Here’s a glimpse of LA Rams’ temporary practice facility in Warner Center (2024)

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The Los Angeles Rams’ practice facility, which is part of a broader plan to revitalize Warner Center in Woodland Hills, is taking shape.

Drone images of the facility offer a glimpse into an ambitious plan to turn the San Fernando Valley’s Warner Center into a massive sports and entertainment destination with stores, restaurants, hotels and a stadium similar to the Dallas Cowboys complex in Frisco, Texas.

Over the last few months, the Rams have been setting up a facility next to the former Anthem building at the corner of West Oxnard Street and Canoga Avenue consisting of modular trailers with offices and meeting, training and locker rooms for players, coaches and support staff similar to the temporary campus the team occupied in Thousand Oaks since 2016. There are two football fields where the team will train and practice in the area adjacent to the trailers.

“Our players and coaches are moving into the facility” this week, wrote Joanna Hunter, the Rams’ spokeswoman in an email.

The Rams said last year they would be moving their practice facility from the campus of Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks to Woodland Hills ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

Once the practice fields are built, the developer will begin working on the next phase of the project, which includes the permanent headquarters and practice facility along with the residential, commercial and retail development.

The team owner Stan Kroenke owns 100 acres of property in the area. The sprawling complex is part of the Warner Center 2035 plan approved by the Los Angeles City Council in 2020. The entitlements allow Kroenke to redevelop the vacant Promenade Mall into a complex with 280,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, 700,000 square feet of office space, a 10,000-seat entertainment center, two hotels and about 1,400 residential units.

“It’s a major win for the West Valley,” said Nancy Hoffman Vanyek, CEO of the Greater San Fernando Valley Chamber of Commerce, adding that the presence of the Rams will lead to an economic boost in the area.

Kroenke paid nearly $175 million for the Anthem building at 21555 Oxnard St. in 2022 after acquiring the Village shopping center for $325 million.

Health insurer Anthem Blue Cross occupied the 450,000-square-foot building from the 1970s until 2019 when the company vacated the 13-story office tower. The building is expected to serve as office space for the team.

In 2022, Kroenke purchased the 34-acre Promenade shopping mall from Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield for $150 million. At the time, media reports hinted that the Rams were planning to build a year-round practice facility at the site.

The Los Angeles City Council entitled a plan in 2020 to turn the vacant shopping mall into a $1 billion entertainment, sports, dining and residential complex.

“It’s exciting that they are going to bring opportunities to the business community,” Hoffman Vanyek said. “Undoubtedly, they are a high-profile origination, so that alone is going to increase visibility and it’s going to attract visitors, which will lead to more business for local restaurants, retail shops and service providers.”

The Rams have grown accustomed to state of the art facilities. The team plays its games in Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, arguably the best venue in the NFL. The $5.3 billion complex at Hollywood Park has hosted a Super Bowl, myriad entertainment events including Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour and will be the site of the Opening Ceremonies of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Originally Published: August 28, 2024 at 3:03 p.m.