Playa Del Rey's Strand Offices Looking Good

Silicon Beach's creative office boom has officially hit Playa Del Rey.  When we last checked in on the Strand Offices in September 2013, the low-rise development's wood skeleton was still taking form.  Ten months later, the twin three-story structures are clad in plaster and wood paneling, closely resembling architectural renderings from the MiKA Design Group.

The $6 million development from Cove Spring Partners consists of 10,000 square feet of office space and parking accommodations for 32 vehicles.  Located at 311 and 315 Culver Boulevard, the buildings are situated less than a ten-minute walk from the beach, along a corridor rich with retail and restaurant establishments. 

Although Playa Del Rey has thus far retained its mid-century identity as a quaint, beachfront community, the Strand Offices may be a harbinger of the neighborhood's future.  The colossal Playa Vista campus looms one mile east, comprising more than 1,000 acres of residential, office and retail uses.  Two blocks west of the Strand, the controversial Legado Del Mar development is planned for a triangular-shaped property bounded by Culver Boulevard, Pacific Avenue and Vista Del Mar.

Mini Office Development Under Construction in Playa Del Rey

Image from The Strand Offices at Playa Del Rey

Down on the far western end of Culver Boulevard, developer Cove Spring Partners is in the midst of construction on an office development known as "The Strand Offices at Playa Del Rey."  The project creates 10,000 square feet of creative office space, divided between two three-story buildings with architecture from the MIKA Design Group.  The Strand will include large windows and outdoor decks to provide sweeping views of the Ballona Wetlands and Marina Del Rey.  The project is centrally located in the heart of the Playa Del Rey community, with dozens of restaurants and bars lining this stretch of Culver Blvd.  And of course, the beach is just a ten minute walk away.

A few blocks west of the Strand, Legado Companies has plans for a 72-unit mixed-use development known as Legado Del Mar.  The Argonaut reports that the project has engendered opposition from the Playa Del Rey community, citing typical concerns about parking and traffic.  Some have also voiced displeasure with Legado Del Mar's Tuscan themed architecture, which stands out amongst Playa Del Rey's mid-century apartment buildings and contemporary homes.

Legado Del Mar; Image from NCWP.  Doesn't this resemble the work of a certain developer who often builds on 110 freeway adjacent lots in Downtown Los Angeles?

• The Strand Offices at Playa Del Rey (Official Website)