After nearly 30 years of temporary arrangements, the Almont cul-de-sac in West Hollywood will finally be renovated. (photo by Carlos De Loera)

In a meeting with city staff and designers on Feb. 10, the West Hollywood West Residents Association discussed designs for the beautification of the entrance to the Almont cul-de-sac at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and Almont Drive.

The current setup at the Almont Drive cul-de-sac, which was originally designed to be temporary, has been in place for nearly 30 years since it was approved by the West Hollywood City Council in the 1990s and has remained mostly unchanged. The cul-de-sac was originally created because there was a lot of cross traffic coming from Melrose Avenue into the residential neighborhood on Almont Drive. Presently, it is closed off by a handful of K-rails connected by a chain and large planters on either end of the passageway.

Manny Rodriguez, vice president of the West Hollywood West Residents Association, noted that while the current enclosure is not particularly aesthetically pleasing, it has been practical.

“What the chain did for the last 20 years was actually, in a sense, very effective because it not only stopped cars from coming into the neighborhood as a cut-through, but it also stopped motorcycles,” Rodriguez said. “It has accomplished its purpose all these years in a very utilitarian way, no question.”

According to Rodriguez, residents were told by the city that the originally temporary design would be made to look better, but that plan wasn’t put into motion until the city approved the Melrose Triangle Project in 2014.

“The Melrose Triangle Project, as part of their agreement in the first development plan, agreed that they would pay for the beautification of the cul-de-sac,” Rodriguez said. “Sort of a little give back to the community. However, that project was sold off to somebody else. It never happened.”

With new plans for the Melrose Triangle Project once again underway, hope for the cul-de-sac beautification is back after the new project developers, Charles Company, agreed to make changes. Funds for the redesign came from the original Melrose Triangle developers, who allocated the money to the city before plans for the project eventually dissolved.

By the meeting’s end, the residents agreed on a design that incorporated the use of retractable metal bollards, which can be lowered by emergency service vehicles, and a repaved and leveled street with planters. The bollards also allow the cul-de-sac to remain bicycle friendly, which was important to residents.

Walter Davis, West Hollywood neighborhood traffic management program specialist, clarified that while the funds for the beautification come from the original developers of the Melrose Triangle Project, the cul-de-sac work will not be considered part of the new project proposal that will be presented to the city’s Planning Commission on Feb. 17 and is instead considered a separate traffic calming project.

Davis outlined the process for the cul-de-sac project going forward.

“Once the construction plans are finalized, the city has to engage in a contractor bidding process,” Davis said. “At that time, it’ll go to the city council for approval of the award of the contractor. There are a lot of variables in this, but I’d say that we’ll have a better understanding of the situation in about four months. Construction at the site should start in 2023, if approved.”