddle the property with a huge cleanup bill.

But Playa Capital has cleared several hurdles recently. The U.S. Supreme Court this month favored developers with a ruling in one of the lawsuits filed by the Wetlands Action Network.

Construction is well underway on some of the apartments in the first phase of the project, which eventually is supposed to include 3,200 residential units. And, although the development lost its star tenant in 1999 when the DreamWorks film studio pulled out, renowned architect Frank O. Gehry recently joined the project.

In June, the City Council approved more than $168 million in public funds for infrastructure and low- and moderate-income housing at the project.

Soboroff said he hopes to see most of Playa Vista completed in five to seven years. He acknowledged that it won’t be easy.

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Background

Playa Vista is the largest housing and commercial development project in Los Angeles. Work on the project has been underway since 1978.

Developers say it could create housing for as many as 30,000 people and office space for thousands more.

Project foes say Playa Vista could ruin the Ballona Wetlands, a bird habitat. Methane gas has also been found at the site.

The DreamWorks SKG film studio pulled out of the plan in 1999. Architect Frank O. Gehry recently joined the project to plan part of the development.