One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
The Sunset Strip May Soon Be Wearing More Billboards
Photo by Mark Luethi via LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Four petitions by businesses owners on the Sunset Strip will be considered by the Planning Commission this week when they meet to evaluate proposals seeking to add or alter rooftop billboards. "If approved, the city will receive huge monthly fees thanks to development agreements with each of the business owners," reports West Hollywood Patch.
The Grafton Hotel at 8462 Sunset seeks to construct a v-shaped 69-foot-tall billboard on its roof while the Key Club at 9039 Sunset wants to erect a double-sided 70-foot-tall billboard on its roof. The building at 8535 Sunset (between La Cienega and Alta Loma) proposes replacing its existing v-shaped billboard with a double-sided billboard and raising the height to 68 feet. A three-story office building at 8335 Sunset (just west of Sweetzer) also seeks to replace its doubled-sided billboard with a v-shaped billboard and raise the height to 70 feet.
The city stands to benefit due to financial agreements entered into with the business owners, according city leaders. The head of the city’s planning department, John Keho, recommends approving the proposals saying, "The benefit is we’ve identified that more signage adds to the vitality of the Sunset Strip," notes West Hollywood Patch.
If approved, the development agreement with 8335 Sunset would see the business paying $10,500 to the city every four weeks for the next 20 years. That comes out to $2.7 million over the life of the agreement. Each of the other businesses have development agreements with similar fees and time frames.
As the Planning Commission is but a "recommendation body," the final decision on billboard approval will be up to City Council. The Planning Commission meeting will be held on Thursday at West Hollywood Park Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
