The City Council's Planning and Land Use Management (PLUM) Committee approved the Millennium project and forwarded it to the full City Council for hearing and vote on July 24, 2013. The PLUM Committee gave only a perfunctory hearing to the two formal appeals to the project and to the public during the hearing. They allowed just 10 minutes each to the lawyers representing the appellants and 40 minutes for public comment. They voted without bothering to look at the amazing 521 page, 5 inch thick letter of appeal by our attorney, Robert Silverstein, and the reports of our seismic, traffic and land use consultants. Apparently, they didn't want to be bothered by the facts.
Our appeal included documentation from the US Geological Survey, the California Geological Survey and two peer reviewed geological studies that all agreed that the southern strand of the Hollywood Fault runs directly under the Millennium properties. It stated:
"Since when does the City participate in the obfuscation of life and safety issues related to the proximity of an active earthquake fault within the Project site? The total lack of substantial evidence to support the false conclusion that the Hollywood Fault is far away from the Project site, the failure to address the data from Dr. Dolan of USC, and the suppression of the California Geological Survey's 2010 Fault Map which shows active faults across the Millennium Site, shock the conscience. It most certainly does not comply with the requirements of CEQA or State law regarding building in, near or on an earthquake rupture zone."
The entire planning process must be ordered stopped until proper trenching of the property and investigation by independent geologists has determined the precise locations of the faults.
The developer offered to reduce the height of the buildings to 39 and 35 stories. However, this is mere window dressing. It does not change the total square footage, so the building will be fatter. The same environmental impacts to our lives will be there, including traffic, parking, safety and emergency response times. No matter how you slice it, it's still baloney.
Democracy is struggling in the City of Angels. We hope new City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell will bring some sanity to this situation, especially in light of the discovery and exposure of active earthquake fault traces across the Millennium site.
The fight must continue! Watch for updates. Fundraising also must continue and be redoubled. Make your first or additional donation now at StopTheMillenniumHollywood.org!
Without your political and financial support, there will be no reason to call Hollywood home any longer.
There are so many communities that have officially objected to this project that we have decided to call ourselves Communities United for Reasonable Development. This is not a formal organization but rather a description of the many organizations that are united in their demand for reasonable development!
