As those who frequent the Westfield Century City Mall already know, work on the more than $800 million-upgrade and expansion of the Mall is well underway. Completion is expected by Spring 2017.
Nordstroms will be introduced to the Mall with a remodeled Bloomingdales and new Macy’s. Eataly, an enormous marketplace of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakery and groceries celebrating Italian cuisine is set to make its West Coast debut at the Mall.
Westfield’s innovative concept is to shift from providing primarily a retail shopping experience to a broader hospitality concept. Look for the Mall to become a destination not just for fashion and food, but for relaxation as well.
In keeping with the California outdoor lifestyle, the all new Mall dining district will be situated amidst tree-lined pathways and gardens as a place to linger and create social interactions.
At dusk, with new lighting design and landscaping, the area serves as a space for social entertainment connecting seamlessly with the AMC theatres.
Eight acres of open space are designed to create an urban retreat for Mall visitors.
The renovated center will promote fashion, technology, and cuisine, as well as the arts and culture.
The adjacent historic Century Plaza Hotel originally built in 1966 by famed architect Minoru Yamasaki recently closed its doors to commence a major remodel of the hotel and addition of two 46-story residential towers.
The hotel rooms are being redesigned from 726 rooms down to 394 hotel rooms in order to create 63 new residential units to occupy the top 5 floors. In addition, the two high rise towers behind the hotel will provide a total of 290 luxury condominiums.
At a conference this Spring with keynote address by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, developers for major projects in and around Century City, discussed the challenges and solutions involved.
The common thread was that cooperation between the private financial and commercial sector, government and residential community is essential to realizing a successful project.
The expected benefits of these new projects to the City of Los Angeles, and especially to nearby Century City residential communities are enormous.
The changes are expected to be transformative, creating a more pedestrian friendly, open air, socially interactive environment. Westfield also plans on introducing cutting edge consumer focused apps for mobile devices to facilitate shopping, parking and dining.
When the Century Plaza Hotel reopens, expect to experience a vibrant socially interactive atmosphere including nightlife. Transformative changes include adoption of technology to stream live events that will foster global connectivity.
The Century Plaza which has hosted every President since Lyndon Johnson, will continue to be the center for prestigious political, charitable and other social events.
Century City is envisioned by both government and private business as a world class commercial center with growing global reach.
Residents benefit from easy access to an array of shops, dining options entertainment and other services.
Benefits extend to the creation of jobs and increased City revenues from these expansions including the 20th Century Fox plans for improvements over the next 2 decades.
Homeowners in the Century City community will also benefit over the long term from the explosion of high end luxury commercial and residential properties as the area draws greater attention driving price appreciation higher.
The Kardashian-Jenner clan, apparently hip to the trendy upscale happenings in Century City and this convenient central Westside location, recently purchased a remodeled “turn-key” $1,655,000 luxury condominium at a guard gated community in the heart of Century City.
Luxury living will also be offered at the new high rise residential rental project underway at Century City’s eastern border with Beverly Hills at 10000 Santa Monica. It will provide high end amenities and concierge service.
Two high end projects underway in Beverly Hills adjacent to Century City include the developments on Santa Monica Boulevard next to the Hilton Hotel .
The project to the West of the Hilton called “One Beverly Hills” is being developed by Chinese-based Wanda Group, China’s largest commercial developer. The location (formerly known as 9900 Wilshire) is the old Robinsons-May Company site.
Two residential condominium towers are planned with a boutique hotel occupying the first several stories of the tower fronting Santa Monica. In all there are 193 luxury condos and 134 hotel rooms planned as well as restaurants. Gardens will be open to the public during daylight hours. Ground breaking is expected early 2017 with completion expected within 2 1/2 years.
The project under construction to the East of the Hilton is the 12 story Waldorf Astoria Hotel expected to open in 2017. Located at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard, it will have an impressive 3 story lobby, 170 rooms and 4 acres of open space and gardens. Condo towers are also planned with a total of 110 units to begin construction once the hotel is completed.
These various projects all boasting luxury and excellence will certainly be landmarks, each in their own right.
Century City residents are fortunate to be witness to the birth of these stunning architectural accomplishments by today’s leading architects and designers. They represent the very best of our California lifestyle.
For a free courtesy consultation, contact Bess Hochman, a top Westside Real Estate Broker for over 20 years. Bess is also distinguished by holding a law degree. This article expresses the opinion of the author. You are advised to consult attorneys & others experts specializing in the issues referenced in this article.
Contact Bess: 310.291.4111.
Bess.CenturyCityNews@yahoo.com
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