Another day, another development proposal for Hollywood. Hudson Pacific Properties wants to remake portions of the historic block-long KTLA Studio property along Sunset Boulevard, one of the oldest studio lots in the city. What the developer is proposing: A 13-story Gensler-designed office tower, a five-story production office building, and seven-story parking structure. Additionally, they're looking to renovate the Colonial-style mansion and relocate the famous KTLA radio tower to another spot on the property, according to Christopher Barton, Executive Vice President, Operations and Development at Hudson Pacific Properties. "It's an old lot, it's tired," says Barton, explaining why the firm wants to update the property. This isn't the first renovation proposed: In the 1990s, previous owner Tribune wanted to put up two large towers, but Barton now calls previous plans "too massive."
Here's the breakdown of what's planned.
--13-story office tower, which will be located at southwest corner of Van Ness Avenue and Sunset Boulevard (designs won't be finalized until a tenant is picked)
--Move the radio tower to the west, and in front, of the mansion, to its original location
--5-story production building
--7-story parking structure with 1,635 spaces, including 2 below grade levels, along Van Ness Avenue.
Hudson Pacific Properties bought the site, which takes up the block of Sunset Boulevard, between Van Ness and Bronson avenues from Tribune in late 2007/early 2008 for $130 million. When still owned by Tribune, KTLA planned a large expansion of the site, an $80 million renovation that called for adding two towers--a 16-story and 20-story office tower--on the block, plans that obviously never materialized.
The site was the original location of Warner Brothers Studios, while the first "talkie" film, The Jazz Singer, was shot on the site in 1927. The 1919 Colonial-style mansion site was appointed a Historic Cultural Landmark in 1977 and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2002.
Meanwhile, given the back and forth (and lawsuits!) between developers, locals, and the city over Hollywood development, Barton says his company will be meeting with "every single community group" to talk about the project. At this point, the development is in the environmental review stage, public hearings are forthcoming, and the City Planning Dept hasn't weighed in yet with their recommendation on the project.
· Sunset Bronson Studios [Official Site]
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