The West Hollywood City Council on Monday certified the environmental impact report for the Plummer Park capital improvement project, clearing the way for the city to begin architectural plans that will guide the park’s transformation.

Fiesta Hall at Plummer Park will be transformed into a state-of-the-art performing arts facility. (photo by Amy Lyons)

Plans call for major improvements, including renovating Fiesta Hall into a 99-seat, state-of-the-art performing arts facility; construction of a 179-space subterranean parking garage at the park entrance near Santa Monica Boulevard; and the creation of 14,000 square feet of additional green space. Other components of the project include the demolition of the park’s Great Hall, and an expansion of the city-subsidized Plummer Park Preschool. There will also be gardens, pathways, benches and tables installed throughout the park.

Sam Baxter, director of Human Services for the City of West Hollywood, said construction should begin on the $42-million project by fall 2011, with a targeted completion date of spring 2013. He said funding has already been budgeted for the project, and city staff members will now be working with consultants and architects to develop the formal plan. Each phase of the design process will need city council approval, and Baxter expects the initial phase to take approximately four to six weeks.

Baxter added that West Hollywood city officials are looking into the possibility of relocating some of the activities currently at Plummer Park to Poinsettia Park, which is a couple of blocks away in the City of Los Angeles. He said the activities that could be temporarily relocated include the baseball program, the gymnastics program, day camps, and the use of an activities office.