Residents Speak Out Against Hollywood Community Plan
Plan allows too much building density, say many attending Thursday's public hearing, where emotions ran high at times.
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More than 60 area residents showed up at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood Thursday night to voice their opinions about zoning changes and amendments set forth in the city's proposed Hollywood Community Plan.
Concerns about density and traffic were heard throughout the evening as people took turns at a microphone in the church hall to address Associate City Planner Mary Richardson and City Planner Craig Weber.
“[At] the Hollywood and Vine intersection, we feel that skyscrapers are probably not what we need there,” said Fran Reichenbach, president of the Beachwood Canyon Neighborhood Association. “Density isn’t always the answer.”
While many spoke of their concerns about increased density in that area as well as on Franklin Avenue, some residents also expressed strong opinions about neighborhoods near Sunset Plaza Drive.
“We’re going to be living in the Third World with so much density, so much overcrowding,” said Arlene Cohen, who lives off Rising Glen Road. “There are so few open spaces left ... in Los Angeles. It affects everybody’s property value as well as quality of life.”
Many in the audience applauded the speakers.
“Just because something can be built doesn’t mean it should be,” said Sarajane Schwartz, president of the Hollywoodland Homeowners Association.
Emotions began to rise during the meeting with some people even shouting into the microphone at times.
The proposed Hollywood Community Plan would include zoning changes and land use designations in anticipation of population growth through 2030. It also allows for more development.
More than one speaker accused the Department of City Planning of using inaccurate census data in the plan.
One of the night’s attendees, Jim Geoghan, showed up early for the open house that preceded the meeting, at which residents could view maps of affected areas up close and talk to city planning staff members who were on hand.
“This is a high-density plan,” said Geoghan who has lived in Whitley Heights for 25 years. “Hollywood needs something other than high-density projects.”
Sarah MacPherson, associate executive director of the Hollywood Property Owners Alliance, commended the Department of City Planning for its “masterful job” of drawing up the plan.
Last night’s meeting was the last of two held this week to hear from area residents. About 150 people showed up for Monday’s meeting, Richardson said. The Department of City Planning is now expected to make changes to the Community Plan based on this week's input before it goes before the City Planning Commission and the City Council.
To learn more about the Hollywood Community Plan, visit cityplanning.lacity.org/.
ruth
2:36 pm on Saturday, November 12, 2011
The only thing holding up Millennium (NYC developers) from building 55 and 49 story skyscrapers on Vine, with no restrictions, no oversight, and any other properties they gobble up in Hollywood is this Plan being finalized...The cranes are waiting. Rest of the $ for their Hollywood Frwy Central Park paid up just as these Hearings to finalize Plan came up....COINCIDENCE?? Doubt it. That's who this Plan is for..Developers..Certainly not residents.. THEY are pushing CITY to rush through, problems intact...Two Public Hearings, late Nov. deadline for comments, City Planning meeting Dec. 8th. Only those within 500 foot radius of changes need to be informed, as inept corrupt, hugely funded city planner and mayor, city council and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, accomplices and enablers, say nothing ..Millennium funds them all, as does their law firm and Argent Ventures.. They delude themselves into thinking they are capable of recreating a whole new city, while they dismiss the problems and chaos expressed BY MANY this VERY BAD PLAN brings with it. .. ALL of Hollywood should have been informed.The room was half empty..With REAL workshops,to help translate their HUGE COMPLICATED packets of info... which would have take months to figure out. No real officials, no council members.. the COWARDS sent this group to dodge the bullets..Too ashamed to show their faces... WE WANT AN EXTENSION..we want ALL of HOLLYWOOD TO BE INFORMED. We want INVESTIGATIONS!
Scott Zwartz
11:15 am on Sunday, November 20, 2011
The Hollywood Plan is a fraud. It is the plan to destroy Hollywood. Garcetti wants to make Hollywood as dense as Manhattan -- 66,000 ppl per sq mi. Right now we have 22,000 ppl per sq mi in central Hollywood and he wants to add a 55 story skyscraper and a 44 story skyscraper to complement the Capitol Records building. Not to mention a high rise at Hollywood and Gower, a huge complex at Sunset and Gower, a high rise on Sunset at the Spaghetti Factory, a high rise just south of the freeway at Argyle at Carlos. the huge mixed use project at 6200 Hollywood Blvd
HUNC has rejected the Plan since the 7-15-2010 release of the Draft. The Plan is based on out-dated statistics which is contrary to state law. The crooks at city hall, who are beholden only to the 1% to whom the city has given over $1.5 Billion in the last 10 years, do not care. When the 2010 Census shows that the CRA has been causing an exodus of people from Hollywood and the Socio-economic level of Hollywood is falling, Garcetti presses ahead with his plan saying that the trend could reverse itself. That is an admission that Garcetti's Hollywood Plan is per se unlawful, but he doesn't care.