"2027 marks exactly 100 years since 1927, when the community formally transitioned from 'Laurelwood' ranching land into 'Studio City' centered around Mack Sennett's movie lot (now known as Radford Studio Center.)"
That sentence comes from a motion placed before the Studio City Neighborhood Council this summer. The motion asked the council to start planning the neighborhood's 100th anniversary. It names one place as the reason Studio City exists at all, and that place is the walled lot on Radford Avenue between Ventura Boulevard and Moorpark Street.
In June, that lot got a new owner. Netflix now holds the property that gave the neighborhood its name. The 2.2-million-square-foot plan to rebuild it sits on hold in the city's case system. Studio City will start its centennial year with its namesake studio still standing mostly as the neighborhood knows it, with a Sunday market garage and a neighborhood council meeting room inside the gates.
The name and the lot arrived together
Silent comedy producer Mack Sennett founded the lot in 1928, according to the Los Angeles Times. After World War II it became known as "Hit City," as shows like "Leave It to Beaver" and "Gilligan's Island" filmed there. The Times also identifies Stage 9 as the "Seinfeld Stage," where that show was produced. Deadline describes it as a 22-stage campus that has hosted "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "That '70s Show," and in much earlier years, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
The centennial math depends on which milestone you count. The council's motion dates Studio City to 1927, when the Laurelwood name gave way. The Times and the studio's own FAQ date the lot's opening to 1928. In practice, Studio City's 100th birthday arrives in 2027 and the studio's follows a year later. That gives the lot's new owner two consecutive anniversaries to inherit.
What changed in June
Netflix completed its purchase of Radford Studio Center from a lender group led by Goldman Sachs for $400 million, according to The Registry. County records show the deal closing June 19, 2026.
The price is the striking part, and it means the most when you set it beside the last sale.
| Moment | Price | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 sale | $1.85 billion | Purchase by Hackman Capital Partners |
| June 2026 sale | $400 million | Purchase by Netflix from the lender group |
The Los Angeles Times reported that the lenders took over the property after the prior owner was unable to reach a refinancing deal on $1.1 billion of debt. The same report placed the sale within a broader drop in Los Angeles studio real estate values. Interest rates rose and production fell after the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes, and FilmLA put soundstage occupancy at 62% in the first half of 2025.
The Times also reported that Netflix has been considering consolidating its real estate in one place. Its leases on a group of Hollywood buildings from Hudson Pacific Properties expire in 2031. That was reporting on an option under consideration, and it is the extent of what the coverage says about the company's thinking.
The rebuild that would have reshaped the lot is on hold
Before the sale, the lot had a detailed blueprint for its second century. The Radford Studio Center Specific Plan, filed with Los Angeles City Planning, describes a build-out of up to 2.2 million square feet across the roughly 55-acre site. Three figures from the city's environmental review page show how much would have changed:
- Up to 646,120 square feet demolished of existing buildings
- 532,990 square feet retained
- Up to 1,667,010 square feet of new floor area added
The new construction alone would have been about three times the size of everything kept. Earlier descriptions of the plan, including a 2023 report in Urbanize LA, included new soundstages, production and general offices, a river path, and new studio gates. The studio's own FAQ described a proposed main gate at Carpenter Avenue and Ventura Boulevard and a "Moorpark Mobility Connector." It also said construction was expected to run 39 months once approved. All of these were proposals from the previous ownership.
The Draft EIR came out January 30, 2025, and public comments closed April 1, 2025. The city's case record for ENV-2023-1348-EIR now reads "On Hold." Both the Final EIR distribution date and the termination date are listed as N/A, and the applicant is still listed as Radford Studio Center, LLC. The entitlements requested in that file are major ones: a General Plan Amendment, a zone change from industrial to a new studio-specific zone, a sign district, and a 20-year development agreement with the city.
For neighbors, the result is simple. As of this week, none of those changes are moving through the city's process. With the case on hold, the gates, garages and stages that exist today are the lot that will mark the centennial.
Where the lot already meets the neighborhood
That matters because the lot works as more than a workplace for the people around it. Two of the most regular ways neighbors pass through its gates have nothing to do with television.
The first is Sunday morning. The Studio City Farmers Market runs 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Ventura Place between Radford Avenue and Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Per the market's current site, shoppers get free parking at the Sater Parking Garage, past the main gate at 4200 Radford Avenue.
The second is civic. The Studio City Neighborhood Council holds meetings on the lot. Its June 24, 2026 agenda told attendees to enter through the Radford gate at 4024 Radford, follow security instructions, and park in the Sater garage. The full board met at Radford Studio Center again on October 28. The council's draft minutes from that meeting note that the Land Use Committee, the group that reviews development cases, moved its next meeting to Thursday, November 12, because the usual date falls on Veterans Day. The council's November calendar lists that meeting at Radford Studio Center.
So the committee that would take up any future plan for the studio meets inside the studio. On November 12 it gathers there under the lot's new ownership.
The next few dates that run through the lot's orbit
For anyone who wants to stay close to how the lot and the centennial develop, here is the near-term calendar.
- Sunday, November 8, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Farmers market on Ventura Place, with garage parking at 4200 Radford per the market's site. Afterward, El Ruso Taquería is a short walk west. It opened its first permanent restaurant at 10628 Ventura Boulevard, in the former Roadside Taco space, on July 22, 2026, according to Eater LA.
- Monday, November 9, 6 to 8 p.m.: A "Living With Coyotes" presentation at Studio City Library, listed on the SCNC calendar.
- Thursday, November 12: SCNC Land Use Committee at Radford Studio Center, 4024 Radford Avenue.
- Saturday, December 5, 5 to 11 p.m.: The Tujunga Village Holiday Block Party, per the council's December calendar.
Calendars change, so check the listing the week of each event.
The centennial starts with trees
The anniversary planning is early but concrete. The June motion asked the council's Outreach Committee to coordinate outreach and events for 2027. It named Radford Studio Center, the Studio City Chamber of Commerce, the Studio City Residents Association and local schools as the partners that make long-lead planning necessary. In October, the council's Sustainability and Beautification Committee put a "Centennial Tree Planting" on its agenda, with plans to plant 100 trees across Studio City. At the October 28 board meeting, the Cultural Affairs Committee discussed centennial events that could include a festival or parade.
Bryan has lived in Studio City since 1994, close enough to hear about the lot on Radford long before Netflix owned it. If you're curious how the studio's next chapter could shape your block, Bryan Abrams is glad to talk it through over coffee, or over a scoop of homemade ice cream at the next open house. Schedule a Studio City market consultation.
