For the Rams, a house isn’t necessarily a home.
There’s the Sunday sanctuary of SoFi Stadium — also known as Rams House — but the franchise that returned to Los Angeles in 2016 has turned its attention to creating a permanent home in Woodland Hills, where it will spend the other six days of the week.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who built the $5-billion stadium in Inglewood, has provided The Times a detailed and exclusive first look at the next major project for his NFL team: a state-of-the-art team headquarters, surrounded by a glistening new residential and retail community intended to be the long-awaited centerpiece of the San Fernando Valley.
In bringing the NFL back to Los Angeles and constructing a state-of-the-art venue — a place where the Chargers also play — Kroenke provided a proof of concept. SoFi Stadium renderings were more than pretty pictures; they came to life.
Now the billionaire developer is focusing more sharply on a 100-acre, L-shaped site at Warner Center, roughly 30 miles northwest of the Inglewood stadium. He plans to create a permanent home for the Rams — replacing their temporary digs there — surrounded by a high-end residential and retail district with apartments, offices, stores and restaurants, parks and other green spaces, and two new entertainment venues.
“We are well positioned to get going,” Kroenke told The Times last week at the annual NFL meetings. “We’re working hard on it and it’s exciting.”
Why unveil the plans now? Kroenke, with the help of global architectural firm Gensler, plans to submit initial plans to Los Angeles city officials within the coming weeks, and informing the public is part of that process. Developers hope to put shovels in the ground by early 2027, and once underway, the entire project should require about a decade to complete all phases.
“I’m excited about it,” said Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents the northwest corner of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, including Woodland Hills. “That space that they’re taking over is such prime real estate and has been so under-utilized, dormant even, for the last decade or more. It is so ripe for becoming a centerpiece for the West Valley and the city of L.A., an anchor.”
Although the Hollywood Park site is three times the size of the one in Warner Center, and Kroenke is continuing to develop that massive district in Inglewood, the latest endeavor likewise will command an investment of more than $10 billion.
“If you look at what we’ve done in Inglewood, this is a piece of cake,” said Otto Maly, president of Kroenke Holdings, citing the wealthier demographic of Woodland Hills and the surrounding areas.
Football is only one aspect of this project, albeit a major one. The Rams, who relocated to the site from Thousand Oaks last year, will keep their two existing outdoor fields and add an indoor practice field and permanent offices. The plans call for a swooping design complementary of the stylish curvature of their stadium.
Just as the YouTube Theater is sidled next to SoFi Stadium, two smaller entertainment venues — with capacities of 5,000 and 2,500 people — will neighbor Rams headquarters. Those will host concerts and similar events.
“You start to think about, ‘Hey, how do we get more live entertainment so that the people in that part of the ...
