Real estate firm Reuben Brothers is betting on the future of urban air travel, unveiling plans to bring aluxury “vertiport”to Century City through a partnership with Joby Aviation.
The proposed hub would sit atop the South Tower of the affluent Park Elm Residences atCentury Plaza, repurposing an existing helipad to support Joby’s all-electricvertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs — a technology Joby says could dramatically cut travel times across Los Angeles.
“Given its Century City location, [the site] is ideally positioned to anchor a broader Los Angeles vertiport network” Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Joby’s Blade Air Mobility division exclusively told the California Post . “We expect this network to completely reshape how residents move through the city, beginning with airport trips.”
The residences featuresultra-luxury condosranging from roughly $1.4 million to more than $11 million, with prices averaging about $2,000 to over $2,600 per square foot.
If approved, residents could fly to nearby hubs including Los Angeles International Airport, Santa Monica and Van Nuys in minutes — journeys that often take hours by car in peak traffic.
Passengers would book seats through a dedicated app, with integrated ground transportation at either end of the trip via Joby’s partnership with Uber, according to a spokesperson.
But at least initially, the service will not be open to the general public.
“The vertiport service will be reserved exclusively for residents of Park Elm Residences, designed as a private, highly curated amenity that enhances both convenience and discretion,” Jordana Yechiel, director of residential design at Reuben Brothers told the Post.
Joby, however, says that exclusivity is temporary.
While the Century Plaza location would function as a private amenity, the company plans to roll out a wider network of publicly accessible vertiports across the region once its aircraft receives full certification.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
