The 45-day comment period for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ draft environmental impact report (DEIR) ended on Tuesday, and at least one community group is opposing the proposed project.

If approved, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will join LACMA on its campus at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue. (rendering courtesy of the Academy Museum)

The Miracle Mile Residential Association’s president, Jim O’Sullivan, said the 290,000-square-foot museum will cause parking, traffic, infrastructure and public safety issues in the area while subjecting residents to a digital sign district.

“They’re trying to shoehorn a seven or eight acre project, which it would have been in Hollywood, into a 2.2 acre lot,” he said.

O’Sullivan said the Miracle Mile was never supposed to be in this position, as residents gave up a portion of Ogden Drive to unify LACMA with the May Company building it purchased in 1994 for additional gallery space. Instead, LACMA leased the building to the academy. O’Sullivan said one-third of the building will be demolished to accommodate the theatre referred to as “the Sphere.”

He said the academy’s plan is to share parking with LACMA, but he believes there are not enough spaces to accommodate both institutions, as residents in the Miracle Mile have been dealing with traffic and parking issues related to LACMA visitation for years.

“The traffic study they did was an insult to the community,” O’Sullivan said, adding that the DEIR stated that there would be no neighborhood intrusion due to the project.

He also questioned the museum’s projected visitation figures. O’Sullivan said the DEIR projects 5,000 visitors per day, even though a 2008 traffic study projected that the academy’s initial project proposal in Hollywood would bring in 7,800 visitors per day.

Furthermore, O’Sullivan said the association has concerns that the project will negatively impact police and fire response times, as well as the Miracle Mile’s infrastructure.

Overall, he said the association believes the DEIR is “so flawed and so inaccurate.” O’Sullivan said he has doubts that the academy will listen to the community and make the necessary adjustments before the city approves the project, which could spur a legal battle.

“I’m expecting this to fast-track [and] get through the process sometime in May or June, which then will start a legal clock,” he added.

Academy officials disagree with the association’s assessment. Bill Kramer, managing director of the museum and external relations, said the academy is working to alleviate any parking and traffic concerns.

“Parking is something that we are keenly aware of as an issue we need to address to make this project successful,” he said, adding that the organization is working on a “robust” parking plan that includes off-site parking.

Kramer said officials will also install directional signage, promote apps that locate available parking spaces and schedule events on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when parking demands are lighter. Currently, there are open parking spaces in the area, and the academy is hoping to lease those spaces, he said.

“We are proactively addressing this,” Kramer said. “I think if we pay attention to our plans for special events and timed ticketing and create a parking management plan utilizing existing spaces … we can go a long way to mitigate traffic issues in this neighborhood.”

He also disagreed with the association’s statement that the project will be half museum, half special events center.

“We are building a museum,” Kramer said, adding that the academy is looking to host two special events per week. “We are building a cultural institution first and foremost. …Our primary goal is not to create a special event space.”

According to the DEIR, academy officials want to install banner signs and digital displays on the former May Company building and “the Sphere” theatre. Additionally, the academy is looking to install canopy signs, projected image signs, flag pole signs and identification signs, such as an Oscar statuette on the corner tower of the May Company building, the DEIR states.

The sign district is slated to support and enhance the land uses and urban design objectives in the Wilshire Community Plan, while providing “unique and vibrant” signage that will inform and attract visitors, according to the DEIR.

Academy officials believe the sign district will “contribute in a positive way” to the visuals on Museum Row and in the Miracle Mile, the document states. Kramer said the signage will be done in a respectful way that is compatible with neighboring properties.

“This is a historic landmark, and we’re looking forward to calling this historic landmark our future home,” he said, adding that the organization will “fully respect” the integrity of the building.

Kramer said none of the signage will be used for commercial advertising; only identifying signage and advertisements for special events and exhibits at the museum will be installed.

He said digital signage will be limited to the May Company building’s storefront windows, which restores its historical use. Kramer said the signs will be designed for pedestrians, not motorists.

“No large-scale digital signage is designed to be visible from the street,” he added.

Residents have, to some extent, expressed concerns about the signage district to the Mid-City West Community Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee, chairman Cary Brazeman said. He said the council is establishing a working group to review the project and the proposed signage.

“We’re aware of the concern about the proposed signage, and we’re looking into it seriously,” Brazeman said.

He said the council will likely take a position on the project by the end of the year.

“There are any number of ways that we could weigh in,” Brazeman added.

Kramer said the academy has been working with community groups, and it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

“We want to be great neighbors,” he said. “We want to be a catalyst for great change in this neighborhood.”

Kramer said the academy museum will offer lobby space with amenities that will be open to the community. Additionally, residents are invited to view the academy’s “Hollywood Costume” exhibit for free at the proposed museum location on Oct. 29. Kramer said the event will be the last one the academy hosts at the site before construction begins.