Real Estate baron Charles Cohen has promised to respond to concerns as his Cohen Brothers Realty is facing some opposition from community groups for its proposed Los Angeles development in West Hollywood.
Wehoville reports that the Community Development Department of WeHo – West Hollywood – has raised a number of concerns over the project with the Los Angeles City Council.
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The concerns include the impact it will have on local traffic flow and the sheer size of the development and its proposed buildings. To be located on the southeast corner Santa Monica and San Vicente boulevards, it will include more than one million square feet of space for a hotel, apartments, offices, 120, 000 square feet of retail spaces, a 2, 500 seat movie theatre and an 800 seat open-air amphitheater.
A lack of any planned pedestrian walkways and the possibility that it might inhibit the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) from establishing a rail station on the property or running a rail line from Santa Monica Boulevard south to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center were also cited as problematic. The development is slated on land owned by the MTA.
Last year Cohen Brothers received an exclusive deal from both the City of Los Angeles and the MTA to negotiate for its proposed development on the site.
Charles Cohen allayed some of those fears on Monday by promising that there will be pedestrian walkways and said that the community should embrace the project as it will become a center for the area’s civic life.
He also pointed out that plans include a new underground bus station for the MTA.
The Cohen Brother website shows renderings for two of the future buildings, one red and one green. The red building will have 400, 000 square feet of office space over two towers above 7 levels of parking. The site states that the red building will complete a triad of planned Pacific Center buildings.
The Green building will sit on 14 acres of land that will include a 2 acre landscaped plaza. It will have 250, 000 square feet of office space over 9 floors and 15 – 18 foot high ceilings. Its 7th, 8th, and 9th floors will be connected by an atrium that will let in natural light.
