Hollywood Palladium Towers Approved in Face of Anti-Development Measure

Despite the threat of a possible anti-development initiative on a future ballot, today the LA City Council went ahead and approved the highly contested two-tower project known as the Palladium Residences—a mixed-user set to rise in Hollywood that's been trotted out as a shining example of excessive development by backers of the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative.

The LA Times reports that the Council voted 12 to 0 in favor of developers Crescent Heights getting the height district and zoning changes they need to build the project, which will include two 28-story towers and the restoration of the adjacent Hollywood Palladium venue. Developer reps say that the decision today will make the restoration process go more smoothly for the old Palladium.

The president and chief executive of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce say that building the Palladium Residences' 731 apartments will help chip away at the intense housing shortage Los Angeles is facing.

But an attorney for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which appealed the project and is headquartered next to the proposed site, was unmoved. She tells the Times, "We are considering all our legal options. Unfortunately, we're not surprised that they would just rubber stamp this." The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is also working with the Coalition to Preserve LA to get the NII on the March 2017 ballot, where it's predicted there will be a lower, more favorable voter turnout than its original November date.

• L.A. City Council OKs 2 controversial high-rises in Hollywood [LAT]
• Hollywood's Palladium Towers to Include Palladium Restoration [Curbed LA]
• Two-Tower Development Next to Hollywood Palladium Gets First Big Approvals [Curbed LA]
• Palladium Towers Moving Right Along Despite NIMBY War [Curbed LA]