Planning Commission Discusses Draft EIR for 8850 Sunset Project
The West Hollywood Planning Commission held a public discussion on Thursday night to review the latest draft Environmental Impact Report for a much talked-about large-scale project on 8850 Sunset Boulevard, which consists of a 15-story mixed-use hotel and residential building between Larrabee Street and San Vicente Boulevard.
Prepared by the City of West Hollywood and environmental consulting firm Dudek, the draft EIR highlights potential issues and mitigation strategies for this project. Per state law, The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires state and local agencies to evaluate and consider the environmental impacts during the decision-making process.
According to the draft EIR, the developers’ goal is to revitalize an underutilized block on the Sunset Strip. Currently, four commercial buildings that house a variety of businesses, including the iconic Viper Room, occupy the space. If the project moves forward, all existing retail spaces would be demolished.
The building plans consist of two separate high-rises — one with 115 hotel rooms and another with 41 residential units, 10 of which are being designated as affordable housing.
The proposal also includes an underground parking structure with room for 240 spaces, and both towers will have similar amenities such as gyms, pools, and indoor/outdoor entertaining spaces. In addition, the hotel will house several restaurants and lounges, including a new space for the Viper Room.
As local hotels begin to rebound from the COVID crisis, commissioners worry construction noise may negatively impact the nearby London Hotel. Other issues brought up include additional traffic jams and backups on San Vicente Boulevard, Larrabee Street, and Sunset Boulevard, as well as limited parking, especially for those in the workforce.
Susan Milrod, a longtime resident of Larrabee Street, believes the residential side should be economically inclusive. She feels the developer is discriminating against the affordable housing units, and worries those tenants might be barred from using the same amenities as those who live in market-rate units.
“It is segregation and separation in a way. West Hollywood, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive city. It’s not inclusive for somebody building this sort of monstrosity that will put a visible shadow over everything to the south of it,” she said.
West Hollywood resident Roxanne, who recently moved back to the street she grew up on, cautioned about the potential consequences such as traffic congestion, global warming, street parking, and overdevelopment.
“Sunset Strip is not Las Vegas. It is a collection of historical musical clubs and various mom and pop [businesses]. It was disheartening to find out that even a pandemic couldn’t stop this project,” she said.
Despite concerns, other nearby residents support this endeavour and offered positive feedback. Robert Brigande is thrilled by the forward-thinking approach and design, as feels it continues the progressive ideals of West Hollywood.
“This is not so much for, maybe not an older generation, it is for the up and coming. This is something new, something exciting,” he said.
Commissioner Lombardi recused himself due to a potential conflict of interest.
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the building is an ugly intrusion upon WeHo. From what I’ve read, it promises to create a bottleneck on Larrabee and Sunset.
The building is too large and too upscale and in essence way too futuristic in design for WEHO Maybe in parts of Miami and New York can you build a structure with no residences around it, but you have 35-70 year old buildings that are barely getting retrofitted due to earthquakes. We are on a major earthquake fault zone. So an ultra modern sleek futuristic design might get distinction to bragging rights to attract the international jet set, but this isn’t Sao Paolo Brazil, which has the largest economic disparity among its residents and an international tax haven for the… Read more »
Would be the largest building of any recent Sunset Strip project, and yet they want to plop it down onto little residential two-lane Larrabee Street. And oh yeah, the building’s only vehicle exit also would be on Larrabee Street – as well as its only trucking delivery entrance and exit lol. And oh yeah, ALL of this vehicle activity would be added to Larrabee right beneath its Sunset Blvd. intersection – so any blockage will immediately impact traffic onto the Strip and Larrabee both. I’m surprised these developers didn’t plan to put this hotel’s helicopter pad and its swimming pool… Read more »
West Hollywood is 1.9 or so sq miles. It’s has one direction to grow. That is going to be up. I would rather have taller quality buildings than mid rise mediocrity which will be replaced for taller buildings in 30 years. The city is already polluted with crappy two and three story buildings that nobody loves. They are slowly being replaced. I would embrace going taller if they move the easements in on the side and back so there is more air and light surrounding the new structures especially residential buildings. As far as sunset Blvd goes nothing is worse… Read more »
This is an amazing project. As a one time Larrabee resident I would enjoy being in this structure’s shadow. YES APPROVE! The monstrosities are the dense mid-rise apartment buildings they’ve put up on the east side of WeHo!
Why 15 floors if zoning is 10 max?
The developers along with their lobbyists paid off the pay for play politicians. How do you think Lindsey Horvath has survived all these years?
The political hacks are owned by developers. It’s pay for play. WeHo’s 40-year-old baby doll, Lindsay Horvath, the great liberal, is their street walker. She’s pathetic and should return to East Cleveland and drop off John Erickson in Oshkosh on her way.
Even if you don’t care for Ms. Horvath, this is an objectionable comment and reflects on you.
Who doesn’t love a tree.
No apologies. This wasn’t cancel culture. It was Critical ERASE Theory.
Also, I feel the city council is very prejudice and refused to celebrate National WASP Week last April. Is that because Horvath and Erickson were raised Roman Catholic?
Quite crude. Instead of focusing on National WASP Week which originally celebrated members of the Woman’s Air Force Service Pilots of WWII, maybe time to study up on the Secret Life of Bees…. much more productive.
This project is incredible and should be immediately approved and built, with the condition that they bring back the Viper Room.
This looks like a bad joke by a first-year architectural student! It is offensively ugly and belongs nowhere, and certainly not in West Hollywood.