City Council unanimously approves Rick Caruso’s 16-story tower near Beverly Center

With unanimous approval from the City Council, the Grove owner Rick Caruso won the final stamp of approval needed Tuesday to build a luxury tower near the Beverly Center.

Instead of topping out at 240 feet as originally proposed, the apartment tower will reach a height of 185 feet, going from 20 stories to 16, a design tweak requested by councilmember Paul Koretz, who reps the neighborhood. Caruso also agreed to make 10 of the units in the tower affordable and to give the city $500,000 for affordable housing.

Koretz had originally supported the project, but withdrew his support in December on the grounds that the project was too tall. Koretz’s about-face came after he received “a petition with more than 1,000 signatures” from a group that opposed the project, the Los Angeles Times reported.

When Caruso agreed to a height reduction earlier this month, Koretz announced his support for the development again.

Koretz defended the project’s height Tuesday, citing nearby buildings that could also be considered “tall,” including the 10-story Sofitel and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, which he said is 188 feet tall. He also addressed concerns about the project’s traffic impacts, saying that since the project’s size was reduced, the impact on traffic has also decreased compared to what could otherwise be built on the site.

In a written statement, Caruso said, “The vote demonstrates that by working closely with the community, we can bring a project to the neighborhood with tremendous community benefits and that sets new standards in environmental sustainability.”

• Rick Caruso’s fancy housing tower gets a pass after he agrees to reduce the height [Curbed LA]
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• Rick Caruso’s fancy 333 La Cienega moving forward in Beverly Grove [Curbed LA]