Finally, a Deal at Playa Vista...Maybe

LOS ANGELES-Rob Maguire, the hard-nosed developer who seemingly has more tricks up his sleeve than a cat has lives, has pulled a $28-million rabbit out of his Playa Vista hat.

Sources at both LA-based Maguire Properties and Chicago-based Equity Office Corp. confirmed late Monday that Equity Office–the nation’s biggest owner of commercial office property–has agreed to pay about $28 million for a 6.5-acre parcel inside Playa Vista.

The controversial Playa Vista project, which covers nearly 1,100 acres in the pricey Marina area of West LA, would be the largest infill project in LA County history. It has been in the works for more than two decades, but has been stalled over the past several years by opponents who say the development will kill-off several species of endangered birds and other wildlife that depend on the area’s wetlands for their lives.