The disputed Hollywood Millennium project was dealt another blow Thursday when state geologists concluded that an active earthquake fault runs under the planned project.
The news about the fault line came out in a final version of a map originally released in January.
The issue has pitted developers of the twin skyscrapers and office space against Hollywood residents.
Opponents of the project, who have protested, now have more ammunition in their attempts to try to derail it.
"The Millennium Project will never get off the ground," said Robert Silverstein, attorney for the project’s opponents. "Millennium would be an island of instability, danger and peril to human life between these two faults."
The new map shows two faults, one north of the project and one right beneath one of the proposed skyscrapers.
The $664 million project includes two skyscrapers — 39 and 35 stories tall. It also would have a million square feet of apartment, office and retail space around the iconic Capitol Records.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
State law forbids any building from being constructed on top of an active earthquake fault.
Geologists dug several trenches in the area earlier this year to look for fault lines.
Geologists for the developers and the state agreed the data revealed no active fault. But state officials said new evidence showed there is an active fault south of where the digging took place.
In a statement, the developer continues to stand by their initial investigation.
"We are confident that any further testing will corroborate our previous investigations and further demonstrate our expert's conclusions that no active fault exists on our site," they said.
The Los Angeles City Council approved the project unanimously.
In a statement Thursday, Councilman Mitch O'Farrell said there is a disconnect between the data and the state’s new map that "must be reconciled."
The final say on the project belongs to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, which has the power to issue permits for construction.
It could either deny those permits or order a redesign to move the buildings away from the fault.
