9 Community Groups and Businesses Appeal Television City Project

LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Nine community groups and local businesses in the Beverly Fairfax neighborhood have filed appeals with the City of Los Angeles Planning Department, challenging the City’s Advisory Agency’s May 28, 2024 approval of the Vesting Tentative Tract Map (“VTTM”) and related certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) for the TVC 2050 Project.

Since it was first proposed, this massive expansion project has generated significant opposition from local residents, businesses, and community groups.

The following community organizations, members of the Beverly Fairfax Community Alliance, filed appeals with the City opposing the project: Beverly Wilshire Homes Association, Fix the City, Miracle Mile Residents Association, Neighbors for Responsible TVC Development, Park La Brea Impacted Residents Group, and Save Beverly Fairfax. The following businesses also filed appeals: A.F. Gilmore Company, Broadcast Center Apartments and Caruso’s The Grove shopping center.

Leading land use attorneys from Loeb & Loeb; Latham & Watkins; Carstens, Black & Minteer; Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton and Collaborate prepared these appeals on behalf of several organizations and businesses.

Additionally, the group Neighbors for Responsible Television City Development recently delivered to LA City Councilmember Katy Yaroslavsky more than 2,200 signed petitions, collected by hand, from local residents opposing the project.

Hackman Capital’s TVC 2050 proposal would make the Television City property twice the size of the Staples Center arena, with an office tower that would be 100 feet taller than any other structure in the surrounding community, and add 550,000 of general, non-studio office space on the property. The additional office workforce would also add considerable traffic to an already congested area of Los Angeles. The project has a 20-year construction timeline, with 20-ton trucks conducting more than 100,000 trips driving through and polluting the community.

The various appeals cite conflicts with the existing general and specific plan for this location; concerns with transparency, disclosure and other issues with the City’s process; how the project is out of scale with the surrounding community; the addition of a massive general office complex that has no specific studio use; causing traffic gridlock; creating significant air pollution; impacts to emergency response; a 20-year construction timeline that will disrupt the neighborhood; and violations of the California Environmental Quality Act.

Commenting on the significant community opposition to the TVC 2050 project, Neighbors for Responsible TVC co-chairs Danielle Peters and Shelley Wagers said: “Despite our support for revitalizing the historic studio, the TVC 2050 project remains deeply unpopular in the Beverly Fairfax community. It would be twice as big as the Staples Center arena, with over 500,000 square feet of general office space, creating endless traffic gridlock. Its Specific Plan and 20-year construction timeline are a blank check. TVC needs to be refocused and downsized, and the City needs to review it properly.”

Diana Plotkin, President of the Beverly Wilshire Homes Association, said: “The community has filed nine compelling appeals about the many negative impacts the Television City project will bring to the Beverly Fairfax neighborhood. It is our hope that the Developer, City Staff and our Councilmember will support us in making the needed reductions to the project to make it compatible with the historic Beverly Fairfax neighborhood. If not, we will need to consider other options including litigation, action at the ballot box, or even a possible referendum.”

All nine appeals are available for download here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x0BZg3ruQl6wFB0QScPfYNp7MAuBqTy8?usp=share_link

In the months ahead, these community organizations and businesses, among others, will continue to advocate for the City to amend this massive development that will bring many negative impacts to the Beverly Fairfax community.

The Beverly Fairfax Community Alliance was started by The Original Farmers Market and The Grove in August 2022, and partners with community organizations, businesses and residents who are concerned about the proposed redevelopment of Television City.

Contact:
Alliance Spokesperson
‪(323) 200-9468
[email protected]

SOURCE Beverly Fairfax Community Alliance