Century West Talks Santa Monica Development

LOS ANGELES—Developing new construction in Santa Monica isn't easy, but the red tape didn't stop Century West Partners from delivering the Chelsea, a new luxury apartment complex in Downtown Santa Monica. The four-story property features 56 units with ground floor retail. It opened last month and is actively leasing to new residents. To find out how the community is responding to a rare new development project and the process of developing a new project in Santa Monica, we sat down with Kevin Farrell, COO at Century West Partners.

GlobeSt.com: Santa Monica clearly has a strong demand for multifamily, but is a notoriously difficult market for development. Tell me about the process to develop this project and how you were able to overcome any challenges.  

Farrell: Taking on a new development project in Santa Monica requires a certain amount of patience and flexibility in working through the city's process. One of our keys to success was embracing the extent of the public process in Santa Monica, which included participation in several meetings with neighbors, as well as the planning commission and the architectural review board. A second key to success was our willingness to incorporate the feedback of these key constituents into the project design.

GlobeSt.com: What was your vision for the project, and how was the project tailored for Santa Monica?

Farrell: The vision behind Chelsea is to take advantage of, and celebrate, the site's superior location in downtown Santa Monica, just one block from the beach. The residences are appointed with luxe quartz countertops, marble backsplashes, premium appliances, walk-in-closets all detailed to give residents a beach life feel. The amenities reinforce this contemporary California lifestyle with a rooftop sun and BBQ deck that has wide open views of the ocean and Santa Monica Pier.

GlobeSt.com: What renter demographics are you targeting, and why? How has the renter pool changed in Santa Monica?

Farrell: The renter demographic at Chelsea is broader than most new luxury apartment communities. We are garnering significant interest from the workforce of “Silicon Beach” as well as some part-time residents that split their time between two homes.

GlobeSt.com: Who is leasing the retail? Or, what types of retail renters do you expect?

Farrell: We have successfully leased both retail spaces to upscale restaurants. Each complements the sophisticated design of the property as well as the overall concept of the Chelsea community brand. The south space will have Cava Grill, a healthy Greek/Mediterranean restaurant that is new to the area. The north space will debut a yet to be announced culinary concept developed by a local upscale restaurateur.

GlobeSt.com: How did you ensure that the residential and retail work together, especially from a design and logistics standpoint? 

Farrell: The design allows for each use to work independently with expanded loading and trash areas for both uses. Additionally, the storefront system along 2nd Street allows some customization so the restaurants can establish their own identity from the residential lobby entry and draw in patrons from outside, in addition to Chelsea residents.

LOS ANGELES—Developing new construction in Santa Monica isn't easy, but the red tape didn't stop Century West Partners from delivering the Chelsea, a new luxury apartment complex in Downtown Santa Monica. The four-story property features 56 units with ground floor retail. It opened last month and is actively leasing to new residents. To find out how the community is responding to a rare new development project and the process of developing a new project in Santa Monica, we sat down with Kevin Farrell, COO at Century West Partners.

GlobeSt.com: Santa Monica clearly has a strong demand for multifamily, but is a notoriously difficult market for development. Tell me about the process to develop this project and how you were able to overcome any challenges.  

Farrell: Taking on a new development project in Santa Monica requires a certain amount of patience and flexibility in working through the city's process. One of our keys to success was embracing the extent of the public process in Santa Monica, which included participation in several meetings with neighbors, as well as the planning commission and the architectural review board. A second key to success was our willingness to incorporate the feedback of these key constituents into the project design.

GlobeSt.com: What was your vision for the project, and how was the project tailored for Santa Monica?

Farrell: The vision behind Chelsea is to take advantage of, and celebrate, the site's superior location in downtown Santa Monica, just one block from the beach. The residences are appointed with luxe quartz countertops, marble backsplashes, premium appliances, walk-in-closets all detailed to give residents a beach life feel. The amenities reinforce this contemporary California lifestyle with a rooftop sun and BBQ deck that has wide open views of the ocean and Santa Monica Pier.

GlobeSt.com: What renter demographics are you targeting, and why? How has the renter pool changed in Santa Monica?

Farrell: The renter demographic at Chelsea is broader than most new luxury apartment communities. We are garnering significant interest from the workforce of “Silicon Beach” as well as some part-time residents that split their time between two homes.

GlobeSt.com: Who is leasing the retail? Or, what types of retail renters do you expect?

Farrell: We have successfully leased both retail spaces to upscale restaurants. Each complements the sophisticated design of the property as well as the overall concept of the Chelsea community brand. The south space will have Cava Grill, a healthy Greek/Mediterranean restaurant that is new to the area. The north space will debut a yet to be announced culinary concept developed by a local upscale restaurateur.

GlobeSt.com: How did you ensure that the residential and retail work together, especially from a design and logistics standpoint? 

Farrell: The design allows for each use to work independently with expanded loading and trash areas for both uses. Additionally, the storefront system along 2nd Street allows some customization so the restaurants can establish their own identity from the residential lobby entry and draw in patrons from outside, in addition to Chelsea residents.