Plan Will Transform Warner Center Into Pedestrian and Bike-Friendly Urban Hub

A wide-ranging plan re-envisions the San Fernando Valley's Warner Center commercial area as a pedestrian- and bike-friendly urban hub, with transit-oriented developments near the Metro Orange Line.

Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield said the final draft of the "Warner Center 2035 Plan" reflects an eight-year collaboration between city officials and local stakeholders.

"The end result is a transformative vision for the future of Warner Center that has been shaped by local stakeholders, and I look forward to shepherding this plan through the final stages of approval," he said.

The councilman encouraged public input on the planning document, which, if approved by the City Council, would guide future development at Warner Center, now made up of retail space and a concentration of entertainment and healthcare industry firms.

Warner Center supports around 40,000 jobs and will soon be the home of the headquarters for Farmers Insurance, according to Blumenfield's office.

The plan -- released last Friday and available at the Planning Department office and online in the city's council file system -- will soon be presented to the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee, according to Blumenfield spokesman Jason Levin.

Brad Rosenheim, executive director of the Warner Center Association, hailed the partnership between the city and stakeholders, saying the resulting plan has the potential to "set a new standard for specific plans in the city of Los Angeles for decades to come."

The plan would impact the College, Commerce, Downtown, North Village, Park, River, Topanga and Uptown areas, each with its own distinct land use and goals. The River district, for example, includes plans to have businesses face the Los Angeles River.

-- City News Service