Hollywood Land Development: Marty Stallone on Environmentally Sustainable Practices

Following a lengthy period in which land and real estate development throughout the Hollywood area essentially remained at a standstill, the past 12 to 24 months witnessed a sharp rise in the number of newly undertaken development projects. This sharp increase has also featured a variety of diverse development projects that include commercial, industrial, and residential building projects, all of which have benefited, either directly or indirectly, from Hollywood’s generally progressive perspective on environmental sustainability.

In the view of Marty Stallone, the executive vice president of land development with Metropolitan Development Group (MDG), Hollywood’s progressive attitude toward sustainability and environmental protection has made it possible for developers to demonstrate precisely how environmentally sustainable development practices yield substantial financial benefits in addition to the multitude of environmental benefits.

In the commercial sector, for example, sustainable building practices have been shown to increase a company’s operational efficiency by a remarkable degree. This is due to the improved energy efficiency made possible through passive building development strategies as well as advances in sustainable building practices and renewable energy technologies. The owners of these companies are therefore able to enjoy significant long-term cost reductions, and the savings generated by these operational cost reductions can be reinvested in whatever way the company sees fit.

Prior to the recent spike in land and real estate development in the Southern California region that includes Hollywood and extends from San Diego all the way north to Santa Barbara and beyond, the financial benefits associated with sustainable land development and building practices were considered theoretical in the eyes of many potential land and real estate development clients.

Although there were endless studies and statistical models demonstrating the potential financial benefits -- not to mention the associated environmental benefits -- it is only natural for doubts to be raised when a theory has yet to be proven in practice, or at least proven on a large enough scale so clients are keenly aware of a theory’s validity. Fortunately, Southern Californians possess such a progressive view of environmental protection that sustainable building practices have long been considered immensely valuable simply due to the environmental benefits yielded by these practices.

With so many examples of commercial, industrial, and residential land development projects incorporating sustainable principles in recently completed Hollywood-area projects, developers across the nation are now able to cite real-world examples that demonstrate the potential short- and long-term financial benefits delivered by sustainable building practices. When combined with the obvious environmental benefits, it essentially defies reason for any development project to proceed without the incorporation of sustainable development and building practices.

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