In an industrial pocket on the edge of Marina del Rey, body shops, tow yards and surfboard makers are waging a turf battle with developers of residential lofts and condos. The developers are winning in a big way.
With 800 upscale residential units rising on half a dozen parcels, the gritty little area has become one of the busiest construction zones on Los Angeles’ Westside. And that’s saying something, given the building boomlets in Playa Vista, Marina del Rey, Westwood and other enclaves as developers strive to meet the seemingly insatiable demand for housing.
Crisscrossed by power lines serving a hodgepodge of mom-and-pop businesses, yoga studios and architects’ offices, the area is “a great pocket for urban infill,” said Ken Kahan, a developer who is building four residential projects, including lofts with 17-foot ceilings, in the zone.
