Previous renderings of the building proposed for the two-tower, 42-story building on L.A.'s Wilshire Blvd. showed almost the entire structure wrapped in advertising. With a more modest space for signage, the project gets the thumbs-up.
After a 7-hour debate, the Los Angeles Planning Commission approved the new building, and the creation of a new sign district to accommodate the new (albeit smaller) digital advertising (check out the previous design). While many seem pleased with the The $1 billion, 2.5 million square foot, mixed-used complex, a few at the meeting were concerned with the precedent set by the sign district expansion:
"If the creation of a new sign district didn't generate much debate among Planning Commission members, the sign issue did get the attention of the city group at the forefront of the issue. At the start of the meeting, Chief Deputy City Atty. Bill Carter told the Planning Commission his office received the Planning Department's recommendations and the developer's proposal just last Friday, and hadn't had time to review how it could impact the city's oft-challenged sign code."
The Commission also rejected lighting on the exterior of the building to highlight the upper floors at night.
FULL STORY: Planning Commission Approves Wilshire Grand, Chooses Sign-Lite Option
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
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