2021 Community Outreach

From July to August, 2021 the Design team presented the now abandoned 2021 Conceptual Design at a series of virtual community and commission meetings. This design is no longer being pursued and additional community outreach to inform the redesign process is now underway but materials from the 2021 meetings is included below for archival purposes.

• Urban Art Subcommittee (UAS): Thursday 7/15/2021@ 5:00 PM (Zoom Virtual Meeting)
• Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission (ACAC): Thursday 7/22/2021 @ 5:00 PM (Zoom Virtual Meeting)
  • Agenda Packet [PDF]
  • Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/99443701759
• Community Meeting: Monday 8/9/2021 @ 5:00 PM (Zoom Virtual Meeting)
  • Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89610557317
    • Note: this meeting includes a visual presentation so participating through the zoom platform is strongly encouraged.
  • Community Meeting Slides [PDF]
  • Community Meeting Presentation [Video]
  • Community Meeting Follow-up Survey (Responses due Friday, 8/13 by 5:00 PM) 
    • These questions mirror discussion questions that will be posed to the audience during the meeting. Those unable to participate live are encouraged to complete this short online survey by Friday, 8/13 at 5:00 PM.
• Public Facilities Commission (PFC): Wednesday 8/11/2021 @ 6:30 PM (Zoom Virtual Meeting)
  • The PFC agenda will be posted on the commission page on the City website prior to the meeting with a Zoom link and instructions to provide public comment.

2019-2020 Community Outreach

From June 2019 to February 2020, the project team conducted a series of public outreach events to involve the community in the development of the initial conceptual design.

Community Intercept Surveys

• Pride weekend (June 8-9, 2019): Short form survey and mapping.
• Pop Up weekend (Saturday August 3, 2019): more open-ended survey
• Pop Up weekday (Thursday August 8, 2019): more open-ended survey

On-site Events with Temporary Parking Lot Closures

• Artist led design workshop (Saturday Dec 7, 2019): The team collected feedback on parking and circulation options and used a scale model to allow participants to choose the best location for different amenities on the site. The City also provided information about services available to the unhoused.
• Student design workshop (February 27, 2020): As part of the City’s partnership with their Urban Planning and Urban Design STEM Magnet program, Rosewood Elementary students in grades 3-5 worked with team members on a site analysis and design exercise. Their scanned and abstracted drawings became part of the team conceptualization of the site.

Outreach activities from August 2019 to February 2020 are summarized in more detail in the 2019-2020 Beverly Community Engagement Findings.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will construction start?

Beverly Triangle Plaza is part of the 5th and final phase of the larger Design District Streetscape and Undergrounding Project. Including both the gathering place and streetscape improvements to adjacent Beverly Blvd., Phase 5 construction is tentatively anticipated to start in 2025.

When will the project open?

Construction is expected to be complete by 2026.

How will the project be funded?

$1 million in funding for this project was included in the development agreement between the City and the nearby 8899 Beverly project.

Where can I find more information on the rest of the Design District Streetscape and Utility Undergrounding project?

For more details on the broader Design District Streetscape project, visit www.weho.org/designdistrict.

What is the role of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission?

The Design District Streetscape Master Plan calls for the City to commission integrated, permanent public art as part of the proposed gathering place. The public art component of the project will be reviewed through the City's Urban Art Program, a five-step process overseen by the Urban Art Subcommittee of the  Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission (ACAC). ACAC and the City Council previously approved the selection of Greenmeme to serve as the artist for the project in 2019 (stage I). ACAC previously approved an initial schematic plan for the proposed public art component of the project (stage II) on July 22, 2021 but the associated conceptual design has since been abandoned and the design team will seek stage II approval from ACAC again once a new conceptual design has been developed based on additional public input. After additional refinements following stage II approvals, the Urban Art Subcommittee and ACAC will consider the final plans for the art component (stage III) while the City Council will consider the construction documents for the overall gathering place. 

How can I get involved or find out more about the project?

Sign up for email updates here to be the first to know about future presentations and opportunities for public feedback:  https://forms.gle/5tpHD6sHgTrPumEk9

For any questions, please contact David Fenn, Associate Planner, at dfenn@weho.org or (323) 848-6336.

