What do ya know? The competition for a choice, 26-acre parcel in Chatsworth is turning out to be a local race after all. Brokers representing the Los Angeles Times, which announced late last year that it was closing its Chatsworth plant and selling the property, have issued invitations to a select group of developers and are currently reviewing the bids submitted. The list of companies believed to be bidding for the site reads like a who’s who of local development, representing some of the largest projects in the greater San Fernando Valley. They are believed to include LNR Property Corp., M.W. Ossola and Associates Inc., Overton Moore Properties, Sheridan Ebbert Real Estate Development and Voit Development Co. Although they are not all based here, they have all done extensive work in the area. Executives at the development companies either could not be reached or did not return phone calls. Likewise, Onno Zwaneveld, senior vice president at Trammell Crow, which is conducting the search, declined to name the developers under consideration. “We’re a couple of weeks away,” Zwaneveld said. “No one has been selected.” Trammell Crow did not go out with a public request for proposals, but rather hand-picked the companies invited, sources said. Each has a long history of development projects and most have worked in all phases of development – industrial, office, residential and retail. LNR most recently developed LNR Warner Center, a campus office park in Woodland Hills. Ossola is currently developing a light industrial park and a shopping center in Moorpark. Overton Moore is currently developing Northridge Business Center, a 16-building industrial project. Sheridan Ebbert has current projects in Valencia and Torrance. Voit, which just completed the Burbank Airport Commerce Center, is now working on an addition to The Plant, another industrial site in Panorama City. Other developers may also be involved, some sources said. The project is highly coveted because it is so large and it comes along at a time when there are virtually no large developable parcels on the Valley floor. For that reason, initial speculation was that developers from across the country would throw their hats into the ring. Industrial Sale A 129,000-square foot industrial property in Sun Valley has sold for $13,760,000. The property, at 7606-7660 Clybourn Ave. and 7605 and 7616 Wheatland Ave. and 7616 Clybourn Ave. and 7605-7616 Wheatland Ave., sits on 5.5 acres of land. The buyers, a private investment group, plan to redevelop the property for industrial condominiums. Eli Anishban, principal with Precision Properties in Encino, represented both the buyer and the seller, also a private investor. Westlake Groundbreaking Steadfast Companies and Amstar Group last week broke ground on Westlake Park Place, a 461,000-square-foot office park in Westlake Village. The first phase of the project will encompass five buildings on Townsgate Road ranging in size from 5,550 square-feet to 102,012 square feet. That phase is expected to be completed by Fall, 2007. Steadfast and Amstar believe the best projects serve all types of businesses large operations looking for contiguous blocks of space as well as smaller, entrepreneurial operations seeking an ideal location and amenities,” said Bob Searles, president of Steadfast. “Our project is designed to be highly flexible and to accommodate the widest range of office customers.” The groundbreaking took place on Aug. 24. Moorpark Project Gets Underway Oltmans Construction Co. has begun construction on a 132,500-square-foot corporate headquarters and distribution facility for Warehouse Discount Center in Moorpark. The build-to-suit, at 14339 White Sage Road, will replace the company’s current headquarters office in Agoura Hills and a builder division in Camarillo. The facility will include an additional retail showroom for the company’s home appliance and plumbing fixtures. That retail location will join the Agoura Hills retail outpost, which will remain open, along with other retail operations in Camarillo, Canyon Country, Northridge, Oxnard and Santa Barbara. The project is expected to be completed in March. WDC has more than 180 employees. Burbank Acquisition A 10,000-square foot office building in Burbank was purchased by an owner-user for $3.1 million. The property, at 401-405 Riverside Drive, was acquired by Smart Post Sound, a production company. The buyer was represented by Alexander Wadley, a broker with Lee & Associates-L.A. North/Ventura. The seller, a family trust, was represented by Andrew Berk and Mark Evanoff of Ramsey-Shilling Commercial Real Estate Services. Multifamily Sale A 15-unit apartment building in Glendale has sold for $1.82 million. The building, at 511 S. Verdugo Road, was built in 1962. It is fully occupied. Chuck Dunn, director at Charles Dunn Co.’s downtown offices, represented the buyer, a private investor. Kirk Kabaklian of Kabaklian Realty represented the seller, also a private investor. Senior reporter Shelly Garcia can be reached at (818) 316-3123 or by e-mail at [email protected].