PLUM Meeting 11/05/12 05:30 PM – Hollywood Hills West

Meeting Date: 11/05/12 05:30 PM

Meeting Type: Regular

Location: Will & Ariel Durant Library, 7140 W. Sunset Blvd. LA 90046

Details:

Agenda

1. Welcome and introductions.

2. 2018 Highland Blvd: a proposal to build HLand Hotel, a 20-room boutique hotel in a new 5 story building; there currently is an apartment building on the site, which would be demolished. The proposal has been considered already at a zoning administrator's public hearing, and no determinations have been published yet in the case. There will be brief informational presentation, including an update on the current tenants and any changes proposed since the public hearing was held.

3. 2111 Cahuenga Blvd.: a proposal to build a motel, which would contain 38 rooms in 4 stories and have 34 parking spaces.

The proposed plans for items nos. 3 are available Here

4. 1841 Highland Blvd.: a proposal to build an Indigo Hotel with 100+ rooms in 6 stories above ground, two levels of parking beneath the hotel, and a bell tower.

5. 3523 Cahuenga Blvd.: a proposal to build a single story commercial building on Cahuenga and to build up to three townhouses upslope from that building, which would be accessed from Broadlawn.

6. The Millenium Project: a proposal to build two very tall multiple story mixed use buildings on a 4.47 acre site adjacent to the Capitol Records building near Vine and South of Franklin. Proposed uses include residential, a hotel, office space, a sports club, restaurants and retail.

7. Public comment on items not on the agenda but within the Committee's purview.

8. Adjournment.

All of the PLUM Committee Members were present: Orrin Feldman, Jim Geoghan, Joshua Koppel, Jeff Papes, Mary Prange, Joyce Dyrector, Robin Moreno and Patricia Weber. So, the committee had a quorum present.

There were approximately 40 people at the meeting.

Orrin Feldman called the meeting to order at 5:35 pm, and made opening remarks. The other committee members introduced and identified themselves.

1. 3523 Cahuenga Blvd West

Uri and Shula Arbel presented a proposal for developing a vacant site there, which goes from Cahuenga Blvd. West upslope to Multiview. The entire site is zoned for commercial use(s). The Arbels are proposing building four buildings there, but haven't yet filed any plans with the City. A two story commercial building would be built on Cahuenga, and three small single family homes would be built along Multiview. A driveway would run down Multiview past the three homes' garages and to the roof of the commercial building, where parking for the commercial building would be provided.

The Arbels were asking the PLUM Committee and stakeholders at the meeting for their input. Generally, the reactions were positive. Open issues for which Planning and DOT needed to be consulted were (i) how wide the driveway needed to be, and (ii) whether the drivway could serve both the homes and the commercial building. The Arbels hadn't yet decided whether the homes would be condominiums or a small lot subdivision.

2-4. 2018 Highland
2111 Cahuenga Blvd.
1841 Highland

These items (2-4) are a proposed motel and two hotels.

Greg Jackson presented the HLand Hotel proposal for 2018 Highland.

Robert Lamishaw presented the proposed motel for 2111 Cahuenga Blvd.

Ira Handleman and Mike Patel presented the Indigo Hotel proposal for 1841 Highland.

The questions and comments with regard to the HLand Hotel and the motel were critical and negative.

The hotel and motel were criticized for their modern designs which were not Meditarranean and harmonius with the adjacent communities' prevailing style(s).

The HLand Hotel was criticized for having too narrow a driveway and for trying to satisfy their required parking space requirement with racked/lift parking. Concerns about operating the lifts 24/7 were made, and about the noise which might be generated, although Mr. Jackson mentioned that the lifts, when moving cars, should not be louder than 65 decibels.

The motel was criticized for not providing more parking specifically for motel employees.

Mr. Lamishaw mentioned that the Planning Department would consider the motel proposal at a December 5th hearing.

On the other hand, the questions and comments with regard to the Indigo Hotel proposal were positive. Several people praised the developer for redesigning the original proposal to be in a Meditarranean style. Other comments commended the traffic flow and including more than the minimum required number of parking spaces.

The PLUM Committee deliberated and crafted separate motions with regard to each of the three proposed projects. Each motion is a recommendation to the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council's board; the motions are as follows:

(Item 2) With regard to the proposal for the HLand Hotel for 2018 Highland, the PLUM Committee recommended that HHWNC should not support the current proposal. The PLUM Committee recommended that the hotel's exterior be redesigned with a Mediterranean style. The committee's concerns also included the driveway width and ingress/egress for traffic at the hotel; the racked/lift parking's operation 24/7 with possibly adverse effects from noise and lights on the adjacent apartment and hotel buildings; and the proposed height and outdoor deck of the owner's unit on the top floor.

(Item 3) With regard to the proposed motel for 2111 Cahuenga Blvd, the PLUM Committee recommended that HHWNC should not suport the current proposal. The PLUM Committee recommended that the motel's exterior be redesigned with a Meditarranean style, and that more on-site employee parking be provided.

(iItem 4) With regard to the Indigo Hotel proposal for 1841 Highland, the PLUM Committee recommended that HHWNC support the proposed project.

5. The Millenium Project's two skyscraper buildings being proposed for the 4.47 acre site adjacent to the existing Capitol Records building near Vine and south of Franklin were presented by Alfred Fraijo, Esq.

The comments and questions concerning the proposed buildings were negative and highly critical. Generally, the comments were that the buildings would be too large and too high/tall for the site and the Hollywood area. Others commented on the buildings' impact on already bad traffic flow in that area's local streets and on the 101 freeway's Vine Street exit ramp. Others commented that the buildings would be built on an earthquake fault and that there was a lack of infrastructure in the area to support the buildings. Two others highlighted the difficulties which the LAFD might have in servicing the building in the event of a fire breaking out on a high floor since there would be no other similarly tall buildings nearby. Others commented on the light which the building would throw off to the upslope hillside areas and throughout evening hours, which is called "lumniosity".

Mr. Fraijo explained that the Millenium Project's developers were not requesting any digital billboard entitlements or any signage district.

The PLUM Committee deliberated and decicded, unanimously, to recommend that HHWNC should not support the Millenium Project's current proposal. The PLUM Committee concluded that the proposed buildings would be too big, too tall, generate too much traffic, not provide enough parking, would be difficult to protect in the event of a fire on a high floor and too luminous. The PLUM Committee's concern extended to even whether the site was geologically appropriate if these buildings were to be built on an existing and known fault line.

Orrin's concluding remarks included a reminder that the PLUM Committee's webpage at HHWNC's website/www.hhwnc.org had been launched and would serve as a way to make the PLUM Committee's information and meetings available to our community and transparent to everyone. He also mentioned that the next PLUM Committee meeting would be held in early December at a date and time to be announced, and that it would be likely to focus on conditional use permit cases and include an education component on conditional use permits for bars, nghtclubs etc.

The PLUM Committee's meeting was adjourned at 7:45 pm.