Media Center Drive offered a collection of attributes not present at any of the previously considered sites. It is spacious, filled with natural daylight, beautifully constructed and maintained. Nearby local freeways, an abundance of dedicated parking and vicinity to a planned Metro-Link station make it easily accessible. It’s financially viable – rent and operating expenses are affordable and within budget, the facility contains existing high quality, usable improvements made by the former tenant, and the landlord has agreed to significantly contribute to the cost of the proposed developments.

Reforming the industrial site into LFCSA’s new home was not without significant challenges, and studioTBD took on the role of LFCSA’s developer for the entire project. Duties covered pro-forma development (financial master plan), real estate negotiations, facilities and site master planning, neighborhood outreach, environmental planning and entitlements, preliminary construction management, permit preparation and architecture.

Embracing a major focus on sustainability, plans incorporate a solar-electric generation system, interior air filtration system, and zero emission school bus, all of which reduce the school’s environmental footprint while maximizing cost effectiveness.

In collaboration with the local Councilman Ed Reyes and his staff, studioTBD worked to re-envision a change of use to allow the existing site to be used for education providing a facility for a premier learning center that will serve as a beacon for alternative elementary education.