L.A. City Council Approves Hollywood's Massive Columbia Square Project

• The Hollywood charm will be over when this happens.. We DON'T another soul less project here!!!!! Look at the Hollywood/Highland mall..no energy!! Besides, what makes the city SO special is the 'HOLLYWOOD' sign which NO longer will be seen when this project goes up! Thanks Eric Garcetti for selling out just for the sake of money!

• The location in the image w/ Councilmember Garcetti is not at Western/ Sunset, that's Western/Hollywood.

• Also, while maintaining a fine look, you can stop the eyes of male members present in a party or at least leave an intense impression on them.

• How do we know that Mary (Aug. 4 2010 @ 9:18AM) isn't a PR person for the developer? When someone makes the claim that they lived in the neighborhood for 35 years, they should back it up with proof. Especially in light of making attacks on others commenting here. No one else is making those claims or challenging the validity of their fellow readers. Its very easy to verify who is "the same person" by checking the IP addresses. .

• To Mary: Of the supporters that you site, most were either given or promised money by the developer. Although this may not be illegal, there is clearly a financial conflict - their support is tainted: Hollywood Heritage: Was represented by Christy MacAvoy on the day this was heard before the City Council. Although she is a respected historical expert and Hollywood Heritage Board member, she is also a paid consultant by the Developer. (i.e. she received Money from the Applicant). Laurie Goldman who is president of Friends of the Hollywood Park spoke on behalf of the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council. The organization, that she represents is promised money ($35,000) by the developer (in the Planning Dept Document that is part of a community benefit). Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council: Was given money to their Hollywood Christmas Party by the Developer. Let's hear from supporters (and I know that there are several) who don't have a financial interest or would benefit from this approval financially. In the end of course, the Developer will be the biggest winner on this phantom project. Because with or without a lawsuit, it will be sold by Area Partners before it is ever built. Mark my words and book mark this web page.

• Same person over and over above. I've lived in the neighborhood for 35 years, opposed most projects that were bad for us, and the fact is, besides about four or five detractors, there were about 50 neighborhood activists who were overwhelmingly for this. I went on the tour with a very skeptical Hollywood Heritage, which is no pushover for anything (they thankfully do sue when projects are bad), who signed off after hard-edged negotiations. We in the community were completely supported in these negotiations by the council office, and the former employees of Columbia Square even supported this project. I receive not one penny, one free meal, or anything from this developer. It is a good project and we and Eric Garcetti and hollywood Heritage made it good. The neighborhood council supported it. If 1000 people were for something and two against, LA Weekly would give the two people an equal footing. The fact of the matter is that this is a good project, good for Hollywood and good for the city. BTW, they are not giving money to the cap park--different project from what I understand. I guess the NIMBYites would rather have the vagrants and the crime because they don't actually live two blocks away and have to walk past this every day.

• Garcetti like so many of the City Council seem to have their focus on making life more difficult for those of us in Los Angeles instead of making it better. They like to make grand public stance while so many LA communities suffer. If you drive through the neighborhood where Eric lives on a Friday or Saturday night it is quiet and peaceful, nothing like the horrible, loud, unlawful conditions he has set up for other parts of the district and he continues to bring down our quality of life in the district. Have you ever tried to call his office to get help with an issue? All you get is do nothing double speak. We, in his district need to wake up and realize the only one Garcetti is concerned about is Garcetti and from his term as a Council person he will be the only one in the district to benefit. Just like the citizens of Bell are doing we NEED to clean house.

• In terms of "show me the money" the only ones not mentioned in the last two reader comments are the Mayor and City Council district office. Even if they are not involved, a full investigation should be made by the DA (since the City Attorney claims conflicts of interest). There does seem to be financial conflicts of interest with at least the non-profits (Hollywood Heritage and The Friends of the Hollywood Central Park) and at least one of the neighborhood councils (Hollywood Studio). Ironically the second neighborhood council (Central Hollywood) was represented by the non-profit who did receive money. Whether those financial conflicts are illegal would be up to a lawyer or judge. But there is no doubt that those conflicts are at the least unethical.

• Bill Roschen, the Chair of the City Planning Commission is a paid consultant on this project.

• You need to follow the money. I remember when the W Hotel project in Hollywood promised $500k to Hollywood High and then whala, the Principal showed up at a hearing to support the project. For this project, the developer promised money to the Hollywood Freeway Cap Park project and once again, whala, the President of the Friends of the Hollywwod Freeway Park shows up to support it speaking on behalf of one of two Neighborhood Councils supporting this project. The "Friends Of" organization with the other Neighhborhood Council was allegedly given money. The person who spoke for the preservation group, Hollywood Heritage is a paid consultant to the Developer. So now I would ask, who else got money from this developer?

• With automatic voting and City Councilmen on a first name bases with Developers it doesn't surprise me that cloud breaking developments are granted without concern (unanimously) by these overpaid and under-thinking elected officials. That being said, I have never heard of granting a 15-year extension on construction approvals. Major zoning variances and a 15-year building right is the equivalent to a gift of public funds to a private developer. I cannot see any other way of describing it. The voters need to remember these actions and the District Attorney needs to get out of his seat and get to work.

• I heard on-demand, the Committee meeting on this project and there were objections to the planned demolition of Studios B & C. But I am equally concerned about the need for such a long-term entitlement as reported in this article. This doesn't make sense and should not be allowed. The article reports on speculation that the owners are just trying to flip the property. In any case, the 15-year extension that is being reported on should not be granted. If the owners need so much time, why doesn't the City either grant them a reasonable amount of time - typically 3 years to start the project or tell them to come back when they have financing. Finally any protective or benefits agreements should be tied to the land, not the developer in this uncertain economy of 2010 and especially if construction doesn't start until 2025 - Ouch!

• I think that hideous building was funded by CRA, an agency that should be abolished.

• LA is being destroyed to make millions of dollars for Friends of Eric. Look at the horrible building behind him in the photo. Notice the colors. They are there to deceive the eye into not realizing that it has tiny windows. Look at it closely and then realize that from 3 sides the building looks out onto the Hollywood Hills but if you are inside we can see virtually nothing. Windows cost more than cement, so the developer use cement and then flashy paint. The City of L.A. is basically a morass of corruption and incompetence. These massive projects do not pay any incremental property taxes so when councilmen tell you that the projects increase the tax base, they are lying. These projects burden the infra-structure and leave it to the homeowners to pay for the infra-structure. That is why the City says it is broke. The developers do not pay property taxes. Instead what should be tax money pays of the loans the developers take out to build these ugly monstrosities.

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