Held Up by Environmental Litigation, Playa Vista Finally Gets Its Own Downtown

After a hard-won legal battle, Los Angeles' youngest coastal community can finally begin construction on its mixed-use downtown, report Roger Vincent and Martha Groves.

2 minute read

April 8, 2012, 5:00 AM PDT

By Ryan Lue


Developers in Playa Vista, a young neighborhood just north of Los Angeles International Airport, spent the last eight years embroiled in a legal battle over plans to build its downtown. Now, with their legal troubles behind them, they have announced plans to begin construction on Runway at Playa Vista in June.

The $260-million development, featuring four city blocks of apartments, offices, restaurants, and shops, faced opposition over its environmental impact report (EIR), which developers must complete under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Playa Vista's first residents moved in ten years ago, and as concerns mounted over the future of the area's wetlands, the state bought "nearly 200 acres of the property west of Lincoln Boulevard to be restored and preserved as the Ballona Wetlands," write Vincent and Groves. "Playa Vista agreed to donate or give up its right to develop an additional 415 acres." Once Runway is completed, the neighborhood will occupy 460 acres, a far cry from the 1,087-acre city-within-a-city envisioned in the '80s.

The mixed-use project "is intended to be the commercial and social heart of the planned community that has been under construction for more than a decade." Indeed, many residents have been waiting desperately for commercial amenities in their own neck of the woods.

"No one wanted the retail to be so large and such a draw that it would become its own mall-like destination," said Con Howe, former planning director for the City of Los Angeles. "Retail will clearly attract some people from the larger area... but it won't become a big shopping mall."

Thursday, April 5, 2012 in Los Angeles Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight