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It's been a rocky road towards approval for starchitect Frank Gehry's mixed-use project at 8150 Sunset Boulevard, but Los Angeles' Planning and Land Use Management Committee has finally given their OK for the development to proceed. Feedback from impassioned area politicians and the community has been fast and furious, so in response, developer Townscape Partners is reformulating the development ahead of this week's City Council session, which will consider the project in its revised form.
As originally proposed, the commercial and residential development's 15-storey, 71-metre tower would have been the tallest building erected on the Sunset Strip in 30 years. But requests for additional affordable housing, more parking spots, and a downsized highrise made by local councilman David Ryu were readily adopted by Townscape. The altered scheme now proposes a 54-metre-tall structure as its anchoring statement and includes a total of 494 parking spaces, a 60-spot increase from before. However, the bump in parking spots creates somewhat of a paradox, as local residents had expressed their concern about the development's potential impacts on the volume of traffic in the area.
The latest iteration won over the Laurel Canyon Association and the City of West Hollywood, two of five appellants that had opposed the original plan. West Hollywood officials now support the scaled-back tower with the caveat that its rooftop mechanical equipment be appropriately hidden from the view of neighbouring residents.
The lingering question of what to do with the 1960-era Lytton Savings building on the site will persist for at least another month, as City Council considers the Cultural Heritage Commission's recommendation for landmark designation. If approved, the historic building will likely be protected from razing, but relocated to a different property.
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