Opponents are challenging the review process for the Television City project, which was approved in January.  (photo by Edwin Folven)

Four separate lawsuits were filed during the past week against the city of Los Angeles regarding the Television City project, a major studio expansion that was unanimously approved on Jan. 7 by the Los Angeles City Council.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuits include The Grove; A.F. Gilmore Company, owner of the Original Farmers Market; Save Beverly Fairfax and the Beverly Wilshire Homes Association, all of which opposed the project on the studio lot at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue during the city entitlement process. Television City is owned and operated by Hackman Capital Partners, which plans to modernize the Television City studio lot, creating 1,686,000 square feet of sound stages and production space while retaining historic features of the facade along Beverly Boulevard. Opponents are asking for a court to set aside the development agreement, invalidate the environmental impact report and issue an order preventing the developer from proceeding with work.

The project underwent four years of public review prior to approval, during which an environmental impact report was created and the project was vetted by community groups, the city planning department and City Council. Opponents claimed throughout the process that the project is too large and will have an adverse effect on surrounding neighborhoods, causing traffic congestion and other impacts. The lawsuits claim the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act and did not properly assess the project’s impacts, and that key elements of the project were not addressed during the review process.

A search of Los Angeles County Superior Court records confirmed the four plaintiffs filed petitions with the court, the first step in filing a lawsuit. The A.F. Gilmore Company filed on Feb. 6, The Grove and Save Beverly Fairfax filed on Feb. 7 and the Beverly Wilshire Homes Association filed on Feb. 10.

“The Grove strongly supports the entertainment industry. But we all need to be good neighbors and without changes, this project will create additional traffic, parking problems, pollution and other harmful impacts in our community,” said Chris Robertson, senior vice president of Caruso, owner of The Grove. “There is significant community opposition to this project, with four residential associations and local businesses filing challenges. We remain hopeful that our concerns about the project’s negative impacts to The Grove and our neighbors can be resolved.”

A representative of the A.F. Gilmore Company deferred to the petition that was filed and did not provide further comment. The Beverly Wilshire Homes Association did not respond to requests for comment about the lawsuits. Dale Kendall, president of Save Beverly Fairfax, said there are “lots of reasons” the neighborhood organization opposed the project but was hesitant to comment further about the lawsuit due to the ongoing legal proceedings.

“In our area, there are key impacts that we feel have not been addressed,” Kendall said.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, 5th District, supported the Television City project after Hackman Capital Partners agreed to reduce the size and scope. Yaroslavsky’s spokesman Leo Daube said the councilwoman has no comment due to the pending litigation. Calls to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office regarding the lawsuits were not returned.

The A.F. Gilmore Company’s lawsuit outlines its reasons for seeking relief from the court.

“The city has run roughshod over CEQA and other state and local laws to grant [a] developer a long-term blank check to change its plans, build whatever it wants and answer to almost nobody, regardless of the impact its efforts wreak upon surrounding landowners, streets and infrastructure and neighboring communities. [The] developer’s Television City 2050 Project that the city has permitted is undefined, uncertain and – by [the] developer’s own admission [is] ‘hypothetical’ and ‘conceptual’ rather than finite and definite, as required by CEQA,” the petition read.

“Part of the city’s role is to ensure that all stakeholders are informed and to facilitate their meaningful participation in the entitlement process,” The Grove’s petition read. “The city played that pivotal role in the development of The Grove in 2002, requiring coordination with the city, nearby property owners, residents and the broader community to address the concerns regarding the major construction project. This stands in stark contrast to the city’s handling of the current process, where they have kept the community out of the loop for what will be a major community disruption.”

The Grove’s lawsuit also cites community opposition.

“In a stunning disregard of its duties under CEQA and other state and local laws, and in spite of strong public opposition including over 450 distinct opposition comments on the draft EIR and nine administrative appeals by [the] petitioner, resident groups and other adjacent property owners, on Jan. 7, 2025, the city approved the Television City 2050 project, [the] developer’s undefined, speculative, commercial development project.”

Hackman Capital Partners stressed during the entitlement process that there is a dire need to create more studio space in Los Angeles and without expansion, more companies will move production out of the city and state. Hackman Capital Partners said the project will provide thousands of jobs in Los Angeles.

“These coordinated lawsuits are an unfortunate but predictable abuse of CEQA to stop the Television City studio plan. We’ve seen these same tactics throughout the hearing process,” said Zach Sokoloff, senior vice president of asset management for Hackman Capital Partners, owner of Television City. “The TVC project is one of the most publicly reviewed projects in the history of Los Angeles. It has earned broad support from the Beverly/Fairfax community, small businesses and business groups, labor, historic preservationists, environmental advocates and the thousands of Angelenos whose livelihoods rely on media production. At every step of the city process, the TVC project was unanimously approved. Despite these continued efforts to block this investment into the entertainment industry, we remain steadfast in our commitment to keeping Hollywood in Hollywood. A modernized Television City will help make that possible.”

The Television City project was supported by many groups in the community, including the Mid City West Neighborhood Council, Fairfax Business Association, Melrose Business Improvement District, Park La Brea Residents Association, Los Angeles Conservancy and Jewish Family Services.

“When this came before the council, we heard gaffers and set creators and people in the background of film and television production explain how the film industry is taking a hit. By expanding Television City, it would make it easier for productions to stay in L.A.,” said Sara Griebe, chair of the Mid City West Neighborhood Council. “That is something the board is really serious about, allowing people to stay in their homes and work in their neighborhoods.”

Timelines have not yet been established for when the lawsuits will move forward in Los Angeles County Superior Court.