The redevelopment of the iconic Viper Room in West Hollywood has been subject to criticism from neighbors concerned with the project's plans.
Located along Sunset Boulevard, the proposed project would include an 11-story hotel with residential units and restaurants. The world-famous Viper Room that is synonymous with West Hollywood would be re-constituted in the development.
Residents in the area, however, argue that the project is just too big and believe the city just doesn’t have the space for it.
“It’s just a humungous, gargantuan plot of building on this little space,” said longtime West Hollywood resident Bjorn Johnson.
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Others are not opposed to the idea of redevelopment but fear that the opinions of neighbors are not being heard.
“We are not anti-development; we are not trying to stop the project,” said Elyse Eisenberg, President of the West Hollywood Heights Association. “We just want to get the developer to be more reasonable about the concerns of the neighborhood.”
One of the biggest concerns is the impact on traffic on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Larrabee Street. Other residents fear that the project will be plagued with delays like the Melrose Triangle, the empty crater-like lot still awaiting development that’s turned into a West Hollywood eyesore.
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“West Hollywood is becoming a ghost town of empty retail because commercial property owners are demanding too much rent from the tenants, and no one is able to pay it," Mark Lines, a West Hollywood resident, said. "Even if the structure gets built, there’s a very good chance it’s going to remain half empty."
Charles Essig, a developer at Sunset Creek Development, says the project will include affordable housing and public green space to give new life to the Viper Room and West Hollywood.
“We’ve worked very hard over the last six years and redesigned the project three times to address community concerns,” said Essig.
The West Hollywood Planning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to listen to residents' concerns revolving around the Viper Room redevelopment project.