In Spring and Summer of 2021, a series of virtual City Commission and general Community meetings were held for the project where the design team presented a proposed conceptual design. The Art Component of the conceptual design was initially approved by the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission (ACAC) and some elements of the design were broadly supported such as the expansion of landscaping and green space. However, significant community concerns were expressed at each of these meetings with various elements of the 2021 conceptual design and the partially enclosed nature of the proposed public art component at the time. To address these concerns effectively and responsively, the City Council voted to approve a contract amendment with the Design Team to enable complete redesign the conceptual design for the project based on additional public input. The 2021 Conceptual design was abandoned and that redesign is now underway.

The West Hollywood Design District Streetscape Master Plan (DDSMP), adopted in 2013, encompasses the public right-of-way on: Melrose Ave., Robertson Blvd., Beverly Blvd., and the portions of Almont Dr. and La Peer Dr. between Melrose Ave. and Santa Monica Blvd. The goal of the DDSMP is to strengthen the economic vitality of the Design District by improving the overall aesthetics and utility of streets, enhancing bicycle and pedestrian environments, and integrating landscape and art into new public gathering spaces.

Building off the DDSMP, the City worked with community members, businesses, and neighborhood groups to develop a master plan level (10% concept) design for a public gathering space at the Beverly / Robertson parking lot.

This concept called for a combination of permanent and flexible open space that retains parking while organizing the site more efficiently to provide new public amenities. This plan was approved by Council in 2014 and ongoing design work will aim to incorporate its intent and key features while incorporating additional community feedback, integrated public art, and evolving best practices in landscape architecture.

For example, the 2014 Conceptual Plan included water features to buffer traffic noise from Beverly Blvd. which is no longer considered a best practice given ongoing drought conditions. The project team has proposed concentrating landscaping and raised planters along this edge to accomplish the same buffering effect. Similarly, more recent community outreach in 2019 found that many residents supported orienting parking access to the periphery of the site rather than bisecting it as proposed in the 2014 Concept. This change would increase the usable plaza area by approximately 2,000 SF while retaining most of the parking capacity.

• 2013 Design District Streetscape Master Plan
• 2014 Beverly at Robertson 10% Concept
• 2019-2020 Community Engagement Findings

In February 2019, the City released a request for proposals (RFP) for landscape architect teams to conduct additional public outreach and finalize the design for the Beverly gathering place. Because the DDSMP placed emphasis on integrating art into public space, each team had to include a public artist who that would be involved throughout the design process.

After a careful review of 10 proposals, an interdisciplinary panel selected five teams to interview and ultimately selected Land Images.

In May 2019, Land Images presented the qualifications of three potential public artist collaborators to the Urban Art Subcommittee (UAS) of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission (ACAC). On May 16, 2019 the UAS interviewed the artists, reviewed their qualifications and portfolios, and selected Greenmeme. On July 15, 2019 the City Council confirmed the selection and approved an amendment to the agreement for services with Land Images to include Greenmeme’s fee for the design phase.

About Land Images

Land Images Landscape Architecture has been creating engaging, enduring and exceptional outdoor spaces in Southern California since 1977. The firm’s broad range of specialties includes campus planning and design, municipal site work, public parks and private development. Principal Scott Van Sooy, a long-time West Hollywood resident and a former member of the City’s Bicycle Task Force, infuses the firm’s creative and technical expertise with an insider’s understanding of the community and the Design District. 

About Greenmeme

Freyja Bardell and Brian Howe have been working together under their studio name, Greenmeme, since 2005. The studio has created a wide variety of site-specific artworks, each integrated uniquely into their communities and natural habitats. Examples of Greenmeme projects include the temporary Matryoshka installation in Plummer Park in West Hollywood and the Riverside Drive Roundabout sculptural elements in Los Angeles. Over the years, they have created works in stone, metal, wood and glass with a creative emphasis on the unique qualities of project sites. Greenmeme has extensive experience working in collaboration with other professionals and project teams of architects, landscape designers, engineers, and various fabricators while incorporating new methods of art making through public art opportunities.