General Motors Design Studio Poised to Begin Pasadena Operations by First Quarter of 2023

The new General Motors Advanced Design Studio in Pasadena is expected to be completed by December 2022 and begin operations by the first quarter of 2023.

So said GM project engineer Michael Wick during the city’s Economic Development and Technology Committee meeting Tuesday.

“Our schedule calls for us to be complete at the end of 2022 and then we will start moving over the equipment shortly thereafter.”

“We’ll be completely out of North Hollywood early next year.”

According to Wick, the auto-making giant has secured one building permit so far for the project. The firm has also met with unions offering to work on the project.

All construction trades for the project will be local, said Wick.

In July 2021, GM announced a more than $71 million investment to establish a nearly 150,000-square-foot campus on an eight-acre property at Rosemead Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue. The new site, consisting of three buildings, was purchased for $49.5 million.

The 3-building complex has three address: 565 N. Rosemead Blvd., 580 Sierra Madre Villa Ave., and 600 Sierra Madre Villa.

GM’s transfer from North Hollywood to Pasadena is part of its broader global expansion.

The company will retain its space at the North Hollywood Design Center until the new campus in Pasadena is completed.

GM’s move is seen to create more jobs in Pasadena.

According to Wick, between 50 to 100 employees are needed for the new site and there will likely be job opportunities for locals.

Except for planned events, the new studio will not be open to the public.

“These gates are closed all the time and we have 24-hour security on the site. Unless it’s a special event, normal business operations will not allow for the public to enter the building,” Wick said.

GM has a long history of design facilities in California, including the Advanced Concept Studio in Newbury Park from 1983-1996 and the current North Hollywood studio, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. Nesbitt said they’ve outgrown that studio and faced a number of constraints there. There are about 65 to 70 employees at the North Hollywood location. GM representatives said they’re not yet announcing how many more employees will work in Pasadena.