The 2028 Summer Olympics are coming to Los Angeles — and the commercial real estate market is already paying attention. While most people picture packed stadiums and opening ceremonies, savvy investors and business owners are watching something else entirely: the sweeping transformation of commercial corridors, office submarkets, and mixed-use developments happening right now, years before the torch is lit.
For those in the commercial space, this isn’t a future opportunity. It’s a current one.
The Impact Is Already Underway
One of the most important things to understand about major global events like the Olympics is that the real estate impact doesn’t begin on opening day. The bigger changes happen in the years leading up to the event and continue long after it ends. Los Angeles is no exception. Infrastructure is being upgraded, capital is flowing into underserved corridors, and businesses are repositioning now to capture the demand wave headed their way.
Los Angeles has committed to leveraging the Olympics to bolster its infrastructure without constructing permanent structures solely for the Games — a strategy that leans heavily on the city’s existing portfolio of world-class venues. That approach creates a different kind of opportunity: long-term commercial value tied to lasting infrastructure, not temporary buildout.
Office Space: A Market Quietly Heating Up
Perhaps no commercial segment illustrates the Olympic effect more clearly than office. Broadcast crews, corporate sponsors, sports federations, international logistics teams, and event organizers all need a place to work — and they’re starting to look well before 2028.
Because LA28 venues are spread across Los Angeles rather than concentrated in one district, the demand for temporary office space will likely show up in several different neighborhoods. That’s good news for property owners and tenants across a wide geographic range.
The numbers are already moving. On Location — the official hospitality provider for the 2028 Summer Olympics — signed for 108,272 square feet at the 40-story Union Bank Plaza in Downtown Los Angeles, representing Southern California’s biggest office lease of the year so far. That’s one deal. Thousands more will follow as the Games approach and the business infrastructure around LA28 fills in.
For companies seeking temporary headquarters or regional expansion space, the window to secure favorable terms is narrowing. Hotels, production studios, warehouses, and office space will all be at capacity by the time the Olympics arrive. Getting in ahead of that demand surge is the strategic move.
Hospitality and Hotel Development: A Construction Boom in Motion
The hospitality sector is seeing some of the most visible commercial activity tied to the Games. Los Angeles is expected to host more than 15 million visitors during the 2028 Olympic Games, with analysts from Deloitte projecting peak lodging demand at historic highs.
Developers are responding. In Inglewood, KPC Development is building the 300-room Kali Hotel and Rooftop Autograph Collection next to SoFi Stadium, the designated site of the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Across the region, operators are repositioning existing properties, pushing boutique renovations, and racing to get new builds permitted and open before 2028.
The convention center is also undergoing major transformation. The City of Los Angeles is investing in a $2.62 billion modernization and expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center, with upgrades expected to support Olympic events in fencing, judo, taekwondo, wrestling, and more — and to drive long-term convention and hospitality business for decades after.
Retail and Mixed-Use: Following the Foot Traffic
The Olympics will drive sustained, concentrated foot traffic to specific commercial corridors — and retail tenants and developers are taking notice. Hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, and entertainment venues are all expanding or upgrading. Office space is also seeing interest from companies that want to be close to the action.
Mixed-use developments are becoming a particularly strong play. Olympic-driven foot traffic means retail corridors, entertainment districts, and dining destinations will benefit — particularly in Downtown LA, Hollywood, and the Westside, with new ground-floor retail expected in mixed-use developments tied to residential and transit hubs.
Businesses positioned in high-traffic corridors near venues stand to benefit not just from event-period surges but from the permanent increases in neighborhood density and desirability that tend to follow large-scale infrastructure investment.
The Hot Zones: Where Commercial Opportunity Is Concentrating
Not all submarkets are created equal. Several areas are emerging as clear focal points for commercial development tied to LA28:
Inglewood — Already home to SoFi Stadium (site of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies), Inglewood is undergoing a real estate renaissance. With the addition of the Intuit Dome, transit expansions, and major mixed-use developments, the area is rapidly appreciating. The 300-acre Hollywood Park development is perhaps the most ambitious example: a former industrial site being transformed into an integrated district of entertainment, retail, hospitality, media production, and commercial space.
Downtown Los Angeles — DTLA will be the epicenter for many indoor events, media centers, and corporate activations. With improvements to Pershing Square, the LA Convention Center, and new hotels underway, real estate developers are eyeing both residential and commercial opportunities.
The Crenshaw/LAX Corridor — With the K Line (formerly the Crenshaw/LAX Line) now complete as of June 2025, this corridor has already become a critical transit-accessible hub. As connectivity continues to improve, neighborhoods like Leimert Park and Baldwin Hills are seeing increased demand and new investment interest.
Infrastructure as a Long-Term Commercial Value Driver
Perhaps the most durable commercial benefit of the 2028 Games isn’t the two-week event itself — it’s the infrastructure that outlasts it. Metro’s “Twenty-eight by ’28” initiative aims to complete 28 major transit projects before the Games, including the K Line, the D Line Extension (formerly the Purple Line Extension) — with Phase 1 opening May 8, 2026 — and the LAX People Mover.
Transit investment reliably drives commercial value. When a new rail corridor opens, businesses gain access to larger labor pools, customers gain easier access to retail centers, and mixed-use developments in transit-adjacent locations become more attractive to tenants. Those improvements don’t evaporate after the closing ceremony. Infrastructure changes permanently reshape how people live and move around Los Angeles County.
What This Means for Commercial Investors and Business Owners
The 2028 Olympics presents a multi-layered opportunity for those in the commercial space — whether you’re an investor evaluating acquisition targets, a business owner considering a lease renewal or relocation, or a developer assessing where to put capital. A few key takeaways:
Timing matters. The most advantageous positions are being taken now, not in 2028. Lease rates, acquisition prices, and development opportunities will all reflect increased demand as the Games approach.
Geography is decisive. Proximity to venues, transit corridors, and convention infrastructure is the primary driver of commercial upside. Inglewood, Downtown LA, and the Crenshaw/LAX corridor are among the most active zones.
The value outlasts the event. Unlike purely speculative plays, commercial real estate near permanent infrastructure improvements tends to hold and grow its value long after the Olympic spotlight moves on.
Partner with Peak Commercial
The commercial real estate landscape in Los Angeles is shifting — and the window to act strategically is open right now. Whether you’re looking to acquire, lease, or reposition a commercial asset ahead of 2028, Peak Commercial has the local market expertise to help you navigate the opportunity.
Contact Peak Commercial today to explore what the 2028 Olympics could mean for your commercial real estate strategy.
Peak Commercial specializes in commercial real estate brokerage and advisory services across the Greater Los Angeles area.
