When you need more space you don’t need to keep the old facility in the city either.
It works both ways…
Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer
SANTA CLARITASanta Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country,
….. Click the link for more information. – When medical testing firm Specialty Laboratory began to outgrow outgrow its headquarters in Santa Monica, officials looked north and found a new 198,000-square-foot home at a Valencia industrial park.
The clinical testing and research company will pay about $4.5 million a year in rent – about $2 million more than at its existing headquarters in Santa Monica – but it’s getting twice the real estate, a bedroom community filled with skilled medical technicians and other perks.
“Parking was a problem – we were paying nearly $500,000 a year just in supplemental parking for our employees,” said Greg Mann, a company spokesman. “(Santa Monica’s) a beautiful place, but it’s more suitable for a record label than a clinical testing lab.”
The firm also may find a city government that has aggressively touted the region as business-friendly over neighboring areas in a bid to spur economic growth. The city of Santa Clarita does not levy business taxes, and says it has a streamlined planning and permitting process.
“Overall, we’ve been very pleased with the relationship,” Mann said. “When we needed feedback or input when it comes to reviewing permits, the city of Santa Clarita has been responsive to our needs.”
All this, city officials believe, encourages the relatively low office vacancy rates – about 7 percent compared with 10.2 percent last year. Estimated unemployment citywide in May hovered at 3.3 percent, compared with 7 percent in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz’), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County and up to 4.6 percent in such neighboring cities as Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. and Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. .
Coupled with its large white-collar work force, industrial parks and master-planned shopping plazas, the region has proved attractive to manufacturers and big-box retailers, with two Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.
