Meeting Date: 07/12/14 01:00 PM
Meeting Type: Special
Location: GARDNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
Details:
Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council
AREA 7 COMMITTEE MEETING
DATE: Saturday, July 12, 2014
PLACE: Gardner Elementary School Auditorium
7450 Hawthorn Avenue, LA, 90046
TIME: 1:00 PM
Agenda
Call To Order
1.) Public Comment
2.) Jason Illoulian of Faring Capital, the developers of 7500 Sunset Boulevard will be presenting their intentions and proposed plans for a new mixed use project that will involve 2 entire blocks on the south side of Sunset Blvd from Gardner Street to Curson. Plans include; to demolish current existing 2 blocks on the south side of Sunset, including commercial uses on Sierra Bonita and Curson and replace with 30,000 square feet of ground floor retail and 236 residential units above. The height of the buildings is not to exceed 64 feet or 5 stories with subterranean parking for residential units and retail outlets. Presentation and Q & A with developer.
Meeting Adjourn
AREA 7 HHWNC MEETING MINUTES
JULY 12, 2014
GARNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Re: 7500 Sunset Blvd Project
Barbara Witkin, Area 7 Chair, called the meeting to order at 1:15
1) No Public Comments. 120+ people in attendance.
2) The meeting was defined as informational only. Questions, but no comments. Barbara explained that there will be adequate time in the future scoping meetings to comment on the project design.
TIMEFRAME: The project is not expected to begin construction for approximately two years from now and will take 18 months of construction.
LOCATION: The project location is the south side of Sunset Boulevard, taking up two blocks between Curson and Gardner.
Jason Illoulian of Faring Capital was introduced as the developer and stated that he was excited to present this project and the unique opportunity it gave him to enhance the neighborhood. He added that the design and details are not set in stone and that he is ready and willing to work on it with the community of stakeholders. He introduced his team:
Michael Landscape
Jerry Overland Traffic [email protected]
Dave Entitlement
Darren Embry Outreach [email protected]
Jason described the buildings as two 5-story structures with retail on the ground level and condos above. Materials include a combination of stone, green walls and metal on the west building and a different stone and teak on the east building. No stucco will be used.
He identified 801 Fairfax as a similar project with small retail stores and restaurants. The goal is to create a pedestrian friendly neighborhood asset with street trees and landscape elements.
Questions from the audience included:
Q: This is a 5-story building? How does the zone allow this?
A: R4 density with an FAR of 1:1, allows commercial mixed use with no ht limit.
Q: How much parking is provided?
A: 1 space/unit; both on ground and underground
Q: What are the unit sizes? Price?
A: One bedroom and studio units. Price has not been determined.
Q: You said your family has never sold anything, but these are condos, right?
A: If we preparing a “condo map”, it gives us the ability to rent or sell.
Q: Will there be solar?
A: Still an early stage of design, but yes.
Q: How much will be affordable housing?
A: 7-11%
Q: What kind of businesses will be incorporated into the project?
A: Hopefully some of the existing businesses will be brought back. We will be looking for small unique businesses. We hope to hear more about what the neighborhood would want.
Q: Lots of mixed use buildings in Hollywood seem to have low occupancy rates? Is there a need for more housing?
A: Our research indicates that vacancy rates are low and there is a need for housing.
Q: What parking will be provided for the retail establishments?
A: The ground level parking and part of the sub-terrain will be for retail customers.
Q: Will there be a pool?
A: Yes, on the courtyard level
Q: What is the total parking?
A: 419 spaces currently planned
Q: Each unit is more likely to bring 2-3 cars. Why is the ratio so low?
A: City of LA believes a lower required parking = a reduction in traffic. We are meeting the code requirement for 1 per unit.
Q: How will the traffic flow be addressed with 200+ cars added to the neighborhood?
A: A full EIR will be completed to study this issue along with a traffic study.
Q: How will you handle restaurant parking?
A: We are hoping to have small unique restaurants that are more community supported versus a “chipotle” that attracts passers by in cars.
Q: Crime is a concern.
A: With more lighting, open sidewalks, more security- crime should be reduced.
Q: This is one of 65 projects under consideration in Hollywood. If all of them are under construction at the same time, we will experience gridlock.
A: Going through a full EIR allows us to study these impacts. The city will be paying attention to any accumulative impact.
Q: Would you agree with an independent EIR by a 3rd party?
A: No. We believe we have hired an “all star” team to conduct the necessary studies.
Q: Can you assist the neighborhood in getting permit parking only on the adjacent streets?
A: Possibly. We are at the table discussing solutions with the city, so let us know what you want.
Q: What role can you and other developers coming into Hollywood play to contribute to our public parks? Runyon Canyon as an example.
A: Great idea. We will look into it.
Q: We are looking for a community benefit. How will this project benefit us?
A: We believe public benefits will include: safety, pedestrian friendliness, increased landscape elements, more gathering space, and more parking.
Q: How will the ingress and egress be handled?
A: Driveways are currently located on both sides of Sierra Bonita and on Gardner.
Q: Will the street landscape continue on both sides of Sunset and beyond these blocks?
A: Not yet, but could be expanded.
Q: The accumulative impact of projects is important to study. What about the Hollywood fault?
A: Agreed, the EIR will give us more information.
Q: What examples can you give us of completed projects you have done?
A: I will provide addresses of projects we have completed in West Hollywood.
Q: Will the project be LEED certified?
A: No. We will be required to meet the Green Code.
Q: Can permit parking be 24 hours?
A: That’s beyond our scope, but we can keep your concern in mind.
Q: It seems you are designing for a younger crowd. Bicycle parking?
A: The bicycle ordinance drives the bike racks, but we believe there are a lot of people of all ages downsizing due to the cost of living who would like to stay or move into this neighborhood.
Q: Are you requesting any variances?
A: No variances, but we are going through a Conditional Use Permit to increase the allowed square feet and for the alcohol service.
Q: The density bonus/ square foot increase allows you to add the 5-stories. Can this be challenged?
A: State law allows a 3:1 density bonus
Q: Aesthetics. How can the design integrate more into our neighborhood charm?
A: We have tried to address this in the design, but more elements can still be added.
Q: How many restaurants?
A: Two on the east side and 2 on the west. 3 CUPs for liquor licenses have been filed.
Meeting adjornedat: 2:20pm