Opponents of the Millennium Hollywood skyscraper project said Tuesday that despite the city’s approval of geology studies that determined the earthquake fault under the planned structure is inactive, the developer faces hurdles, including a pending lawsuit, before construction can begin.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety has approved geology reports that found the earthquake fault under the site is too old to be active. State Geologist John Parrish, who defines an active fault as having moved within the past 11,000 years, said in November that “there is the trace of an active fault … that goes through the southern part of the Millennium project parcels.”
Robert Silverstein, an attorney for neighborhood groups that sued the city over the project, said they will continue fighting the project, which is on hold due to a court order.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ordered the city in April not to issue permits or authorization for the project, saying the City Council improperly approved the project by failing to conduct sufficient traffic impact studies.
Silverstein, who also contends that geology reports are flawed, said the city’s approval of them “is disappointing, but ultimately not surprising.”
“City Hall’s pro-developer culture is so well-entrenched it would be hard to imagine city officials reaching any decision other than one sided with the developer,” he said.
Silverstein also said “it is unprecedented for a city to override the California State Geological Survey on a matter like this.”
Philip Aarons, a partner with the developer, said the company is “gratified that after a thorough review by its professional staff of geologists,” city officials have “confirmed that the Millennium Hollywood development site has no active earthquake faults or risk of surface rupture.”
Aarons said the firm continues to be “firmly committed to building a project that will preserve the iconic Capitol Records building and revitalize Hollywood’s historic downtown, doing so in a manner that conforms to the highest earthquake resiliency standards.”
The final say over whether a structure can be built lies with city building officials.
— Wire reports