A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has thrown out a lawsuit initiated against a series of high-rise developments slated for a stretch of Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles's Hollywood neighborhood.
The projects in question, The Los Angeles Times reports, include the 905-unit SOM and RCH Studios-designed Crossroads Hollywood development as well as the 731-unit Natoma Architects-designed Palladium Towers project.
The lawsuits were filed by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit group that has come out against a series of dense development proposals in the city. The group, whose headquarters are located directly across the street from the Palladium project site, contends that the new developments will fuel displacement in the surrounding area, which is home to a historic concentration of naturally affordable multi-family housing and has seen a sharp increase in terms of market-rate and luxury development in recent years.
The judge in question, however, disagrees with the assessment. Describing the potential positive impact of the projects, The Los Angeles Times quotes the judge as saying, “There will be a net increase of 2,096 housing units, with 180 affordable housing units for low or very low income families, in a state suffering from an acknowledged housing crisis."
The affordable units in question are being developed as part of the Crossroads Hollywood project; The Palladium Residences project, initiated by developer Crescent Heights, includes market-rate units as well as a hotel component but no affordable housing. The legal victory ensures that a previous Los Angeles City Council approval of the Palladium Residences project will stand, Urbanize.LA reports, allowing the proposal to move closer to starting construction.
The twin towered development features an interconnected set of housing blocks that make an S-shape in plan. The towers are set to rise behind the historic Hollywood Palladium theater. An updated construction timeline has not been released by the development team.
3 Comments
"...which is home to a historic concentration of naturally affordable multi-family housing"
what does "naturally affordable" even mean? what a weird notion if it's an intentional phrasing.
The phrasing is intentional, though perhaps missing a word--I t's a reference to "naturally occurring affordable housing," housing jargon for older rental units that no longer command top market-rate prices but aren't officially classified as affordable housing in the conventional "low income," "extremely low income" etc sense https://nlihc.org/resource/naturally-occurring-affordable-housing-benefits-moderate-income-households-not-poor
thanks, that makes more sense though it's not a very elegant phrase. from the investment perspective these are usually called class B or C, which I guess doesn't sound very positive to the public and needs a euphemism.
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