Meeting Date: 04/10/13 05:30 PM
Meeting Type: Regular
Location: Will & Ariel Durant Library, 7140 Sunset Blvd.
Details: 1. Welcome, introductions and general comments on the PLUM Comittee's operations by the committee's chairperson.
2. Review the draft minutes of the committee's meeting on March 6, 2013. The draft minutes are posted and available for your review on this website under the committee's meetings archive.
3. A discussion with regard to a recent publication called "Millenium Hollywood: Facts & Fiction", which is posted at milleniumhollywood.net. The publication purports to describe what occurred at the committee's meeting on November 5, 2012. We'll discuss whether (or not) that description seems accurate.
4. 1722-1730 Las Palmas, 1718 Las Palmas, 1727 Cherokee and 1719 Cherokee:
Hollywood Cherokee Aaprtments Venture, LLC is proposing (i) four levels of parking, with three to subterranean and one above ground, (ii) 225 units of residential housing, including apartments and townhouses, and (iii) 378 square feet of commercial space in the partially underground first floor. In other words, it seems to be a 7-story building with three additional underground parking levels.
The Planning Department's case no. is CPC 2013-521.
Ira Handleman will be coordinating the presentation Hollywood Cherokee Apartment Ventures.
5. 6925 and 6801 Hollywood Blvd.: The Chinese 6 Marquee Theatres is proposing making changes to the exterior of this historic landmark, including new digital signage and new awnings.
The Planning Department's case no. is APCC 2013-346.
Alwyn Hight Kushner will be making the presentation on behalf of The Chinese 6 Marquee Theaters.
6. 1708 Las Palmas: formerly operated as Angels & Kings.
The committee will consider an amended application on behalf of Adolfo Suaya, the owner of 1708 Las Palmas, and a new operator, who are applying to the Planning Department for a conditional use permit (Type 47) to sell a full line of alcoholic beverages in connection with a new restaurant at the location.
The amended application is posted and available for you to read under the PLUM committee's page at www.hhwnc.org.
The amended application asks the Planning Department to approve extended hours of operation, which would be from 10 am to 4 am on mondays through fridays, and 8 am through 4 am on saturdays and sundays. The restaurant would add a small live entertainment area, and continue to have approximately 80 seats, including the existing bar, but add 15 seats in the public right of way along Hollywood Blvd. and Las Palmas for outdoor dining. Permission for Karaoke nights and live music are being requested. Another new request is for permission to impose a viewing charge to view selected evenings of sports events.
The Planning Department's case no. continues to be ZA 2012-2850(CUB). The corresponding CEQA case no. is ENV 2012-2851-CE.
The Planning Department has scheduled a public hearing to consider this application for thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9:30 am at LA City Hall's room 1020.
Mike Gonzales, Esq. will be making the presentation on behalf of What's on Third, Mr. Suaya and the new operator(s).
7. Public comments on any non-agendized items.
8. Adjournment.
The committee's next two meetings are scheduled for May 8, 2013 and June 12, 2013, both of which are wednesdays. The meetings will be held from 5:30 to 7:50 pm in The Durant Public Library's community room.
PLUM Committee members Orrin Feldman, Jeff Papes, Jim Geoghan, Joshua Kopel, and Mary Prange were present. Area Committee chairs Robin Moreno, Joyce Dyrector and Barbara Witkin were present. EMS Committee chair Dietrich Nelson was present.
There was a quorum of the voting members of the committee present when this meeting began at 5:35 pm. Almost 30 stakeholders were present.
The committee reviewed the draft minutes of its March 6th meeting. The minutes were approved unanimously.
1. The committee's chair mentioned that the "Millenium Hollywood: Facts & Fiction" website posting purported to describe the committee's November meeting, but seemed to be inaccurate.
2. 1708 Las Palmas – HHWNC Environmental Committee chair Vincent Laresca and Michael Gonzales, Esq., as an attorney for Adolfo Suaya and What's On Third, the property's owner, made a presentation with regard to a proposal for a new restaurant, The Rusty Mullet, to operate at 1708 Las Palmas, which formerly was the site of Angels & Kings.
The Planning Department's case no. is CP 2012-2850(CUB); the corresponding CEQA case no. is ENV 2012-2851-CE.
LAPD Hollywood Division's Vice Officers Abrams and Grey participated in the discussion. They explained that LAPD would be opposing extnding the proposed hours of operation from 2 am to 4 am, daily.
Committee member Jeff Papes recused himself during the discussion, and he left the community room .
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The committee unanimously voted to recommend that the HHWNC board vote to oppose extending the proposed hours of operation from 2 am to 4 am daily. The committee unanimously voted to recommend supporting restricting live music to ambient nonamplified music, but didn't reach any agreement on whether such music should be restricted to any particular hours or how many days per week or month. The committee unanimously supported recommending the application's request to hold karaoke nights.
Vinny explained that the proposal for outdoor dining along both Hollywood Blvd. and Las Palmas had been cut back to include sidewalk dining only along Hollywod Blvd; Las Palmas isn't wide enough to allow sidewalk dining.
A proposed menu and some pictures of menu items were shared with those at the meeting. No renderings for the outdoor dining area and the new exterior were provided, but it was mentioned that the exterior would be opened up. So, the committee didn't take any positions on the outdoor dining proposal or the propesed new exterior beyond some members expressing hope that the new exterior would be more open and provide a better streetscape.
3. 1722-1730 Las Palmas, 1718 Las Palmas, 1727 Cherokee and 1719 Cherokee; the Planning Dept.'s case no. is CPC 2013-521
Champion Development's Greg Beck, Kyndra Caspar, Esq. from Sheppard Mullin, and I Ira Handleman made the presentation on behalf of Hollywood Cherokee Apartment Venture LLC for a new 225 unit rental apartment building. They announced that a full scale environmental impact report will be prepared for the proposed project.
The presentation was followed by questions and answers.
The development team wil be meeting with various City agencies and will come back to make one or more additional presentations as the proposed project develops.
4. 6925 and 6801 Hollywood Blvd. The Chinese 6 Marquee Theaters, formerly known as Mann's Chinese Theaters. The Planning Department.'s case no. is APCC 2013-346.
Payton Hall and Alwyn Hight Kushner made the presenation with regard to the proposed exterior changes of The Chinese 6 Marquee Theaters, which are to replace two billboards with digital billboards and put up new anwnings. They explained that the proposed changes were part of a larger renovation and remodeling of the old Mann Chinese Theatre's original theater to become an IMAX theater.
The committee wanted to know whether the digital billboards would show advertising solely for the movies being presented at the theaters, or whether outside advertisers would be allowed to advertise on those digital billboards.
Joe Girodo expressed support for the proposed remodeling on behalf of Hollywood Heritage's Preservation Issues Committee.
HHWNC's PLUM committee voted unanimously to support the proposed remodeling so long as the advertising allowed on the digital billboards will be limited to advertising the movies being shown at The Chinese 6 Marquee Theaters.
5. Elliot Johnson asked whether the committee could work to restore holiday lighting to Hollywood Blvd. for 2013. Business Committee chair Joshua Koppel undertook to work with Mr. Johnson to try to do so.
6. Adjournment at 7:50 pm
The committee's next two meetings are scheduled for May 8, 2013 and June 12, 2013. Both meeting dates are wednesdays. The meetings will be held from 5:30 to 7:50 pm in The Durant Public Library's community room.