L.A. May Sue to Stop W. Hollywood Project on Sunset

Los Angeles, infamous both for its colossal traffic jams and some colossally bad developments, will consider suing West Hollywood today to stop that city’s first major project on the Sunset Strip.

It’s a classic David and Goliath tale. This time, David is the young city with dollar signs in its eyes battling Goliath, the prickly, oversized neighbor threatening to fight with all its might if its concerns over increased congestion are not assuaged. But as in the biblical story, it could be David--West Hollywood, in this case--who wins.

The developer of the $250-million Sunset Millennium project, along with his A-team of lawyers, lobbyists and West Hollywood supporters, is promising nearly half a million dollars worth of additional street improvements to appease unusually traffic-conscious Los Angeles officials.

Led by Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Feuer, those opponents say nothing short of a scaled-back development will reduce the anticipated day- and evening-long gridlock on Sunset that they believe will be created by the project.

And never mind about the hillside residents whose views on those sparkling Santa Ana-cleansed days will forever be lost to the 371-room hotel and adjacent office buildings approved last month by the West Hollywood City Council.

Still, this project is in West Hollywood, a city of two miles that’s already home to some of Los Angeles’ worst traffic. And for that reason, many supporters say, they are baffled by Los Angeles’ suddenly serious concerns about congestion.

“You’ve got to wonder whether Los Angeles is in any position to pass judgment on West Hollywood,” said City Councilman Steve Martin from--you guessed it--West Hollywood. “We’re trying to create a real urban outdoor district. Downtown Los Angeles can’t compete. CityWalk is just a schlocky outdoor mall. Then, there’s the disaster of the Beverly Center.”

West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman added: “West Hollywood didn’t create the traffic problems in Southern California. In fact, most of our traffic comes from Los Angeles residents.”

Meeting jointly, two Los Angeles City Council panels heard the nitty-gritty details of the development Tuesday with a majority recommending that the full council accept the developer’s traffic improvements. If council members can’t agree on those, however, the city may file suit.

During a lengthy meeting, packed with supporters and opponents, city transportation department officials said recently proposed traffic improvements could ease some of the traffic concerns raised by residents to the north of the project.

Among the $485,000 improvements are a flexible traffic control system that changes lights based on traffic patterns and a special system for police and fire vehicles to change traffic lights in emergencies.

Additionally, West Hollywood agreed to move ahead with an anti-cruising law to reduce traffic on Sunset in the evenings.

The developer also has promised to buy West Hollywood and Los Angeles special computers to establish a common database to address the issue of so-called bandit cabs on Sunset.

Feuer remains adamant.

“I’ve had hundreds of communications on this,” he said. “It’s all about traffic. There are no mitigations available at this point to address the fundamental problems with this development.”

Support for Cooperation

Other council members, perhaps more sympathetic with their westerly neighbors, say that traffic concerns are somewhat overblown given the developer’s proposed improvements.

More important, they are looking a bit farther down the road to when Los Angeles approves its next round of such big developments as the Farmer’s Market project or the Cinerama Dome. Does Los Angeles want the tables turned?

“We don’t want to be sued by them,” said one City Hall official, echoing the views of others. “We will need them.”

The developer, Mark Siffin, is careful to avoid criticizing Los Angeles, saying that “what we do impacts each other. . . . Things are always a bit scary when you don’t understand them.”

Attorney and lobbyist Cindy Starrett was a bit blunter: “There is a small core of people who are very dedicated to opposing it.”

Starrett said she wouldn’t be surprised if some hillside neighbors sued West Hollywood over the project.

Save Our Strip, a group headed by former actress G.G. Verone, who lives above Sunset, already has threatened legal action.

Plans for Sunset Millennium call for a 662,820-square-foot development that will include a luxury hotel, two office buildings including the existing Petersen Publishing building and a group of shops and restaurants similar to the current Sunset Plaza.

The developer plans to have several open walkways with views of the Hollywood Hills and the Los Angeles Basin, and a pedestrian bridge over La Cienega Boulevard.

The project will generate between $5 million and $7 million for West Hollywood, a large portion of that city’s $45-million budget.

Los Angeles residents, who live a stone’s throw from West Hollywood, say they contribute greatly to that city and their concerns about crowded streets, and particularly impassable intersections for police and fire services, should be addressed.

As Joel Moskowitz, an attorney representing some hillside residents, said: “We’re here because this is going to be a disaster for us.”

West Hollywood officials look at the Beverly Center and adjacent Beverly Connection and just shrug.

“It’s a little troubling when your neighbor points the finger at you and doesn’t seem to be paying the same kind of attention and scrutiny to projects in its own city,” Heilman said.