Westside Newsletter_March 2017

Rodeo Realty News LOCAL EXPERTISE, GLOBAL PRESENCE Westside

March 2017

INSIDE THIS ISSUE CULVER CITY TO EXPLORE BIKE LANE SANTA MONICA SEARS TO CLOSE, BE REDEVELOPED BEL AIR MANSION IS MOST EXPENSIVE HOUSE ELON MUSK PLANS TUNNEL UNDER THE 405

Community News Construction set to begin on Brentwood project

and parking garages with their cars. Although the Culver City train station has existed in some form since the early 1900’s, the Metro platform has only been in operation since 2012, and was the terminus of the Expo Line until recently.

With recent expansion to Santa Monica, the Expo Line now connects downtown Los Angeles to the ocean, with stops in USC, Culver City, and Westwood.

Santa Monica Sears to close, be re-developed According to city records, permits have been pulled to begin construction on Picasso Brentwood, a mixed-use project located at 1202712035 Wilshire Blvd., in Brentwood. Located just east of Bundy Drive, Picasso Brentwood will include 81 residential units, approximately 7,700 square feet of ground-floor retail space, and a garage with room for 126 vehicles. The 6-story project is being developed by Metropolitan Pacific Real Estate Group, the firm that is also behind The Plaza at Santa Monica, the retail development at 4th and Arizona, as well as an apartment complex planned for Old Town Pasadena.

Culver City considering protected bike lane to Expo Station Building upon the expansion of the Metro light rail system, Culver City is exploring the possibility of building a protected bike lane leading to and from the Expo Line station at 8817 Washington Blvd. Running along Washington between Wesley St. and Ince Blvd., the bike lane would help connect the Metro to the commercial district of downtown Culver City, encouraging locals and visitors to explore the area through bicycles and public transportation, rather than clogging roads

The Sears store at 302 Colorado Blvd. in downtown Santa Monica, is scheduled to close in April and will be re-developed into a mixed-use project that include creative office and retail space. Sears, which has seen its business decline in recent years, had transferred ownership of many of its various buildings to an entity called Seritage Growth Properties, with the retailer then signing leases to continue operating its stores. Seritage is now be terminating that lease and repurposing the property. Built in 1947, the Santa Monica store was declared a historic landmark in 2004, as an example of Late Moderne style architecture.

Redevelopment of the property will necessarily involve the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission, to assure that the historic value is not lost. Other Sears in the area are going through similar transitions, with stores in Hollywood and Boyle Heights both being converted into mixed-use developments.

Community News Bel Air mansion is most expensive residence for sale in U.S.

Eclipsing the previous record by $65 million, the most expensive residence ever listed in the United States is a 38,000 square foot mansion in Bel Air, currently available for $250 million. Built on a speculative basis by developer Bruce Makowsky, the megamansion includes 12 bedrooms, 21 bathrooms, 6 bars, and 3 kitchens. Perhaps resembling a museum more than a home, the property also includes 100 art installations and an “auto gallery” with $30 million of rare cars.

Makowsky previously made news by selling a spec mansion to Minecraft creater Markus Persson in 2014. According the The Hollywood Reporter, Makowsky believes that perhaps only 3,000 people in the world could afford to purchase the house.

Is Elon Musk building a tunnel under the 405?

Building upon the expansion of the Metro light rail system, Culver City is exploring the possibility of building a protected bike lane leading to and from the Expo Line station at 8817 Washington Blvd. Running along Washington between Wesley St. and Ince Blvd., the bike lane would help connect the Metro to the commercial district of downtown Culver City, encouraging locals and visitors to explore the area through bicycles and public transportation, rather than clogging roads and parking garages with their cars. Although the Culver City train station has existed in some form since the early 1900’s, the Metro platform has only been in operation since 2012, and was the terminus of the Expo Line until recently. With recent expansion to Santa Monica, the Expo Line now connects downtown Los Angeles to the ocean, with stops in USC, Culver City, and Westwood.

Restaurant

Spotlight

Vito’s Pizza

Santa Monica Yacht Club

Rustic Canyon

2455 Santa Monica Boulevard Santa Monica

620 Santa Monica Boulevard Santa Monica

1119 Wilshire Boulevard Santa Monica

Delicious authentic New Jerseystyle pizza is now available on the west side. Vito’s Pizza has officially opened its doors on Santa Monica Boulevard. The restaurant serves signature pizzas, sandwiches, and salads for dining in, take-out and delivery. The Santa Monica popup offers a full-bar for customers’ dining-in. Here you can buy by the slice or purchase the whole pie.

Prices range from $1.45 – $29.95.

To drink, enjoy a list of cocktails, canned beers, wine, or simply a soda. For dessert, get the full-blown Italian American experience and enjoy a cannoli with chocolate chips and powdered sugar. Vito’s Pizza is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday – Sunday from 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Located in the heart of Pacific Coast, Santa Monica Yacht Club is a stylish restaurant with a globally inspired menu. The nauticalthemed décor here will remind you of a sailboat. Everything on the menu is meant to be shared and packed with tons of seafood.

Some shared dishes on the menu: albacore tuna poke, spaghetti with clams, steak tartare, and striped bass ceviche served in a coconut.

To drink, enjoy various house cocktails, classic cocktails, beers on tap, or a list of non-alcoholic beverages, or an extensive list of red and white wines. Santa Monica Yacht Club is open Tuesday – Saturday from 5:30 – 10:30 p.m., and Sundays from 5:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Reservations are tough to come by so definitely plan ahead.

The menu here changes regularly based on what’s fresh, so you’ll likely want to try new things on each visit. All the food is made and plated with sharing in mind, so that you can order for the table and taste different dishes. Some popular items on the menu: warm focaccia with burrata, Dungeness crab & white yam mojo, clam pozole verde, and malfatti alla piccata, which is pasta stuffed with ricotta. Rustic Canyon’s beverage program consists of hand-crafted cocktails, artisanal beers, and an extensive wine list. Like the food, the drinks here feature fresh farmers’ market produce. Rustic Canyon is open Sunday – Thursday from 5:30 – 10:30 p.m., and Friday – Saturday from 5:30 – 11p.m.

SIGHTS & SOUNDS in LOS ANGELES

LACMA 5905 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90036

The Broad 2210 South Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90012

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

CURRENT EXHIBITION:

Picasso and Rivera: Conversations Across Time December 4, 2016 - May 7, 2017

Creature November 5, 2016 - March 19, 2017

Annenberg Space for Photography 2000 Avenue of the Stars #10 Los Angeles, CA 90067 CURRENT EXHIBITION:

The current exhibition compares and contrasts two of the most successful and most self-aware artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso and Diego Rivera. Tracking their training, their careers, and their impact on modern art, the exhibit includes 150 paintings, etchings and watercolors presented alongside ancient objects from antiquity.

The Broad’s new featured exhibition, occupying its first floor galleries, is a selection of pieces representing various views of selfhood and the human experience. Artists featured include Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ellen Gallagher, Leon Golub, Jenny Holzer, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, and Andy Warhol. Thomas Houseago’s Giant Figure (Cyclops) is shown in the U.S. for the first time.

Fashionable Likeness: Pastel Portraits in18th-Century Britain Degas: “Russian Dancers” and the Art of Pastel November 1, 2016 - May 7, 2017 The Getty is currently featuring two exhibitions that focus on fine art created with pastels. The first focuses on classical portraits created in Great Britain in the 18th century, particularly of the nouveau riche.

The second delves into the pastel drawings of impressionist painter Edgar Degas, who is most known for his works depicting dancers.

RodeoRE.com