Two High Rises Going Up In Hollywood Despite Objections From NIMBY Neighbors

The Los Angeles City Council has approved controversial plans for two 30-story towers to be built on the parking lot of the Hollywood Palladium. The unanimous approval of the two planned high rises, known as the Palladium Residences, required changes to zoning and height requirements, but not everyone is thrilled with the plan, according to the L.A. Times. The developer of the project, Crescent Heights, says the two buildings—will include a hotel and 731 apartment units between them—will provide much-needed housing for the area, while also preserving the Hollywood Palladium, the concert venue built in 1940.

But the plans for the two towers have met with fierce opposition from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation—whose own offices sit on the 21st floor of a nearby high rise—which argues that the project is too tall and dense for the neighborhood. The AIDS sponsors the Coalition to Preserve L.A., which works to block approval of what they describe as "mega-developments" across the city, including the Palladium Residences. The group is gathering signatures for the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, recently pushed back to the March 2017 municipal election ballot, which would block such projects.

"We are considering all our legal options," said Liza Brereton, an attorney for the foundation tells the Times. "Unfortunately, we're not surprised that they would just rubber stamp this."

Brereton says that the project won't do much to address the growing need for affordable housing in L.A. But Leron Gubler, president and chief executive of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, sees the project differently and thinks the additional units will help.

"Los Angeles has one of the worst housing shortfalls in the nation," Gubler told the Times last week. "This is the type of project that we need to close that gap."