West Hollywood residents spoke out about the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project. (photo by Rance Collins)

Several members of the public came to discuss the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project at the Aug. 31 West Hollywood City Council meeting.

Phase one of the Fountain Streetscape Project was approved on Sept. 15, 2025, by the City Council. The project includes protected bike lanes, a new street layout with one vehicle lane in each direction, high-visibility crosswalks, painted curb extensions on the side streets, self-watering planters and publicly visible bicycle counters.

After construction is complete, curbside street parking will only be available on the south side of the street, alongside the bike path. Construction on phase one of the project is anticipated to begin this fall.

Several residents at the Aug. 21 city council meeting said they were concerned about potential increases in construction traffic and reduced parking in an already crowded neighborhood.

Resident Stephanie Harker said many people in her neighborhood did not know the project was happening. With the project projected to remove two lanes of traffic and 210 street parking spots, Harker urged the council to put the plan on hold.

“This project will take away over 62% of the residential parking with no mitigation for residents, except the suggestion for 210 drivers to ride around searching for an empty space or to park in the city lot blocks away,” Harker said.

Harker also suggested that upgrading the curb ramps on Fountain Avenue to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act should take priority over other remodels.

“The Americans with Disabilities Act is a law, not a suggestion or a guideline,” Harker said. “Bringing the sidewalks into ADA compliance first would benefit thousands of residents and pedestrians, particularly people with mobility issues. We want safety first throughout the city for everyone.”

Phase two of the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project is a planned full reconstruction of Fountain Avenue to bring the curb ramps and sidewalks into ADA compliance. Planning for phase two will begin in the second half of 2026.

Resident Cathy Blaivas urged the council to put the brakes on the bike path plan.

“This bike plan should be put on hold, and the community should really be informed and have a say in the matter. Thank you,” Blaivas said.

Laura Boccaletti has lived in West Hollywood for 23 years, about a half block away from Fountain Avenue. She said that she frequently walks and drives on Fountain Avenue, and “in all of the 23 years I’ve lived here, I have seen probably fewer than 50 cyclists.”

“However, I have seen thousands of West Hollywood residents walking to and from Fountain, entering and exiting their driveways, along with weekly service vehicles, delivery trucks, the occasional fire truck, EMT and sheriff’s vehicles. All of which, even with four lanes of traffic, have their challenges.” Boccaletti said. “Implementing the ill-advised and expensive lane reduction and bicycle plan along this short residential thoroughfare is of no service to the majority of residents.”

Boccaletti believes the project creates “more safety dangers than conveniences, not only for those against it, but also for the relatively small percentage of bicycle riders who might use it.”

West Hollywood resident Lala Khanian drives for Uber part-time and lives one block away from Fountain Avenue. As someone who spends a lot of time behind the wheel, Khanian is concerned the bike lane project could slow traffic.

“The current Fountain Avenue bike lane project will cause backup and gridlock and make traffic worse through the city,” Khanian said. “It will also not allow me to pull over to drop off residents in front of their houses and apartments, and that’s bad because I do pick up disabled people and elderly people, and that will cause a lot of issues.”

Wendy Krueger came to the council meeting to speak on behalf of her apartment complex, located on Fountain Avenue.

“I think the transportation reality of this area is that we all drive cars and drive long distances to get to work,” Krueger said. “We believe merging into one lane at that intersection will increase backups and add more traffic there.”

A few public transit users and bike riders came out in support of the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project. Josh Simenhoff has been a resident of West Hollywood for almost 10 years and called the City Council’s “commitment to public transit an oasis in a desert of cars.”

Simenhoff said street safety was especially important to him because he knew someone who died while biking on Fountain Avenue. He expressed his support for the project and urged the council to consider other street renovation projects that would make West Hollywood safer for cyclists.

Jesse Budlong is a regular public transit rider who frequents West Hollywood. He said with the upcoming LA28 Olympics, the city needs more infrastructure to support the crowds coming to West Hollywood. He urged the council to continue updating the bike paths on Fountain Avenue. and invest in other public transit projects throughout the city.

“When we discuss transit and street design, we cannot limit the conversation just to residents who live directly adjacent to these projects,” Budlong said. “Let’s remember that pedestrians and bicyclists pay for the local roads through taxes, just like everyone else, and have an equal right to use them safely.”

The council did not address the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project because it was not on the agenda.