SMB/Knoll Project in WeHo Drops Housing, Will Have a Sprouts

The public and the city are both pleased with a three-story retail project planned for an empty plot on Santa Monica Boulevard that housed West Hollywood's last lesbian bar before it was torn down last year, reports WeHoville. Maybe everyone's happy because the development now lacks a residential component—it was quashed out of traffic concerns, though retail and office space create more car trips, but whatever; on top of that, it will also house two of the things WeHo apparently cannot get enough of: gyms and grocery stores (South LA turns its weary eyes north). Health food purveyor Sprouts is leasing 20,000 square feet of the project, while an outdoor cafe and fitness center will fill most of the rest. Parking will be on the roof with cars using the entrance/exit for the adjacent 24 Hour Fitness (you could literally throw a dumbbell and hit another gym). Santa Monica architecture firm Aleks Istanbullu was praised for its work by the Design Review Committee, which especially loved all the greenery. The project should sail through approvals and start work in the late spring or summer.
· WeHo's Urban Designer Gives Positive Review to Development Proposed for Santa Monica at West Knoll [WeHoville]