Referendum on The Looming Towers

Excessive Development, Gridlock Traffic

High Rise, High Density Projects: Beverly Hilton/Waldorf Towers Expansion

In our judgment, the single most aggressive breach of our City’s General Plan and Municipal Code height and density standards, with the potential to alter adversely and permanently the nature and character of our City, is the Hilton/Waldorf Towers expansion project.

Directly across the street from residential homes and the El Rodeo school, the Hilton seeks to construct a 150-foot tower at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevard, which is already the busiest and most trafficked corner in our City.

In addition, the Hilton plans to build two high-rise 150 foot towers for condominiums on Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards, separated by Merv Griffin Way.

The Beverly Hilton project presents us with a massive expansion plan. The expansion will increase the total square footage (s.f.) from 543,537 s.f. to 970,620 s.f. or an increase of 427,083 s.f.

Notwithstanding that the property will increase in size by almost double the square footage, the Hilton’s experts claim that the Hilton’s proposed expansion will not increase traffic!

Parking

The Hilton is presently underparked. In recent years the Hilton has used the Robinson-May parking facility, but that parking will no longer be available.

According to our code, if the Hilton were a new project it would require 3,433 parking spaces. But, the Hilton is proposing a total of 1,422 parking spaces, or 41% of what is required by code.

Please feel free to conclude where people will park destined for the Hilton which will have a parking deficit of over 2,000 spaces!

Height

The location of the former Trader Vic’s restaurant will be the site of a new Hilton/Waldorf Towers, which will have 120 rooms, a new restaurant and 30 condominiums. This tower at the foot of Santa Monica and Wilshire will be 150 feet tall. Our current code limits height on commercial buildings to 45 feet.

There will be two more towers which will include 90 condominium units. These towers will be up to thirteen stories tall, or also a height of 150 feet.

The current Hilton Hotel building will remain, which is 95 feet tall.

In addition, the hotel will be adding some green space, in order to host weddings and parties, which will further increase the traffic and parking requirements.

In our opinion, the Hilton expansion is the worst proposed project in the City. However, we believe that City Hall is poised to greenlight this project, notwithstanding robust residential opposition.

Construction Phasing

Rather than close down the Hilton Hotel in order to expedite the massive construction, the Hilton wants to phase in the construction over many years.

Experienced observers suggest that the construction will occur over a period of at least between 5 to 7 years. The Hilton projects that construction will take 4 years. Moreover, the phasing in the construction over many years will exacerbate the environmental impacts, e.g., air quality, geologic, noise, traffic, to the neighbors during the long construction process.

Further, we believe that the environmental pollutants that will result from this excessive construction period will adversely impact all those in close proximity, including our neighbors and all our children, parents and teachers at the El Rodeo School.

Economic Analysis

Hilton/City Hall advocates for the mega Hilton/Waldorf Towers expansion project aver that the new hotel towers and accompanying condominium development will increase revenues to the City. So, they argue, even if there is enormous discomfiture inherent during the construction phasing, substantial parking deficits and severe height and density issues, they are trumped because the City needs the money - same ol’, same ol’.

Their argument is illusory, creating false reliance and expectations. Here’s why:

1. In 2003, the Hilton reports its revenues to the City = $3.6 million;

2. In 2006, revenues to the City = $6.2 million:

If granted its requested expansion entitlement, the Hilton projects its revenue to the City will be somewhere between $11.5 million to $12.3 million in 2012.

Yet, if the Hilton continued to operate with NO expansion and with the same rate of economic growth and occupancy, the projected revenue to the City in 2012 will be approximately $10 million.

Therefore, without the enormous proposed expansion and the extreme consequential aggravating factors inherent in this Hilton/Waldorf Towers mega build-out, the City will receive approximately $1.5 to $2.3 million less revenue than the Hilton’s projection in the year 2012.

However, we believe that if we were to compute City costs to accommodate the proposed Hilton expansion, e.g., increased City services, police, fire, paramedics, water and infrastructure issues, then the Hiltons alleged economic benefit vanishes, or becomes mild at best!

Precedential Effect

The precedential effect of this enormous project in terms of high-rise towers/high density build-out and inadequate parking will adversely impact our residential community in devastating fashion.

For example, what will prevent The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Peninsula Hotel or others similarly situated in residential neighborhoods from constructing 150 foot towers or ones similar in nature and design?

City Hall has for too long engaged in this sort of spot-zoning that will substantially impair our quality of life and permanently change the City’s landscape.

Copyright © 2009 Beverly Hills Citizen™