Meeting Date: 03/09/11 06:00 PM
Meeting Type: Regular
Location: Yucca Rec Center, 6671 Yucca Street
Details: Committee: Area 3 Yucca/Whitley
Meeting Type: Regular
Meeting Date and Time: Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 6:00 p.m.
Meeting Location: Yucca Recreation Center, 6671 Yucca Street, Hollywood, CA 90028
I. Call to Order
II.Presentation by Michael Gonzales, Attorney at Law and Laurie Goldman
Hudson/Hollywood Boulevard Project
Mr. Gonzales and Ms. Goldman will make a presentation about the property located at 6523 – 6529 Hollywood Boulevard. The purpose of the presentation is to discuss the changes that are planned for that area. Currently the property is 14,500 square feet and they want to use the area for restaurant and bar uses, offices and new parking spaces.
III.Community Plan
This part of the meeting will be for working on a plan in Area 3 that will not only enhance the esthetics of the area, but also increase safety, address quality of life issues, bring in more businesses as well as make this area an enjoyable place to live, work, or visit.
New Business
Old Business
IV. Public Comment
Wednesday, March 9, 2011 6:00 p.m.
Number of people in attendance: 9 Meeting started at 6:15 p.m.
I. Presentation by Michael Gonzales concerning the property covering 6523 – 6529 Hollywood
blvd.
blvd.
Property presently occupied by a thrift store, hair salon, Scientology center and the rear is a warehouse building with a studio rental. The rear of the building will be demolished, with the mural and the historic roof being kept. It will have a four story parking structure with a total of 106 parking spaces to be used by the development and also available for public use. The bottom level will have five retail, restaurant and bar spaces. With the plan that four of the five will be for retail and restaurant and one for the bar, which may have a dj or small band. The bar will take up about 1700 feet; the total area of the bottom floor will be 10,400 square feet.
They have applied to the City of Los Angeles and asked for a Master Conditional Use Permit which will govern all five space where four spaces can be all restaurant and the fifth can be a bar with the bar being in the smallest space.
On the four level building only the third and fourth level will be used for parking and the second level for office space. All will stay within the 45 foot height restriction along Hollywood Boulevard. As of the time of the meeting they have submitted their traffic analysis to DOT and have not heard from them.
Question from the audience included: 1.Is this structure something that will help the local economy or will it be something where there will be a bunch of people coming in to set up shop for six months then leave and not help the local economy? 2. Will it bring in something more than another T-shirt shop? 3. Can you bring national retailers to the spot? 4. Can you bring a pet store to that spot?
Mr. Gonzales explained that 1.the structure would benefit the community and 2.it planned on bringing more upscale people to the neighborhood. 3. The building can’t cater to a national retailer as the space is too small. 4.The idea of the pet store or pet boutique could be brought back to the client as a suggestion.
There was no vote done on the plan.
II. Community plan
There were several topics raised in this portion of the meeting, they included:
Having the BID security help prevent the illegal Hot Dog vendors from setting up in front of clubs and restaurants.
§ There have been issues with club goers eating the food then leaving trash all over the sidewalks.
§ There have also been issues with fist fights breaking out at the hotdog carts.
§ One of the business owners did contact LAPD and they did do a sweep on one weekend but the following weekend the vendors were back and the business owner felt as though he shouldn’t have to keep calling LAPD when there is a security company that works the boulevard and wondered if they could do the enforcement instead of LAPD.
· Repairing the sidewalk in front of Café Audrey
It is reportedly the only original sidewalk left in Hollywood and one of the attendees felt it should have some historical landmark status.
· Having a moratorium on liquor licenses
The complaint was, that so many places are getting liquor licenses that instead of creating a community that is bring in revenue, businesses are struggling to stay open.
Contacting the owners of the property located on Yucca and Las Palmas to secure it as it has become a homeless encampment.
There have been several calls to the police about this property as it does not properly secure this property.
· Working towards better resident and tourist friendly shops
A pet store was brought up, more outdoor seating at restaurants and more places to sit along the boulevard (with the prevision that don’t become places that attract illegal activity)
· Less tattoo shops
· Regulated tour companies along Hollywood Boulevard
The complaint was that the tour company employees of various companies have gotten hostile or threatening towards people who did not want to take a tour.
There was also a concern about the criminal background of the employees who work for commission on these tour companies.
New business
Yucca Recreation Center will be having an Open House/Resource Fair on Saturday, March 26, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. with various non-profit, city agencies and a Scan van being there.
On April 18, 2011, the City of Los Angele’s Parks and Recreation will throw a Spring Event for kids in downtown Los Angeles at Pershing Square.
Meeting ended at 7:40 p.m.