Tag: Westside Pavilion

The opening of Overland & Ayres, a six-story, 201-unit apartment complex in Rancho Park, signifies the completion of the final phase of the Westside Pavilion mall’s $350 million redevelopment.

Developed by Brentwood-based GPI Cos., the 200,000-square-foot residential building replaced the mall’s 1,500-car parking garage, made possible through the city’s rezoning plan.

Overland & Ayres now joins GPI’s 235,000-square-foot West End creative office building and a new 1,000-car parking garage. It will also be in close quarters with UCLA Research Park, which will span 700,000 square feet once completed.

GPI first purchased the former parking garage, and what used to be a Macy’s building in the mall in 2017, in an off-market deal which totaled 6 acres.

“We’ve been working on (this redevelopment) for a while now and this last piece provides much needed housing for the city of L.A.,” Alex Akhtarzad, partner at GPI Cos., said. “We positioned it in a way where it’s in a unique corridor… (that’s) pulling from all these different submarkets and I think the product we delivered embodies true West L.A. living.”

Comprised of studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms and eight two-story townhomes, the rents for Overland & Ayres range from $3,500 to just under $9,000 per month.

Since opening on Sept. 1, the complex had received about 30 contracts as of last week, largely from business professionals who work near Century City, Culver City and Santa Monica, Akhtarzad said. He also sees the property as a viable option for those displaced by the Palisades Fire.

Amenities include 24/7 security, personal training, private yoga, a sauna, EV charging, dry cleaning, housekeeping, grocery delivery, carwash and dog walking services, a large pool and deck, a dog park, event kitchens, game rooms and workstations.

“We’ve kind of created this environment where people can come there and they don’t really have to leave the property for anything,” Akhtarzad said. “…The design is really excessive. We didn’t cut any corners. We wanted to provide the best in class.”

As for whether this master plan could be replicated at other struggling shopping centers, Akhtarzad said it’s a “great strategy,” though the process is not quick and takes work.

“If you have the experience and wherewithal to do it, it’s definitely a great outcome to turn these old malls or old retail uses per se, or even parking uses into housing,” he said.