PORT OF LOS ANGELES BEGINS WORKING WITH DEVELOPER TO EXPLORE NEW WATERFRONT CRAFTS CENTER
Negotiations Begin with Bergamot Station, LTD. to Transform Vacant Warehouses into a Visitor-Friendly Destination
SAN PEDRO, Calif. - June 16, 2011 - The Los Angeles Harbor Commission has authorized the Port of Los Angeles to begin exclusive negotiations with Bergamot Station, Ltd. for the potential redevelopment of vacant Warehouses 9 & 10 into a visitor-serving crafts center. Located near 22nd and Miner Streets in San Pedro, the proposed warehouse reuse project follows last year’s opening of nearby 22nd Street Park, and is one of several LA Waterfront revitalization initiatives currently underway.
“The proposed complex of artist studios and a public marketplace fits perfectly with our goal to create a unique experience, destination and sense of place at the LA Waterfront,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “The concept Bergamot has proposed represents a creative art exhibition and marketplace that could attract additional visitors and boost local economic activity.”
Capitalizing on the increasing popularity of handmade crafts and artisan cuisine, the proposed art and crafts center concept will include a public marketplace with stalls of handmade crafts and one-of-a-kind merchandise.
The proposed developer, Bergamot Station, Ltd., is widely recognized for its successful transformation several years ago of a former Santa Monica industrial site into the Bergamot Station Arts Center, now a hub of galleries, creative offices, live/work lofts and the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Bergamot Station currently welcomes more than 700,000 national and international visitors per year and is prominently featured in Los Angeles guidebooks as a cultural destination.
Warehouses 9 & 10 were approved for redevelopment as part of the San Pedro Waterfront Project in September 2009. Totaling 140,000 square feet, the warehouses were previously used to store general cargo, but have been vacant since the fall of 2010.
The Port issued a Request for Interest in November 2010, and Bergamot Station was selected among the proposals submitted. Negotiations on details of the planned redevelopment are expected to last approximately four months.
The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates more than 830,000 regional jobs and $35 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars.
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