Waylaid plans for a Frank Gehry-designed office building in Playa Vista are once again moving forward, with the publication of a supplemental environmental study by the City of Los Angeles.

Back in 2017, developer NSB Associates secured entitlements for the redevelopment of a 4.5-acre site at 12575 W. Beatrice Street. The Beatrice West project would see the demolition of approximately 30,000 square feet of existing improvements from the site, as well as the retention of one 88,000-square-foot building (the home of Gehry Partners, LLP), followed by the construction of a new eight-story building which would feature 196,000 square feet of offices atop 3,400 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Parking for over 800 vehicles would be located in three above-grade levels, two subterranean levels, and a surface lot.

View of approved design looking southeast from JandyGehry Partners LLP

The mid-rise structure would stand approximately 135 feet in height, and use a series of terrace decks to break up its massing.

While entitlements remain in place, the project was faced by multiple appeals during the approval process from Karney Management, a neighboring property owner, which hoped to force the project to undergo further environmental study. While city officials rejected those appeals, Karney found greater success in Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John A. Torribio, who ruled in January 2020 that a mitigated negative declaration conducted for the project had not sufficiently considered impacts to aesthetics, noise, and traffic congestion. As a result, NSB and the Planning Department restarted the environmental review process in late 2020.

Project details remain largely unchanged from what was considered when the Beatrice development's initial study was released more than three years ago. However, the roughly 18-month construction timeline has now been pushed back to an expected completion date in 2025, in lieu of the 2024 date previously envisioned.

12575 Beatrice StreetApple Maps

Due to the delay, the project finds itself on track to open at a time of greater uncertainty for the Los Angeles office market than when it was first approved roughly seven years ago. Despite the overall headwinds, Playa Vista has seen some good news since the onset of the pandemic, including large leases signed by Apple and Nike.

The Beatrice West project is the second collaboration between NSB Associates and Gehry, following the construction of a smaller office complex in El Segundo in 2018.

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