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New Fault Map Will Shake Up Plan For Controversial Hollywood Skyscrapers
A new map from the state geologist confirms that a pair of skyscrapers slated to be built in Hollywood are directly over an active fault line: that's bad news for developers and excellent news for their vocal community opponents.
The updated map put out by state geologist John Parrish reveals that the active Hollywood fault runs directly under the controversial Millennium Twin Towers that were to be part of Hollywood's vertical future—not 0.4 miles away as a previous map showed. The towers, which had been put on hold this fall, aren't the only new Hollywood developments on shaky ground, according to the Los Angeles Times. Blvd 6200, a complex that includes apartments, retail and restaurant space, lies right in the middle of the earthquake zone. Construction has already begun on that project. The new map shows that apartments planned for Yucca Street are also close to the fault.
Since last summer, there have been rumblings (ahem) that the fault line might not be where developers and the city said it was. Environmental lawyer Robert Silverstein, who represents groups opposed to the Millennium project, claimed that two engineers hired by the Millennium project purposefully hid seismic information to get approval. Parrish has said that the project may be on a fault line since August.
According to the map, the Hollywood fault snakes along the area, starting in the east in Atwater Village and running through Los Feliz, Hollywood and West Hollywood. The new map is set to be published in July.
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State law prohibits building within 50 feet of an earthquake zone. The only reason developers and city officials have been able to get away with it in the past is because the fault maps weren't up to date, which allowed developers to sneak by with their plans. Indeed, the Millennium Project was approved by the city before this map was released.
Silverstein issued a statement on the new map:
"The developer and the City are completely unbelievable...This whole process has been a travesty. This is the worst example of high city officials being in bed with developers and violating state law and public trust."
This news definitely looks bad for the Millennium developers, but Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, says that the new map does not entirely kill the projects, according to Curbed LA. If they test the area and find evidence of a fault, then the project is required to move at least 50 feet from the fault. Altogether four developments out of 60 planned for Hollywood may be affected if the new map proves to be correct.The Millennium project, whose towers will be 35 and 39 stories tall, says it is committed to the project whether or not there is a fault. We're not sure what will happen to the other developments, including the 6-story Blvd 6200, which has a few floors built already.
Related:
Millennium Hollywood Project Might Be On A Fault, Says State GeologistEnvironmental Lawyer Says Millennium Hollywood Project Is On 'Shaky Ground'
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