Transit-Oriented Town Center in L.A. Plans Auto Dealership as an Anchor

In today's news of the ironic, and weird, an L.A. car dealer is developing a mixed-use "town center" adjacent to a future light rail station that will be anchored by their auto showrooms. The twist - they want to get people out of their cars.

October 16, 2012, 2pm PDT | Jonathan Nettler | @nettsj

Jenna Chandler reports on the proposed Martin Expo Town Center project, the brainchild of the Martin Automotive Group, who "wants to rebuild its Cadillac-Saab-Pontiac-GM showrooms at Olympic Boulevard and Bundy Drive in West Los Angeles, and erect alongside them, residential units, shops, restaurants and 'innovative work environments.'" The site of the development is located cross the street from a future station along the Expo light rail line, which is now being built to connect downtown Los Angeles to downtown Santa Monica.

"In a YouTube video on the company's website, the Martin family-which opened its first dealership in the 1950s in Santa Monica-says it actually wants to get people out of their cars," says Chandler.

"The [development] offers... the ability for people to reduce the need to be in an automobile," says Dana Martin, "for people to live here, and work here without getting into a car is a great concept with the Metro line being so close."

Full Story:

Car Dealership Plans Mixed-Use Project Just East of Santa Monica

Published on Monday, October 15, 2012 in SantaMonicaPatch