The project will retain the historic façade of the studio while expanding production space. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The Los Angeles Department of City Planning held the first public hearing on May 15 on Television City’s plan to modernize the historic studio property at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.

Hackman Capital Partners, which purchased Television City from CBS in 2019, is planning a $1.25-billion project that will create 1,724,000 square feet of sound stage, production support, production office, general office and retail uses at the site. Hackman Capital Partners reduced the size of the proposed project by 150,000 square feet in April after a request by Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, 5th District, that the developer respond to concerns by neighbors about the project’s overall size and scope. Plans call for the studios historic façade facing Beverly Boulevard to be retained.

The May 15 hearing was virtual-only and was led by city planners More Song and Paul Caporaso, who provided an overview of the project, introduced representatives of Hackman Capital Partners and later opened the hearing for public comment. No decisions were made at the hearing, which was held to inform the public and gather input, Song said.

Caporaso and planning staff will compile a report based on information collected on May 15 and will submit the report to the Los Angeles Planning Commission, which is tentatively scheduled to hold a hearing on the Television City Project on Sept. 12. Copies of the report will be made available at planning.lacity.gov approximately one week prior to the commission’s hearing. Written public comments can still be submitted to paul.caporaso@lacity.org; use “TVC 2050” in the subject line. The Planning Commission will also take public comments at its hearing in September, when it will make a recommendation and forward it to the Los Angeles City Council’s Planning and Land Use Management Committee for consideration, followed by the full City Council.

Representatives of Yaroslavsky’s office were present at the May 15 virtual hearing but did not comment on the project. The council member has not yet indicated whether she supports or opposes the Television City project. The proposal was supported by the Mid City West Neighborhood Council, which had a representative attending the May 15 meeting who declined to comment.

Dozens of people spoke during public comment, which lasted until approximately 3:30 p.m. During the morning portion of the meeting, the majority of commenters spoke in favor of the project. They included numerous residents as well as representatives of the Greater Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Park La Brea Residents Association, Los Angeles Conservancy and Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles.

“I’ve lived in the neighborhood since 1989. I’ve seen that neighborhood change immensely for better and sometimes worse,” Drexel Avenue resident Mark Callahan said. “I support this project wholeheartedly. I want people to understand that one-third of the county’s economy is related to the creative economy. We badly need every single job we can get in this part of the economy. We have to go all in.”

“I’ve lived off of Melrose for almost 25 years now. I’ve witnessed the decline of our neighborhood. I saw the TVC specific plan and it gave me hope,” said a caller who only identified herself as Nancy. “I’m thrilled that they are not going to destroy a part of history here. I heard about the number of high paying jobs that is part of this plan and I applaud that effort.”

“This [project] assures the studio’s much needed modernization while protecting this historic building and maintaining eligibility as a city of Los Angeles historic-cultural monument,” said Adrian Scott Fine, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Conservancy.

“I think the TV City project is not just about studio development, it’s about creating a safer and more connected community for generations to come,” added Chris Devlin, executive director for the Greater Miracle Mile Chamber of Commerce. “I and the chamber members believe that this will not only enhance the safety of this community and this neighborhood, but also bring business to not only the studio but the surrounding areas of The Grove and the Farmers Market.”

“We are humbled by the more than 75% of hearing participants who spoke in favor of our plan to modernize Television City, the vast majority of which are Beverly-Fairfax residents. This support is in addition to the more than 1,600 support letters that were sent to the city planning department and the 20-5 vote in favor of the project by the Mid City West Neighborhood Council. It is clear the community overwhelmingly supports Television City,” said Zach Sokoloff, senior vice president of Television City. “Our community support is a testament to TVC’s active and robust community outreach program. Through those efforts – studio tours, open houses, focus groups and events with local community partners – we’re proud to have earned the support of more than 4,000 of our neighbors and organizations representing thousands more residents, small businesses, nonprofits, preservationists, environmental advocates and our brothers and sisters in unionized labor.”

Opponents of the project include the Save Beverly Fairfax, Neighbors for Responsible TVC Development, Beverly Wilshire Homeowners Association, the Broadcast Center Apartments and the Beverly Fairfax Community Alliance, which includes The Grove owner Caruso and Original Farmers Market owner A.F. Gilmore Company.

Chris Robertson, senior vice president of planning and development for Caruso, said the hearing should be continued due to revisions being made by Hackman Capital Partners in April.

“The Grove strongly supports the entertainment industry and recognizes the importance of continuing to grow the industry in Los Angeles. However, the TVC project proposed by Hackman Capital fails to address many of the issues raised by us and others in response to the inadequate draft EIR the city published last year,” Robertson said. “The TVC project requires a minimum of nine approvals, including a specific plan and sign district that would supersede the code. The public was just provided access to 1,000s of pages of new information regarding the project. The proposed tract map does not contain sufficient information … and does not appear consistent with the modified project.”

Danielle Peters and Shelley Wagers, with Neighbors for Responsible TVC Development, said the group is calling for the reduction of general office space at the site and is hopeful the planning department will require Hackman Capital Partners to reduce the size.

“About 50 community members who have no affiliation with the project spoke out against this massive development and office tower, which will overwhelm the neighborhood and bring traffic to a standstill,” read a statement from Wagers and Peters. “It’s time for the developer to respond to the significant public opposition and scale back this project, to make it a win-win for them and the surrounding communities.”

“A lot of people in support don’t live near the project and don’t understand how it will affect residents. There is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about our platform, which is cut the office space,” Peters added. “It’s a long haul for us, but we are here and hopefully we will be heard.”

Michelle Black, of Law Offices of Carstens, Black & Minteer, spoke on behalf of the Beverly Wilshire Homes Association.

“The association opposes the oversized project of interchangeable uses. The project is a 20 year blank check for one and a half million square feet of new development, 225 feet tall in a congested corridor,” Black said. “It allows for more than 50 different uses – 50 uses under the umbrella of allegedly five.”

“I support a studio expansion and not an office park,” said Dale Kendall, president of Save Beverly Fairfax. “Our neighborhood deserves a project that works for everybody, but this project just works for Hackman. It would be irresponsible to approve this project without looking at its impact in our neighborhood.”