Last month, the Los Angeles Business Journal published its “Real Estate Quarterly” report. One statistic caught my eye in particular – the amount of office space under construction in Hollywood.

They reported the total was 1,123,407-sq.ft. Now that is significant in and of itself, but when you look at the total amount of space under construction in L.A. County, it becomes even more impressive. The total space being built in the county at this time amounts to 1,951,171-sq.ft. So the amount of office space underway in Hollywood is 58 percent of everything currently being built in this county! Amazing!!

It wasn’t that many years ago that we were begging people to build a new office building in this community. There hadn’t been a spec office building built here in 30 years. Because of the City’s adaptive re-use ordinance that allowed old buildings to be converted to other uses, we had lost more than 200,000-sq.ft. of office space previously used for commercial purposes.

There was a real question as to whether Hollywood would remain a viable business district. Over the past 20 years, there had been an exodus of media firms moving to the Westside or San Fernando Valley. Every television station except KTLA abandoned Hollywood. At one time we had numerous radio stations broadcasting from Hollywood, and they all moved out, including KNX and KFWB. Many ancillary firms also moved.

As the revitalization gathered steam over the past decade, we have been hopeful that office development would come and that some of these entertainment firms would return. However, the challenge was always that it is very difficult to get an office project financed unless you have a minimum of 30 to 40 percent preleased. That seemed to be a very challenging proposition – to find a major company willing to sign a lease in Hollywood two years before they could occupy the space.

So we are very appreciative to three firms that have seen the potential in Hollywood – Hudson Pacific, JH Snyder, and Kilroy Realty. These firms were willing to take the gamble on Hollywood and to finance their own projects, betting that there would be tenants willing to come here. Some would assume this was a pretty big bet on an unproven market.

Yet that is what they have done, and we are pleased to be seeing that their investments in Hollywood are paying off. Already, leases have been signed at Columbia Square by Neuehouse for 93,000-sq.ft. and by Viacom for 180,000-sq.ft. Broad Green Pictures has signed a lease for 36,000-sq.ft. of space at the Hollywood 959 project. We understand there are several other significant deals very close to signing that may be announced shortly.

What does this mean for Hollywood? A great deal. It means there are going to be hundreds, if not thousands of new jobs created here that may provide employment for our local residents. All of these employees will be needing places to dine and shop and so our retailers and restaurants will benefit. The firms will need supplies and so vendors will benefit. Many of them will have clients visiting, and so our hotels will benefit. As stakeholders, these firms will want to be involved in the community, and so our many local causes and nonprofits will benefit.

We realize that it is unlikely Hollywood can maintain its place as the number one place for office construction in the county indefinitely … but for the moment we are “king of the hill.” So let’s celebrate, and thank these major developers for their investment in Hollywood’s future. I have said many times that it is impossible to revitalize a community without private sector investment. We are glad that there are firms willing to invest their money in Hollywood. It is a challenge to build a major development when it may take five or six years of working through the system before a shovel can be turned on a project. Fortunately, these companies have been willing to take on the challenge, and the results have been nothing short of spectacular!

Hooray for Hollywood, and hooray for the companies investing in Hollywood!

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Leron Gubler has been serving as the President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for the past 23 years. His tenure since 1992 continues to oversee the great comeback story of Hollywood.