The Variel Achieves Another Milestone With Opening Of The Discovery Center
February 11, 2021Those who are interested can now get ‘a glimpse’ of the inspired lifestyle and the comfortable, contemporary living environment The Variel will offer.
On the morning of Wednesday, January 27, a small group of people who have been intimately involved in the planning and development of The Variel gathered with local officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of The Discovery Center.
Located across the street from The Variel at 6160 Variel Avenue, The Discovery Center was established to showcase The Variel’s contemporary and upscale design, a living environment created specifically to appeal to active, independent seniors in the Warner Center and Woodland Hills area.
The ceremony was held indoors, with social distancing guidelines enforced, and was streamed live on The Variel’s Facebook page for others who wanted to attend the event virtually.
Adam Arnold, a senior development manager at South Bay Partners, the company responsible for developing The Variel, served as the master of ceremonies.
The first guest he introduced was Jim Biggs, CEO and co-founder of West Bay Senior Living, the company that will oversee the day-to-day operations at The Variel. Josh Johnson, who co-founded West Bay Senior Living with Biggs and serves as the company’s chief operating officer, also attended the ceremony.
Arnold then introduced Rodrigo Vargas, principal of Rodrigo Vargas Design, the award-winning firm chosen to create the interior design of The Variel. Vargas, who also designed The Discovery Center with his team, noted that their goal is “to capture the comfort of Southern California living: casual, elegant, light and airy.”
The Variel, Vargas said, will be “a dialogue between indoor and outdoor living,” noting that it’s about “finding a place where you can be quiet and active at the same time. … What you see at The Discovery Center is just a glimpse of what you will see at The Variel.”
Veronica Vos, who was there representing Los Angeles City Councilman Bob Blumenfield’s office, presented a certificate for The Discovery Center to Laney Podell, Director of Marketing and Sales at The Variel. Speaking on behalf of Councilman Blumenfield, she congratulated Podell on the grand opening of The Discovery Center.
“Warner Center is one of the fastest-growing areas anywhere in the city, and to see senior living represented in that growth is really thrilling and exciting,” Vos said.
Dennis Zine, a former councilman and the honorary mayor of Woodland Hills, represented the West Valley Warner Center Chamber of Commerce board of directors at the event.
“The senior population is growing,” Zine said, “and they need a place that’s comfortable, that gives them the lifestyle that they wish for. … That’s what [The Variel] is going to provide for people.”
If you missed the streaming video on Facebook or would like to see the ceremony again, you can watch this professionally recorded video or view below.
At The Halfway Point
The Discovery Center’s grand opening comes almost exactly a year after The Variel’s groundbreaking ceremony. At the ribbon-cutting event, Adam Arnold remarked about the tremendous progress that has occurred in the past year, and Dennis Zine likened it to watching a newborn grow up.
W.E. O’Neil Construction has indeed done a fantastic job of keeping the project on track, and we look forward to welcoming the first residents to The Variel in the spring of 2022.
While construction continues, we are welcoming visitors to The Discovery Center to learn more about this beautiful, brand-new community and the VIP Program at The Variel. To arrange a one-on-one visit* with a member of our sales team, call (818) 651-0168.
*Your safety is our top priority. We are following all California guidelines for COVID-19. We are only permitted to have a certain number of people in the Discovery Center at any given time, so please call ahead to schedule an appointment. Or, for a walk-in visit, we ask that you call from the parking lot to ensure that space is available for safe entry. Face masks are required.