Big lease at AltaSea, City of Vernon sues Metro, and more

Blue Robotics, a local company which builds remotely operated underwater vehicles, is relocating its headquarters campus to the AltaSea campus at the Port of Los Angeles. 

“We are thrilled to welcome our longtime partner Blue Robotics to the AltaSea campus in a significantly expanded capacity,” said AltaSea president and chief executive officer Terry Tamminen in a news release. “The move to AltaSea provides Blue Robotics with direct access to the ocean for testing and development of advanced marine robotics systems, as well as opportunities to collaborate with a dynamic community of innovative ocean technology companies at AltaSea.”

Blue Robotics will occupy 49,000 square feet of space over a 10-year lease. The new headquarters will be used for research and development, as well as assembly and production.

With the arrival of Blue Robotics, AltaSea's Center for Innovation is now approximately 85 percent leased.

The City of Vernon has filed a lawsuit against Metro seeking to overturn the proposed expansion of the Malabar Yard - a key component of the Link Union Station project. The proposed expansion would require a street closure, as well as the construction of 1,000 feet of new track - something which Vernon officials allege will create traffic, air quality, noise, and safety impacts that have not been captured in the project's environmental impact report.

“The City of Vernon has been very clear about its opposition to the closure of our City streets for an unnecessary expansion of BNSF’s Malabar Yard,” said Vernon City Administrator Brian Saeki in a news release. “For decades, the City has consistently rejected BNSF’s requests for the proposed road modifications. Now Metro improperly granted a major operational benefit to a private railroad under the guise of CEQA.” 

Despite the objections, the City of Vernon has indicated it is overall supportive of the Link Union Station project, which would enable through routing through the historic transit rail hub.

Here's what we're reading this week:

LA rejects most Measure HLA mobility upgrade claims in first-ever hearing "It was the first hearing of its kind since the city began accepting appeals this summer." (LAist)

Robert A.M. Stern, Architect Who Reinvented Prewar Splendor, Dies at 86 His Southern California projects include The Century condominium tower, a never-built version of The Grand Avenue project, and an as-yet unbuilt, Flatiron-inspired condominium tower in Westwood. (New York Times)

Inside a secretive $27M property deal to add unhoused beds that’s now under federal investigation "Weingart Center’s application for state funding included an appraisal report containing inaccurate information about who owned the property and did not mention the pending sale." (LAist)

UCLA Report Shows How Freeway Construction Last Century Was Used to Destroy and Divide Communities of Color “Understanding the history of racism in freeway development can inform restorative justice in these areas.” (Streetsblog LA)

Why an unproven air taxi company is spending $126 million to take over an L.A. airport "Critics question whether air taxis will ease congestion or merely shift demand, citing safety and noise concerns as the technology seeks Federal Aviation Administration approval." (LA Times)

Former Trinity Broadcasting headquarters is sold and set to be torn down for new housing "The structure across the freeway from South Coast Plaza on Bear Street will be torn down to make way for the new housing. It has been a subject of fascination for years." (LA Times)

Southern California Mall Owners Rise to Meet Physical Retail’s Evolution "Nine-figure mall sales have swept the region over the past year, even as post-pandemic retail trends force investors to reimagine how they engage with connection-starved consumers" (Commercial Observer)

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