Shopping Center ADA Compliance in Century City
4 shopping centers across 6 commercial corridors. With 100.0% of buildings constructed before 1990 and an average build year of 1964, Century City shopping centers face significant ADA compliance challenges.
Century City has 4 shopping centers, 100% built before 1990 (avg. year 1964), concentrated along Avenue of the Stars. Shopping Center ADA litigation risk is extreme in Century City, with settlements reaching $500K — non-compliant parking spaces is the leading trigger. Century City's 10.8% disability rate and 13.4% senior population create above-average demand for accessible shopping centers. Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) oversees ADA compliance for Century City's shopping centers, with 4 local programs supporting accessibility upgrades.
Shopping Center Building Stock in Century City
Century City's Avenue of the Stars corridor has 100% pre-1990 shopping centers with an average build year of 1964, making non-compliant parking spaces especially common.
An analysis of shopping center properties in Century City, including building age, square footage, and key commercial corridors.
4
Shopping Center Properties
5.75M
Total Sq Ft
100%
Built Before 1990
1964
Avg Year Built
Key Corridors
Avenue of the Stars
Century City's primary office spine running north-south through the district core, lined with landmark high-rises dating from the 1960s-1980s buildout. Concentrates the district's tallest towers and highest-profile tenant destinations. Pre-1990 towers exhibit elevated plazas with stepped entries, indirect accessible routing to ramped side entries, inconsistent elevator modernization (cab dimensions, door timing, audible/visual signals), and legacy door hardware. The visitor desire line is often stepped while the accessible route detours—a litigation risk when wayfinding is poor.
Century Park East / Century Plaza Cluster
Home to the Century Plaza Towers (1975, ~2.3M SF twin office towers), the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel (1966, reopened 2021 as part of a $2.5B mixed-use redevelopment with 400 rooms), and Century Park Plaza office building (1972, 373,900 SF). This cluster concentrates the district's largest pre-1990 floor area. ADA risk centers on campus-scale routing between towers, hotel, structured parking, and passenger loading zones. Elevated plazas, porte-cochère grade transitions, and legacy garage-to-lobby accessible routes are recurring compliance concerns.
Santa Monica Boulevard / Westfield Century City
Anchored by Westfield Century City (~1.33M SF regional retail center, originally built 1964, redeveloped 2017 in a ~$1 billion project at 10250 Santa Monica Blvd). The mall's multi-garage parking structures and long outdoor pedestrian segments create ADA exposure around cross slopes, surface transitions, accessible parking dispersion across multiple garages, and continuous accessible route compliance. The 2017 redevelopment triggered comprehensive path-of-travel upgrades, but legacy portions may still contain operationally poor routing (long detours, locked gates, service corridor routing). UCLA Century City Immediate Care operates within the mall.
Century City Medical Plaza (2070-2080 Century Park East)
A 1969-era medical campus (~200,000 SF medical office building) housing the California Rehabilitation Institute (138-bed inpatient rehab hospital, opened 2016 as a UCLA Health/Cedars-Sinai/Select Medical partnership) plus multi-tenant physician offices including Cedars-Sinai satellite clinics. The 1969 building core creates persistent ADA concerns: suite entry clearances, reception counters, exam room accessibility, restroom turning radii, and path-of-travel triggers from frequent tenant improvements. A federal ADA lawsuit (Whitaker v. Century City Medical Plaza Land Co.) confirms this address is in the litigation stream.
Constellation Boulevard / Century City North Core
The Century City North Specific Plan area between Santa Monica Blvd (north) and Constellation Blvd (south) concentrates high-rise office towers and the regional retail center. Buildings from the 1960s-1980s dominate. ADA risk clusters at pedestrian corridors with grade-separated elements (walkways/crossings creating route continuity, ramp slope, and detectable warning issues), office lobby vestibules with revolving-door entries requiring adjacent powered swing doors, and older parking structures with non-compliant access aisle widths and indirect routes to elevators. Active Metro D Line station construction is reshaping pedestrian routing with station completion anticipated spring 2027.
