Plans for the Bond Hotel and Residences project on Santa Monica Boulevard on West Hollywood’s Eastside are likely to face some pushback from the project’s neighbors at Thursday night’s meeting of the city’s Planning Commission.
The main matter on the Commission’s agenda is the presentation of the project’s draft environmental impact report. The draft EIR was prepared by Dudek, an environmental planning and engineering firm with which the City of West Hollywood contracts for such services. A copy of it can be downloaded by clicking here.
The draft EIR describes a six-story hotel with an apartment building and a restaurant and an art gallery, all part of a project by Faring, a prominent local developer. The site is composed of three lots. One, facing Santa Monica Boulevard, is home to Brick Fitness gym and a parking lot. The lot on the west side of the property facing Orange is a city-owned parking lot with 45 spaces. The lot facing east on Ogden Grove Avenue is the site of a two-story building with seven rent-stabilized apartments.
The hotel would have 86 rooms. A building fronting on Ogden Drive would have nine two-bedroom apartment units, 23 one-bedroom units, and 38 studio units. Eleven of the 70 units would be affordable housing units. The Ogden lot currently is occupied by a two-story apartment building with seven rent-stabilized units. There would be two levels of underground parking accommodating 145 vehicles, with 45 spaces available to the general public. There would be 37 bicycle parking spaces.
A petition signed by 70 people living near the project that originally was presented to the city’s Transportation Commission will be delivered to the Planning Commission. It criticizes the project, saying, “The Bond Project will create a transportation crisis in our neighborhood and those neighborhoods adjacent to ours.”
The petitioners claim that the projected two-year construction period will inconvenience local residents and customers of local businesses.
“Parking for Whole Foods customers and pick-up/drop-off for Fountain Day School children will create havoc on Orange Grove,” the petition says, adding: “When the Bond Project is complete, patrons and employees of the project will poach parking on our residential streets displacing residents from their scarce street parking.”
The petitioners also object that drop-offs of customers at the hotel and its restaurant and the presence of Lyft and Uber drivers will create a backup of traffic on Ogden and Santa Monica Boulevard. “The influx of freight/commercial vehicles to service the hotel, restaurant and art gallery using Orange Grove risks more wear, tear and damage to the street not only to mention the increased amount of exhaust pollution and sound pollution for residents,” the petition states.
The Commission will meet on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd., south of Santa Monica. Parking is free in the five-story structure behind the Chambers with a ticket validated in the lobby.
Whenever the city wants to diminish feedback from the public, they locate the meeting as far away from the local residents as possible. If this project is on the Eastside, why isn’t this hearing being held in the Plumber Park facility? More local residents would show up to express their perspective.
I live on Ogden near this project. Its going to be very chaotic I’m afraid.
But hey, at least the city council is getting rich from developer kickbacks, right?
You are more than a moron to suggest developers are giving kickbacks with no proof. SHAME on you! The city council has done an AMAZING job by providing great buildings and services in West Hollywood. The parks get better and better, improved library. All this and more by a devoted City Council. I live on Ogden too! and yes it will be more difficult during construction time. But once it gets built it should be much smoother. WEHO is not going to stay the same no matter how much you complain or lie. Developers are allowed to develop.
WELL NO PROOF!
You may just want to look at the contributions made by developers to ALL CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS Campaigns (Except Lauren Meister’s). Perhaps not proof, but certainly worth considering.