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.

1 minute read

October 16, 2012, 2:00 PM PDT

By 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."

Monday, October 15, 2012 in SantaMonicaPatch

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

A Firefighter sprays water from a hose at a tall blaze.

US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060

Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.

November 4 - Inside Climate News

People cross a crosswalk in Los Angeles.

LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks

Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.

November 4 - ABC7

Two women walking on the sidewalk in Dallas.

Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code

The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.

November 4 - Yahoo News