Blumenfield changes make Warner Center the “cleanest, greenest” specific plan in the City; represents a transformative opportunity for the West Valley. 

Blumenfield poses with City officials and community members following unanimous Council passage of the Warner Center 2035 specific plan

LOS ANGELES – Councilmember Bob Blumenfield was joined today by City officials and community leaders as the Los Angeles City Council gave its final approval to the Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan, opening the door to visionary projects that truly reflect the community’s hopes, values and priorities for development.

“This new plan reinvents a Warner Center that was conceived in the 1970’s as a collection of monolithic structures and expansive parking lots into a modern, pedestrian and transit focused community,” said Blumenfield.

Since taking office in July, Councilmember Blumenfield has actively pushed to incorporate new green building design standards into the plan, including LEED silver or equivalent and green roof or cool roof requirements for new construction.

Alan Bell, Deputy Director of Planning for the City of Los Angeles called the Warner Center 2035 plan the “cleanest, greenest” specific plan in the history of the City of Los Angeles.

“The Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan is a transformative vision for the future of Warner Center and the entire West San Fernando Valley,” continued Blumenfield. “Today's passage is a credit to an unprecedented collaboration between local stakeholders and the City. I was pleased to support it during my 5 years representing Warner Center in the Assembly and to take it over the finish line as Councilmember,” he concluded.

Approved by a unanimous vote today, the Warner Center 2035 Plan is a blueprint for future specific plans based on principles of sustainability, community connectedness, accessible public transit and the promotion of innovative businesses and jobs. It is intended to stimulate job growth and economic development by using a transit-oriented development approach to support the regional transportation investment of the existing Metro Orange Line.

Prior to the vote, the Council had the opportunity to hear directly from local residents and business owners speaking in favor of the plan. Earlier this month, Blumenfield opted to bring the matter before the Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM) for a final time to ensure that community input was heard at every stage.

Warner Center is an economic engine of the City, with more than 40,000 jobs.  In 2013 Farmer’s Insurance announced that they would move their headquarters to Warner Center, and it is the home to major entertainment and healthcare firms, as well as extensive retail opportunities.

The Warner Center 2035 Plan is intended to provide a comprehensive and clear process that will permit development to occur and create jobs while at the same time providing necessary public benefits and mitigations to create a sustainable and thriving urban center.  Once the plan is given final approval, it will set standards for land use in the area. The plan features eight districts (College, Commerce, Downtown, North Village, Park, River, Topanga, Uptown) that each have their own set of development standards intended to create a collection of neighborhoods that connect through publicly accessible pedestrian pathways, bikeways and new streets. For example, projects in the River District are expected to face the Los Angeles River and create a vibrant environment along the River's banks.

Blumenfield also thanked the Warner Center Citizens Advisory Committee and the many City staff who worked diligently to review the plan and incorporate needed elements, including the Department of Planning, Transportation, and City Attorney.

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