Playa Vista is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California. It is bordered by the unincorporated enclave of Marina Del Rey to the north, by Culver City to the east, by the neighborhood of Playa del Rey to the southwest, and by the neighborhood of Westchester to the south.
The core of Playa Vista is a new planned community of that name, located on the former site of an old Hughes Aviation facility in the Ballona Wetlands . After years of litigation between the developer and local environmentalists, the two sides came to a compromise in 2002. The wetlands to the west of Lincoln Boulevard and north of Culver Boulevard became a state nature preserve, while development proceeded on land to the east of Lincoln and south of Culver.
Most of Phase 1 of the planned community has been completed as of 2005. Phase 1 consists mainly of housing in the form of condominiums and apartment buildings. As of 2005, the two sides are back in Los Angeles County Superior Court and battling over whether Phase 2 should be constructed as well. Phase 2 is expected to draw more traffic to the area, since it will include offices and shops.
Generally, residents of Mar Vista, Westchester, and Venice tend to oppose further expansion of Playa Vista on the ground that it will only increase traffic congestion throughout the Westside. Residents of nearly all other neighborhoods usually support Playa Vista because of the widely recognized need to relieve the citywide housing shortage, which explains why the City Council has consistently voted in favor of further progress on the project. The development also has a government-mandated blend of high- and low-income housing.
Playa Vista is almost entirely a bedroom community, and with its recreation center is more remiscent of suburban gated communities than it is of most urban or beachside communities. The neighborhood has little or no commerce (outside of a nearby Home Depot and the Electronic Arts offices), and residents must travel to nearby Culver City or Marina Del Rey to go shopping or run errands. The neighborhood does have a brand-new branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, built on land donated by the developer.
Last updated: 06-03-2005 16:23:01
