Wisteria at Warner Center, a senior living community in Woodland Hills, has officially broken ground.
Once completed, the Life Plan Community will span 17 acres at 5500 Canoga Ave.
Life Plan Communities are state-recognized continuing care retirement communities. Spieker Senior Development Partners broke ground on the six-story project in late April. All of Spieker’s California communities are Life Plan Communities.
Wisteria at Warner Center will have 486 homes, ranging from one-bedroom options to penthouses nearly 3,000 square feet in size. Resident amenities will include an indoor pool, fitness center, library, movie theater and performing arts center.
The project also has ground-floor retail and dining venues.
Wisteria at Warner Center, which is expected to open in 2025, will feature a health center next to the community with access to assisted living, memory care and long-term care in a skilled nursing center.
Troy Bourne, managing partner at Spieker Senior Development Partners, said he grew up in the Valley and was excited to bring a much-needed development to the area.
“I’ve known the Valley my whole life and it’s (senior housing) an unmet need,” Bourne said. “There are a lot of families that started their families here, raised their families here … and love life in the Valley.
“It’s a vibrant place, it’s a diverse place … and they’re not in a hurry to leave the Valley,” he added.
“Los Angeles has needed this community for so long, and we’re both excited and proud to bring the area’s first comprehensive Life Plan Community to the San Fernando Valley,” Wisteria Marketing Director Ernie Sandlin added in a statement. “The homes at Wisteria will be beautiful, but the real value to the area’s seniors is the combination of these new homes with best-in-class services, amenities, and access to higher levels of assistance and care if needed down the road. Thanks to the support of our forward-thinking community leaders, design and construction professionals, and future residents, we’ve reached a significant milestone in bringing this project to the Los Angeles market.”
Spieker Senior Development Partners, Bourne said, had been looking for a location in the Valley “for a long time.”
In order to build a community, he said the company needed a lot of space, not just a corner.
The Wisteria at Warner Center is a former Northrop Grumman site.
Beyond just meeting the necessary size requirements, Bourne said the site was desirable because it was a place where people “were already comfortable going to.”
He said that many already shop in the area and it’s close to many freeways, making it a good place for the development.
More than 500 families have already signed up for the development’s waitlist, Bourne said.
KTGY is designing the project, while W.E. O’Neil Construction is building it.
Spieker Senior Development Partners’ closest location is in Thousand Oaks. Bourne said the company is currently working on a project in Northern California, but does not have other Southern California projects slated. One of the biggest challenges with creating these communities, he said, is the amount of land needed. It can also take a really long time to develop a community. Even after finding land, he said, it can be 10 years before a project is completed.
“It’s a process, and it doesn’t happen quickly,” he said.