Today’s LA Times brought an interesting obituary: Nathan Shapell.
Mr. Shapell was a leading California home builder perhaps best known for developing Porter Ranch, just north of Northridge. His company also developed the former MGM ranch in Thousand Oaks; the luxury home community Kite Hill in Laguna Niguel (where my sister-in-law lives); and Promenade Towers, a 510-unit project in downtown Los Angeles. As for Porter Ranch, he ended up developing about 3,300 homes and 3 million square feet of commercial buildings over 1,300 acres. His company has also had significant development efforts in Northern California, including Summit Bridge at Gale Ranch, The Woodlands at Eagle Ridge, Crest Bridge at Gale Ranch, Legacy Collection at Evergreen Hills in San Jose, Country View Estates in San Jose, Bonde Ranch in Pleasanton, and many more.
Shapell was also active in government reform efforts, and was a major philanthropist to Jewish causes (he was a holocaust survivor). All in all, a very interesting person.