Century City South / Studio District
The Century City South Specific Plan identifies a 53-acre Studio Property (up to 1,895,000 GSF of studio use) between Olympic Blvd and Pico Blvd. The plan defines a Historic Studio Area with Preserved Building and Contributing Building designations, meaning accessibility upgrades may require preservation-compatible design (equivalent facilitation approaches). Older service buildings and stages present door clearance, threshold, ramp, and mezzanine access issues, while visitor-serving functions like lobbies and screening rooms trigger primary-function path-of-travel requirements under federal rules.
Notable Buildings
Westfield Century City
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Built 1964
1,326,114 sq ft
ADA Litigation Risk for Shopping Center in Century City
With a extreme litigation risk and settlements reaching $500K, shopping centers in Century City face significant ADA exposure — Shopping centers—malls, strip malls, retail plazas, and outlet centers—represent one of the highest-risk property catego….
Litigation Risk Level
extreme
Shopping centers—malls, strip malls, retail plazas, and outlet centers—represent one of the highest-risk property categories for ADA litigation in California. Retail centers with public-facing tenants are "most at risk for ADA-related lawsuits". The multi-tenant structure of shopping centers creates compounded exposure: compliance must be coordinated across landlord-controlled common areas (parking, walkways, restrooms, directories) and individual tenant spaces simultaneously. When any single tenant triggers a remodel, the 20% path-of-travel upgrade rule can cascade obligations across the property. The landlord bears primary liability for common areas under *Botosan v. Paul McNally Realty* (9th Cir. 2000), yet both landlord and tenant are jointly and severally liable under 28 C.F.R. § 36.201—meaning a plaintiff can name the property owner, management company, and every tenant in one suit.
Typical Settlement Range
$10,000 – $500,000
Most Targeted Property Types
Plaintiff Firms Targeting Shopping Centers
| Firm | Focus | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Manning Law, APC | 1,775 | |
| Law Office of Hakimi & Shahriari | 802 | |
| Law Office of Morse Mehrban | 418 | |
| So Cal Equal Access Group | 2,598 (federal) | |
| Potter Handy LLP / Center for Disability Access | Thousands historically | |
| Seabock Price APC | 299 | |
| The Reddy Law Firm | 279 |
ADA Violations & Risk Profile for Shopping Centers
Non-Compliant Parking Spaces
Multi-tenant parking lots frequently have excessive slopes/cross-slopes, improper dimensions, faded striping, and insufficient accessible spaces for the total lot capacity. Properties must calculate required accessible spaces based on each parking structure separately.
Inaccessible Exterior Path of Travel
Routes from parking to building entrances across large shopping center sites with uneven surfaces, excessive slope/cross-slope, missing detectable warnings, and paths unprotected from vehicular traffic. The ADA requires at least one accessible route from site arrival points to every accessible building entrance.
When a tenant makes alterations to a primary function area, both the ADA and California Building Code require that up to 20% of the adjusted construction cost be allocated to improving the accessible path of travel to that area—including the route from the public right-of-way, parking, and restrooms serving the altered space. For projects under the California valuation threshold of $186,172, the city requires the additional 20% allocation automatically. For example, a $100,000 tenant buildout in a shopping center could trigger $20,000 in path-of-travel upgrades to common area elements the landlord controls.
Missing or Non-Compliant Parking Signage
Parking identification signs lacking the International Symbol of Accessibility, missing "van accessible" designations, signs mounted below the required 60-inch minimum height, and missing directional signage to accessible spaces.
Non-Compliant Counter/Table Heights
Checkout counters, service desks, food court tables, and customer service kiosks exceeding the 36-inch maximum height requirement. At least one checkout counter must be no higher than 36 inches and at least 36 inches long.
Non-Compliant Ramps and Stairs
Curb ramps and entrance ramps with slopes exceeding 1:12 maximum, missing handrails, non-compliant landings, and absent wheel guards. Shopping centers with level changes between parking and entrances are particularly vulnerable.
Interior Path Obstructions
Merchandise racks, product displays, boxes, and seasonal displays projecting into accessible circulation paths within tenant spaces and common corridors. Aisles must maintain at least 36 inches clear width.
