Most of the drama over the aesthetics of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Miracle Mile has subsided (for now), but it looks like another battle may be mounting for the institution. A board member of the litigious neighborhood group Fix the City (one of the organizations that sued to stop the planning/development guidelines known as the Hollywood Community Plan) is saying it's probably the group will sue the Museum and its "god-awful globe" if the City Council approves it, according to the LA Times. Whether or not FTC will sue could hinge largely on parking.
Even the Academy's own environmental report cops to the museum creating "significant impact" in the surrounding area: the museum was anticipated to bring congestion "beyond the 'threshold … criteria'" of acceptable traffic to two intersections near the museum on regular days; big events like a movie premiere would bring those same over-threshold conditions to seven intersections around the venue. But the plan was still approved by the Planning Commission and moved onto the docket for City Council.
For Fix the City, a major part of their opposition has to do with parking. The museum's current plan to handle parking is to share facilities with LACMA, and to also lock down "more than 800" off-site parking spaces in a lot nearby that would be specifically for LACMA lot overflow. But FTC wants proof that the agreement securing the off-site spots is not just temporary, but a "permanent covenant." If they were to sue, "a lawsuit might argue that anything short of [a permanent agreement] would not satisfy the requirements of city law." The managing director of the Academy Museum project says that they've secured parking leases that last up to 20 years, and that "we will work diligently to renew the leases in a timely manner."
The City Council is expected to approve the museum next month. Even Fix the City expects it to pass. "I believe it's going to sail through. I see the handwriting on the wall, and I don't see any forces stopping this. I'm left with one move," says their rep.
· Fix the City community group, citing traffic, might fight Academy Museum [LAT]
· Academy Museum Architect: "I Don't Think It Will Be That Bad" [Curbed LA]
· Starchitect Renzo Piano's Drama Reportedly Screwing Up Academy Movie Museum Project [Curbed LA]
Loading comments...