Organizers of the opposition group “Neighbors for Responsible TVC Development” are holding a meeting on Zoom on Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m. to report on recent meetings the group has had with Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky and “the campaign to cut TVC down to size,” according to the meeting invitation.
In mid-February, Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky sent a letter to Michael Hackman, of Hackman Capital asking for reductions in the scale of the proposed expansion and renovation of Television City.
“My team has been working closely with neighbors, stakeholders, and the developer to make sure the project is compatible with the needs of the surrounding neighborhood,” wrote Yaroslavsky in an email to constituents sent on February 21, 2024.
“Late last year, our office requested that the Department of City Planning release the draft Specific Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report for the project so that the community would have a chance to fully review and provide additional comments. This coming April, public hearings will be held to discuss the Final EIR and hear feedback from the community. In anticipation of those hearings, I sent a letter last week to the project developer, requesting changes to the plan, including:
“Project Size: Reduce the total maximum square footage to further reduce the impacts of the project on the community;
Project Height: Reduce the project height along the perimeter of the property;
Project Mass: Provide greater setbacks and use techniques such as building stepbacks to better separate the project from neighboring properties;
Transportation Commitment: Establish a best-in-class transportation demand management program to reduce traffic impacts to the surrounding neighborhood.”
According to Peters and Wagers, they have met with Hackman Capital several times recently to discuss the project but weren’t satisfied with the discussions.
“Their 2 million square foot, 20-year expansion could wipe out Beverly Fairfax and cripple traffic in surrounding neighborhoods for decades,” wrote Peters and Wagers. “But they stuck with their outrageous proposal, offering to reduce the size by a whopping 3 or 4 percent.”
Television City officials told the Buzz they are listening to and working with Councilwoman Yarsolavsky.
“We appreciate Councilmember Yaroslavsky’s active engagement in the Television City entitlement process and her optimism for City Council action by this Summer. We are grateful for her guidance and agree with the Councilmember that Television City will be a model modern studio,” Zach Sokoloff, Senior Vice President, Television City told the Buzz.
“We have conducted hundreds of community outreach events – pre-dating our entitlement application filing and through this latest round of open houses, focus groups, and studio tours – and we have listened to feedback from residents and stakeholders. We take this input, as well as the Councilmember’s direction, very seriously and are confident it will make for a better Television City,” said Sokoloff, who added the company was not invited to participate in the meeting on Thursday.
Click here for registration and Zoom link.
