Hi there! I’m a West Hollywood resident on Ogden Drive, and am voicing my concerns for The Bond Project for the
reasons listed below.
Please complete a new Traffic Study that takes into account the elimination of residential parking from both the loss of parking from the City Lot on Orange Grove and from all the new traffic sources that will be coming into the area. The massive influx of Uber and Lyfts plus the cars belonging to new residents of the project will create gridlock and traffic impediments on Santa Monica, Ogden and Orange Grove, unlike anything the City has ever experienced.
This Project is 10,000 sq ft short of its required aggregate parcel for a Type A Project that incorporates Residential Zoning. This is not a request for concession of a design standard but for a Zoning Code Regulation.
The Proposal is to connect three infill lots on three different side of the block and stud each infill lot with a driveway that will operate 24/7 This will T-bone the neighborhood
THE BOND PROJECT DOES NOT DESERVE THE DESIGNATION OF A TYPE A PROJECT: IT DOES NOT ENCOURAGE PEDESTRIANS TO GATHER, CREATE PUBLIC PLAZAS, CREATE OUTDOOR CORRIDORS BETWEEN BUILDINGS, CREATE A WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOOD, CREATE A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING, STRENGTHEN OUR SENSE OF PUBLIC PLACE, STRENGTHEN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER OR REDUCE DISTANCE BETWEEN HOUSING AND WORKPLACE.
The balance between R3B and CC2 in The Bond Hotel/Residence Project is out of proportion.
The CC2 component dwarfs the R3B component which is only 19% of the total site. One single R3B parcel was purchased to make the second of three applications for the Project.
This single R3B parcel will be tested beyond its limits of tolerance and become an instrument of abuse upon the neighborhood in the following ways: The width of the driveway on the R3B parcel will double from 9 to 18 ft It will handle 17 times more vehicles than it does now The R3B parcel driveway will be tied to the massing on CC2 on the other side of the block
The driveway will access 62,750 sq ft of residential area; an increase of about 17X. The three 24/7 driveways that stud the three outer facades of the project make up 20% of total frontage.
Furthermore, it does not, with its size, massing and bulk, look or physically function like anything in the neighborhood or described in the West Hollywood Zoning Code.
The Project will be hard-pressed to create any sense of walkability or community.
Three driveways operating 24/7. It will inevitably impair the integrity and character of the Zoning District, R3B, within which it lies.
In summary, this single R3B, that makes up the sum total of residentially zoned property in the aggregate parcel was purchased for about $3.2 million for the single purpose of a driveway
Thank you,
Brent Jones
West Hollywood Resident
January 31st, 2023
It’s hard to argue that putting more housing directly on one of the best transit corridors in the LA Basin in going to create more traffic. Many of the new residents in this location will be able to walk to neighborhood amenities, thus reducing car trips. Bus routes along Santa Monica and Fairfax provide lots of options for non-driving mobility too. The region has a severe housing shortage and this is one of the best places to put new housing. I’m curious if there were similar concerns about the Avalon development at Fuller and Poinsettia when it was being proposed.… Read more »
I agree, and I live on Orange Grove.
The Bond’s traffic plan will drop a huge number of vehicles into the middle of a residential neighborhood as well as eliminate an existing public parking lot that is essential to an existing pre-school. The traffic headaches will be enhanced if the City adopts it’s plan to reduce Fountain to one lane of traffic each way. But more importantly for the Eastside, this project does not include to flanking existing unsightly structures on Santa Monica Blvd., which would preclude a project that would take up all or most of the block without intruding into the residential zone. While the project… Read more »
Steve, all due respect, but don’t people complain any time a development of this nature is built? I live on Orange Grove, and I welcome more housing to the neighborhood. There are many apartment buildings on my street, especially between Willoughby and SMB. I’m mostly concerned that we might lose Training Mate, which I love. I’m not sure what the footprint of this development will be. I think it will put Brick Crossfit under. They will find a new location. I am firmly against reducing Fountain to one lane. I think that would be a nightmare.