Haute 100 Los Angeles Update: Alan Casden

Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets—Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. These people continue to make moves, so rather than waiting for the next Haute 100 issue to come out, we thought we’d provide you with regular updates on those Haute 100 members who are making headlines. A major player in taking L.A. vertical, Alan Casden, chief executive officer and chairman of Casden Properties, has several new properties in the works.

Alan Casden

Category: Billionaires

Company: Casden Properties LLC

Industry: Real Estate

What Made Him Haute: One of the wealthiest men in the world, this self-made accountant-turned-developer billionaire is a builder of inner-city, high-density real estate. He is a loyal backer of Jewish and Israeli causes.

What Makes Him Haute Now: When only a daring few were taking risks in the collapsed market, Alan Casden, a leading game changer in urban planning throughout Southern California, was one of them. Casden is reaping the benefits with a nearly leased portfolio of apartment buildings. Earlier this year, Casden won approval for a mixed-use development, with a projected worth of more than $300 million, in West Hollywood. In accordance with L.A.’s light-rail line, Exposition Line, planned for completion by 2015, Casden Properties has proposed building one of the biggest developments on the Westside, four eight-story buildings holding 538 residential units and about 266,800 square feet of retail space, adjacent to the Sepulveda Boulevard station. As Casden serves the remainder of his term on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Casden Properties has a luxury apartment building in Tel Aviv in the pipeline.