Van-Accessible and Loading Zones
Missing van-accessible spaces (required at 1 per every 6 accessible spaces), insufficient access aisle widths (8-foot minimum for van spaces), and non-existent passenger loading zones. Properties must provide van-accessible spaces at a one-in-six ratio.
Inaccessible Restroom Doors/Routes
Common area and tenant restroom entry doors with non-compliant thresholds, knob-style hardware (instead of levers), insufficient maneuvering clearance, and doors requiring more than 5 pounds of force. CCDA noted a strong upward trend in restroom violations, with 4 of positions 11–15 in the restroom category.
$4,000 (Cal. Civ. Code §52)
Unruh Civil Rights Act statutory minimum damages per violation
10,773,117 SF across ~20 professional office buildings
Century City office inventory (buildings >50K SF)
42 years (typical vintage ~late 1970s)
Average age of Century City office buildings (as of 2019)
~75–85%
Estimated share of commercial floor area built before 1990
88 identified buildings (LADBS 2018)
Non-ductile concrete buildings in Council District 5 (includes Century City)
A CASp (Certified Access Specialist) inspection provides the strongest available litigation shield under California law. Property owners who obtain a CASp inspection qualify for Qualified Defendant status under Cal. Civ. Code §55.51, which triggers a 90-day automatic court stay upon being sued, an early evaluation conference, and eligibility for a 75% reduction in statutory damages—from the $4,000 Unruh minimum down to $1,000 per violation under Cal. Civ. Code §55.56. This structured mitigation pathway converts ADA risk from an unpredictable liability into a manageable, documented compliance process.
Who Needs Accessible Shopping Centers in Century City
Century City's 10.8% disability rate and 13.4% senior population create high demand for accessible shopping centers.
10.8%
Residents with Disabilities
13.4%
Residents 65+
73,065
Veterans
These populations rely on accessible commercial properties in their community.
Cost vs. Risk for Shopping Centers in Century City
With shopping center ADA settlements in Century City ranging from $10K to $500K and 8 documented violation categories, a proactive CASp inspection is the most cost-effective protection.
A CASp inspection costs a fraction of a single ADA lawsuit settlement.
Inspection Cost
$3,500–$8,000
6-10 hours on-site
Typical Settlement
$10K–$500K
Based on Century City data
Protection Value
1:10
Return on compliance investment
Building Department & Permit Requirements
Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) in Century City oversees ADA compliance for 4 shopping centers — CBC Chapter 11B (California Building Standards Code); LADBS plan check applies 11B framework for commercial alterations.
Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS)
City of Los Angeles jurisdiction — Century City is a neighborhood within LA, not an independent city. LADBS handles building permits and code plan review; LA Department of City Planning handles zoning/Specific Plan clearances.
| Current accessibility code | CBC Chapter 11B (California Building Standards Code); LADBS plan check applies 11B framework for commercial alterations |
| Path-of-travel trigger | CBC Section 11B-202.4 — alterations affecting an area of primary function trigger accessible path-of-travel upgrades (entrance, route, restrooms, parking) |
Local Programs & Resources
4 local programs
Safe Sidewalks LA Rebate Program
City of Los Angeles program offering rebates for sidewalk repairs, including accessibility-related work. Subject to funding limits and waitlist-style constraints—private projects should not rely on rebates to offset right-of-way accessibility costs without confirming current availability.
LA County Small Business Mobility Fund
Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity program supporting improvements that may include accessibility and mobility-related upgrades for small businesses. Subject to eligibility requirements and funding rounds.
License #991
State-Certified Accessibility Specialist
Built Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
MS Structural Engineering · Tutor Perini
Qualified Defendant Status
Reduces statutory damages 75% with 90-day litigation stay
Jose Rubio
Certified Access Specialist
CASp #991Jose Rubio brings over 15 years of structural engineering and construction experience to every CASp inspection. He built Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center with Tutor Perini and holds an MS in Structural Engineering.
View full credentials →Frequently Asked Questions
Protect Your Century City Shopping Center
Schedule a CASp inspection and activate Qualified Defendant status under California Civil Code §55.56.