MGA Entertainment Breaks Ground on New Chatsworth Campus

CHATSWORTH, CA - Toy maker MGA Entertainment, the creator of the pouty, wide-eyed Bratz dolls that have been challenging Barbie, will break ground Thursday on what will be its new headquarters in a former Los Angeles Times printing plant in Chatsworth.

When construction is completed, MGA will be at the center of an ambitious development project that will transform 24 acres into a sprawling campus in the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles Times reported. The campus will include apartment buildings, office and retail space, and outdoor gathering places, such as an amphitheater and a dog park.

"We were outgrowing the space that we had" in Van Nuys, Isaac Larian, MGA's chief executive, said in remarks reported by The Times. "The new facility will be a state-of-the-art facility for people to create and work and live and play."

The project will be the first big test for Uncommon, the real estate development company started by Larian's son, Jason, and his son-in-law, Ryan Hekmat. They're investing at least $150 million into the project, Larian said, with mostly family funds and money from a few investors.

MGA will serve as the main tenant at the converted printing press, and a production company is also planning to rent part of the building, including space for a soundstage, according to The Times. Jason Larian and Hekmat said they will also lure other companies to open up there as well, with the goal of creating a campus that offers a wide array of housing, leisure and dining options, giving MGA employees and others an option to live minutes from where they work.

- City News Service / Rendering via KFA Los Angeles