Valet services without the valet. Park, swipe, leave. That’s the plan for the new West Hollywood City Hall Automated Garage and Community Plaza Project now entering in its 21-day public comment period.
A rendering has been made available of the new automated parking garage at West Hollywood City Hall. (photo courtesy of city of West Hollywood)
But whether or not this project is a veritable drive-through or destined to be stuck in traffic remains to be seen. The Automated Parking Design Steering Committee meeting originally scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 27 has been cancelled due to a lack of quorum, and moved to Thursday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at West Hollywood City Hall’s Community Conference Room. When the public review period ends Nov. 10, the planning commission is expected to make a determination regarding compliance with the city’s general plan on Nov. 17.
The project’s automated parking service is slated to accommodate 200 cars — which will be parked door-to-door and bumper-to-bumper. Utilizing computer-controlled lifts, conveyors and shuttles, vehicles will be transported to and from the entrance to a parking space in 90 seconds — all without human assistance. Should the Unitronics-built project be approved, it will be the first municipal automated parking structure on the West Coast.
On May 2, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously voted to build the automated vehicle and storage retrieval system (AVSRS). As part of that process, an environmental review was conducted, finding no negative impacts. The public review period, now underway, is the next step in approval, giving residents a chance to voice their opinions. AVSRS is budgeted at approximately $2.6 million, with the entire project slated for about $13.3 million, director of public works Oscar Delgado said in May. Funds are derived from the city’s parking improvement fund, with revenue generated from the city’s parking operations.
City Hall currently offers free, limited outdoor parking, which West Hollywood Mayor John Duran has said will probably continue once the system is operational.
Project documents are available for review at the Community Development Department at 8300 Santa Monica Blvd. For more information, call associate planner Adrian Gallo at (323) 848-6475.
2 Comments
The city allows public comment, but they don’t really explain how to do that. The public comments on most projects are two minutes at a council meeting. But seeing as the council has already unanimously approved this $15 million project…if we don’ t want it what are they going to do about it? Stop it? This is obscene. People are starving, homeless, jobless in Weho like everywhere else and we need a wildly expensive machine to park our cars for us? Are you joking? And does the money really come from parking funds? I had heard the money was coming from the $125 million worth of bonds the city sold with taking a vote and will be paid back by tax increments. So, what’s up with that? Truth or fiction?
HEY STEPHANIE – I think you are catching on. The City Council holds these endless and frequently rescheduled meetings with oppertunities for the Public to give comments and input……
NOTHING EVER CHANGES.
The staff of City Hall is paid on average twice that of their contemporaries in the entire City Of L.A.
Why and what do they do for that salary? They hold meetings – which means calendaring and then making, printing, posting, sending the notices (takes a bunch of people full time just for that).
Then the City needs support and crew staff at each event. The repetative non-sense jobs consist of distracting the public into not realizing how corrupt the City Council is and the way the are running the City – to wit: to service only their own personal and financial interests (and those of their ‘friend’ on salary).
You want it corrected? I am sure the Council will not ever change … they never have and are very secure in their positions having made sure to dole out enough in benefits and spending to specific voting blocks, who in return, guarantee their votes.
There has to be a removal of the entire council by formal action like the City of Bell did.
But that took Resident outrage. WeHo has their committees and advisory groups that take the time and ability of those who would otherwise take a stand on what is really wrong with the City.
They have it all wrapped up on all sides.