Los Angeles City Council member David Ryu is raising questions about the controversial development project at 8150 Sunset Boulevard on his city’s border with West Hollywood.
In a letter today to Vince Bertoni, planning director for Los Angeles, Ryu said he and his staff had met with the developers and found the design by noted architect Frank Gehry to be “remarkable.”
But, Ryu said, he believes the developers should reduce the height and bulk of the building, which he sees as out of scale with adjacent buildings and residential buildings behind it on West Hollywood’s Havenhurst Drive.
Ryu, whose District 4 encompasses the site at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights, also expressed concern about the project’s impact on traffic. “The requested change of the right turn lane from Sunset going to Crescent Heights is one example of a potential traffic snarl,” Ryu said in his letter.
A public hearing on the project is set for May 26. Ryu said he is open to “creative suggestions” from the developers, Townscape Partners, and from community members and city planners.
Townscape announced last year that Frank Gehry’s firm would design the project. But members of the community around it, including residents of West Hollywood, have continued to object that it will have a negative effect on traffic and their neighborhoods.
Andy Lucas: You and Darryl seem to share an unfortunate and rather wrong headed perspective. It also sounds as though you may live on Crescent Heights but if you do don’t recall your input at the many meetings. The objective is to have this site developed with an attractive project that fits the context and is compatible with the developed surrounding community. Designing anything that draws all attention to itself without respect for the other remarkable buildings is not the mark any architect would aspire to. It is a gift to design something of high aesthetic value that will take… Read more »
1) I don’t buy Councilman Ryu’s objective assessment: he’s responding to the NIMBY pressure of small-minded citizens who want to keep other people out of their neighborhoods. Adding population density to our city is the only thing that will keep rents stable long-term, and contribute to a Metro business plan that could add subway lines through this corridor some day. I, for one, would LOVE to look up the street from Crescent Heights and see a spectacular piece of Gehry architecture. This is a very well-designed project, it contributed in a meaningful way to this part of the city, and… Read more »
J.Chud, While Mr. Gehry may be a excellent architect the problem with this development is not the design per se but instead the size of the project. I’m sure Mr. Gehry could come up with a design that is more fitting with the surrounding area. I’m sure it’s not Mr. Gehry that is seeking this huge structure, but instead is fulfilling the developers wishes. Scale it down and still incorporate the style and beauty Mr. Gehry is famous for.
I’m disappointed in the moderator of this site allowing commenters like Lynn to post hostile comments.
“Your armchair opinion is not helpful. Please excuse yourself.”
This comment does not lead to a meaningful discussion and only illustrates the bullying tactics nimby’s use to silence proponents of new construction in LA.
Disappointing that Council Member Ryu listened to a few hot-headed nimby’s who care more about their own property values than building more housing in our city. Things like this make me ashamed of living in the second largest metropolitan area in America.
Nimby’s who oppose large developments are keeping rents high for lower income people in WeHo (if they haven’t pushed them out already). I will not be supporting Council Member Ryu in the next election and urge all WeHo renters to stand up to the nimby bullies in our city.
Every once in a while, I brave this comment section to see who else has taken my commentary as some sort of subversive assault on the rights of those not favoring the 8150 Development. I did not mean my comments as anything other than opinion – period. I guess that along with being totally shocked that one dissenting opinion could raise so much rancor among those whose opinion differs from mine, I take it as a compliment that my opinion, which I do attempt to support with knowledge and experience, is given so much weight. In fact, because I have… Read more »
@J Simmons….you understand that 8150 Sunset is in the City of Los Angeles, not in the City of West Hollywood, right? I couldn’t tell from your comments whether there was some confusion over that important fact. (City of WeHo begins just south of the existing structures on that corner)
Thanking a person for coming to weho resident’s aid – is nice but a bit embarrassing for everyone giving thanks. We are not living behind a giant wall without outside contact. Anyone of us could and should have sought outside weho city government for assistance with an unbelievable gross spending, over development and plans for increases to the stated 25 year master plan for the FUTURE of weho, now – less than five years – a new rant about needing to consider the possibility of a rail through weho as an excuse to make a NEW and BIGGER disgusting overspending… Read more »
A excellent way to show West Hollywoods disapproval of the project would be to close off Havenhurst Ave at our city limits if the project remains unacceptable to West Hollywood residents. It may cause a inconvenience to those living on Havenhurst who wish to travel northbound to Sunset or a inconvenience to those wishing to turn south on Havenhurst from Sunset but in the end the increased trips on Havenhurst would be placed directly on those in Los Angeles and not those within our city. I live on a street in West Hollywood which has to deal with increased traffic… Read more »
You know what’s really a problem for West Hollywood and these developments is a city council comprised of council members at large. Or as I see it, a city council comprised of council members responsible to no one. Perhaps after 20 years of listening to my former neighbors voice concerns, clearly register opposition to various projects only to find their neighborhoods in play it’s time to explore a new composition of a council whereby a mayor and four council members each representing a quarter of West Hollywood would bring responsibility right smack into their lap. Time after time I’ve felt… Read more »
@J. Chud. Thank you for saying what I’ve been saying for years, i.e. “the mess of graceless ‘design’ at the intersection of Santa Monica & La Brea” & in numerous other WeHo locations as well. WeHo has become an architectural travesty composed of big generic glass & metal boxes. The project at 8150 Sunset Blvd is potentially at least one visual landmark project/structure that might bend the trend toward new architecture more befitting a “creative city”
WHAT TOOK SO LONG? Our neighborhood residents have been “begging” our Council member David Ryu to address this CRAZY out sized project. I anticipate Mr. Ryo will show up, IN PERSON at at our Neighborhood Meeting and at the City’s Public Hearing on this matter, to show his sincere support for his constituency.