Riverwalk at Studio City Would Transform Former Pinz Bowling and Carney’s Train Restaurant Site

 

A major mixed-use project planned for Studio City is moving forward at one of the San Fernando Valley’s most recognizable stretches of Ventura Boulevard.

Known as Riverwalk at Studio City, the project is proposed for 12555 Ventura Boulevard, just south of the Los Angeles River. The development would replace a collection of older commercial properties, including the former Pinz bowling alley site and the current Carney’s train restaurant property.

For longtime Valley residents, that location carries more meaning than a typical development site. Pinz was a familiar Ventura Boulevard destination, while Carney’s remains one of Studio City’s most recognizable roadside restaurants thanks to its train cars parked along the boulevard. Together, the properties represent a piece of the older, more eclectic Studio City streetscape that is now giving way to a much larger mixed-use development.

Project Details

Riverwalk at Studio City would include:

• 814 residential apartments

• 46 affordable units reserved for very low-income households

• Approximately 76,000 square feet of commercial space

• New restaurants, shops, and pedestrian-oriented frontage along Ventura Boulevard

• Buildings ranging from two to seven stories

• More than 1,800 parking spaces in subterranean parking levels

• New landscaping and public-facing improvements near the Los Angeles River

The project is being developed by Genton Property Group, RC Development, and Torino Companies. Renderings show a large multi-building development that would bring apartments, retail, restaurants, open space, and new pedestrian areas to a site currently defined by low-rise commercial buildings and surface parking.

One notable preservation detail is that the Pinz Bowl sign along Ventura Boulevard is expected to be retained. That would keep at least one familiar visual marker from the bowling alley era in place as the larger property is redeveloped.

What remains less clear is what will happen to the Carney’s train cars. The restaurant’s train cars are one of the most distinctive roadside features on Ventura Boulevard, and their future will likely be a detail many locals watch closely as the project advances.

A Changing Stretch of Studio City

Riverwalk at Studio City is not happening in isolation. This section of Studio City has become one of the most active redevelopment areas in the central San Fernando Valley.

Just north of the Riverwalk site, Harvard-Westlake is transforming the former Weddington Golf & Tennis property into the Harvard-Westlake River Park. That project will replace the longtime golf and tennis facility with a major athletic and recreational campus including sports fields, tennis courts, aquatics facilities, gymnasium space, walking paths, landscaped open space, and community access components.

Together, Riverwalk at Studio City and the Harvard-Westlake River Park represent a major reshaping of the area around Ventura Boulevard and the Los Angeles River. One project brings a large new residential and commercial development to the south side of the river, while the other converts the former Weddington property into a private school athletic campus with planned community recreational access.

Nearby, the broader Sportsmen’s Lodge area has already gone through its own transformation, with new retail and residential activity changing another longtime Studio City landmark property. These projects collectively show how the neighborhood’s older commercial, recreational, and roadside sites are being reimagined for a denser and more modern version of Studio City.

Local Character vs. New Development

The Riverwalk project raises a familiar question for the San Fernando Valley: how much of the area’s local character can be preserved as older sites are redeveloped?

On one hand, Studio City is gaining new housing, commercial space, and investment near the Los Angeles River. The project would add hundreds of apartments in a highly desirable neighborhood and bring new restaurants and shops to Ventura Boulevard.

On the other hand, the site includes places that many Valley residents immediately recognize. The former Pinz bowling alley and Carney’s train restaurant are part of the area’s visual and cultural memory. Retaining the Pinz Bowl sign is a meaningful gesture toward that history, but the uncertainty surrounding the Carney’s train cars leaves an open question about what pieces of the old Studio City will remain.

Why This Project Matters

Riverwalk at Studio City is significant not only because of its size, but because of where it is located. Ventura Boulevard has long served as the commercial spine of Studio City, while the Los Angeles River has increasingly become a focus for redevelopment, open space, and planning conversations.

With more than 800 apartments, thousands of parking spaces, new commercial uses, and a site tied to several recognizable local landmarks, Riverwalk at Studio City will likely remain one of the most closely watched developments in the Valley.

For residents who remember Pinz, still visit Carney’s, or have followed the transformation of the nearby Weddington property into Harvard-Westlake River Park, the project is another example of how quickly Studio City is changing.

The key question going forward may be whether Riverwalk can deliver new housing and commercial activity while still preserving enough of the local personality that made this stretch of Ventura Boulevard memorable in the first place.

Other Studio City and Ventura Boulevard Mentions from the Blog

This proposal also connects with several older Studio City and Ventura Boulevard items covered on this blog over the years.

• Architecture and Real Estate Archive: Massive Mixed-Use Expansion Planned for Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City
• Architecture and Real Estate Archive: Universal Inn on Ventura Blvd in Studio City to Become 46 Room Hotel
• Architecture and Real Estate Archive: 1908 Studio City Home Threatened with Demolition
• November 12, 2012: Richard Neutra In The San Fernando Valley
• January 10, 2014: The San Fernando Valley: “Totally Awesome”

Project Details:
Address: 12555 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, California
Project Name: Riverwalk at Studio City
Developers: Genton Property Group, RC Development, and Torino Companies
Residential Architect: MVE + Partners
Retail Design Consultant: AO
Residential Units: 814 apartments
Affordable Units: 46 very low-income units
Commercial Space: Approximately 76,000 square feet
Building Heights: Two to seven stories
Parking: More than 800 vehicle spaces in four subterranean levels
Location: South of the Los Angeles River
Neighborhood: Studio City

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