Complex Named Vert Opening in Warner Center

Vert, a 277-unit, live/work lofts project in Woodland Hills will celebrate its grand opening Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the West Valley-Warner Center Chamber of Commerce.

The mixed-use project — located at 6606 Variel Ave. near Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Canoga Avenue — was originally scheduled to debut last October.The complex was developed by Evolution Strategic Partners. The company’s chief executive Todd Pratt and project manager Todd Acalin are expected to be in attendance at the ribbon-cutting, as will Urban Architecture Lab’s Neil Silberstein, the project architect.

“They’ve done these types of projects,” Silberstein said last October of Evolution Strategic. “(However,) they haven’t done it at this level. It’s moderate luxury housing.” The Vert building’ entrance features a glass-box atrium with spiral staircase and elevator that connects to all of the amenities, including a mail room with refrigerated boxes, a leasing office and a café.  “It’s going to feel more like a hotel,” continued Silberstein, a West Hills resident.

The development stands on a lot totaling 81,920 square feet. It offers a mix of studios along with one-, two- and three-bedroom lofts. Square-footage ranges from 524 to 602 for studios and up to 1,400 square feet for three-bedroom units.  The site also offers 344 parking spaces, including electric vehicle charging spaces, guest parking and bicycle parking while the open plaza’s oversized illuminated poppy art sculptures complement the landscaping.

Even before its grand opening, Vert has already won some acclaim. The project was awarded the Architecture Institute of America’s San Fernando Valley’s Citation Award for Commercial Mixed-Use in 2019.  Warner Center has been the scene of a big residential build-out in recent months, with projects such as Vert incentivized by the Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan. Other residential complexes that have recently opened or are nearing opening include Q Variel at Warner Center, which opened last summer; sister development the Q Topanga at Warner Center, which is nearing completion this summer; and the Watermark apartments in Reseda, also due to open within a few weeks.

Canoga Park developer California Home Builders is behind the Newman Garrison + Partners-designed Q apartments. The Variel apartments, located on the northeast corner of Variel Avenue and Erwin Street, consists of a seven-story building featuring 241 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above 50,000 square feet of commercial space and a 279-car garage.

The Q Topanga, also a mixed-use complex near the Warner Promenade shopping mall at 6363 N. Topanga Canyon Boulevard, will be a seven-story structure showcasing 347 studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments above roughly 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and a two-level, 656-car subterranean parking garage.

 The Watermark apartments — a collaboration by Gelt and Uhon, a Pasadena-based subsidiary of Chinese company Shenzen Yuhong — is wrapping up work on 250 apartments at 6625 Reseda Blvd. Situated on a 2.4-acre property once home to a Dodge dealership, this Reseda complex will offer 254 studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units, 422 underground parking spaces, a fitness center, clubhouse, swimming pool and spa.