In November 2009, the City of West Hollywood will celebrate 25 years of Cityhood. Since the City’s incorporation in 1984, West Hollywood has established itself as one of the most progressive and innovative cities in the country. In celebration of this landmark, the City has embarked upon a new capital project to develop premiere public facilities, parks and open space: the 25th Anniversary Capital Project. As the City moves towards celebrating its remarkable first 25 years of Cityhood, world-class facilities that reward the community and assert permanence will help reflect the City’s dynamic legacy. The project will include major components:  1) The implementation of Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan (which includes the development of a new West Hollywood Library); 2) West Hollywood City Hall Automated Garage and Community Plaza Project; and 3) Implementation of Phase I of the Plummer Park Master Plan.

Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan

Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan will replace the current library with a new 32,000 square foot, state-of-the-art library – designed to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating - public meeting rooms, CATV facilities, coffee bar and Friends of the Library space. In addition to the library, Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan will include 2.5 acres of increased parkland and green space, new tennis courts and 400 parking spaces in two municipal garages.

The new West Hollywood Library will create the centerpiece of the West Hollywood community. It is designed to showcase the City’s rich intellectual, literary and cultural diversity and provide a landmark facility for the community’s passionate commitment to lifelong learning. The Library will include materials that spotlight West Hollywood’s vibrant diversity and will feature an LGBT area; International Languages Collection; Decorative Arts and Design area; a collection of large-print materials for Seniors and people who are visually-impaired and a West Hollywood Room which will feature archival materials showcasing the City’s history.

The new West Hollywood Library is designed to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver rating and be a certified “Green Building.” Green sustainable features include a photovoltaic system (solar power technology that uses solar cells to convert energy from the sun into electricity); low-emitting materials for paints, coatings and carpeting; optimized-energy performance systems (lighting, heating and ventilation) and the use of Green housekeeping products.

West Hollywood City Hall Automated Garage and Community Plaza Project

The City of West Hollywood has awarded a $2.6 million contract to Unitronics to design, engineer, fabricate, install and maintain a 200-car automated vehicle storage and retrieval system for the West Hollywood City Hall Automated Garage and Community Plaza Project which will be located at 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard (City Hall).

Automated parking garages can hold as many as three times the number of cars as traditional ramp-style parking garages. Operationally, automated parking garages provide customers with a valet-like parking experience that is fast, safe, and convenient. They are also less expensive to build when compared to conventional parking garages. Automated parking garages utilize computer-controlled motorized lifts, conveyors and shuttles to transport cars from the arrival level to a parking space and vice versa, without human assistance.

Since 1989, Unitronics, a unique leading company with international presence, has focused on three principal fields of activity, which are implemented by three business divisions: Automation Products, Automated Logistics Systems and Automated Parking Solutions.

Phase I of the Plummer Park Master Plan

Phase I of the Plummer Park Master Plan will include renovation and expansion of Fiesta Hall into a quality multi-purpose performance venue for the community with the capacity to accommodate between 150 and 200 people in theater-style seating; improvement and expansion of parkland and green space and additional parking for park patrons and the public. The new Fiesta Hall performance venue will include: 

• Capacity to accommodate between 150 and 200 people in theater-style seating, tables, chairs and/or flat floor use
• Opportunity to create a 99-seat “black box” for cultural performances
• New lighting and sound systems
• Improved acoustics
• New furnishings
• Improvements to Fiesta Hall’s main entry, outside patio area, main auditorium, stage, dressing rooms, restrooms, lobby and kitchen areas
• New heating and ventilation system
• New exterior landscaping
• Construction of an "autocourt" for vehicle drop-off at the Vista entrance to Fiesta Hall
• Fiesta Hall will be upgraded to current building code requirements including all requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the City’s Green Building Requirements for Public Buildings.

Other improvements to Plummer Park will include enhancing the existing green space in the center of Plummer Park; creation of a central park promenade that will run east-west from Vista Street to Fuller Avenue; establishing a quiet formal garden in the area fronting Fuller Street; creation of additional green space throughout the park; an interactive water feature; construction of a new Tiny Tot Program building to replace an outdated modular building; new play equipment; and relocation of the existing basketball court.

A subterranean parking structure will be constructed that will serve the public, park users and businesses. It will also provide for the creation of 33,000 square feet of new additional parkland and open space at Plummer Park.

How Much Will the 25th Anniversary Capital Project Cost?

The 25th Anniversary Capital Project is projected to cost $125 million which includes Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan; West Hollywood City Hall Automated Garage and Community Plaza Project and Phase I of the Plummer Park Master Plan. The cost to construct Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan which includes building the new West Hollywood Library, Public Meeting Rooms/CATV Facilities, coffee bar, parking structures and expanding 2.5 acres of park and green space at West Hollywood Park is $64 million. The specific costs for Phase I of the West Hollywood Park Master Plan are as follows:

• West Hollywood Library $17 million
• Public Meeting Rooms/CATV Facilities and Friends of the Library $ 6 million
• Parking Structures (400 spaces) $16 million
• Parkland and Expanded Green Space $ 8 million
• Architectural Design, Project Management, Agency-Utility fees and Inspections $ 9 million
• Land Acquisition and Furniture, Fixtures And Equipment $ 8 million
• TOTAL COST $64 million

Since the initial planning stages of the project nearly ten years ago, the City has set aside reserve funds to offset the cost of the project each year. Thus, significant funds have been reserved to pay for the project. In addition, due to the current economic downturn the 25th Anniversary Capital Project will have significant cost-savings as a result of the City’s competitive bidding process.

The projected cost of the West Hollywood City Hall Automated Garage and Community Plaza Project and construction of Phase I of the Plummer Park Master Plan will be finalized when the design and planning is completed on these projects.

The 25th Anniversary Capital Project will primarily be funded through reserve set aside from the City’s General Fund and Parking Fund; the issuance of bonds; other governmental funding including Los Angeles County Park Funds; private donor contributions and other public and private grants. The debt service on the bonds will be paid from the City’s Parking Fund revenue; current revenue set asides and new incremental revenue growth. There will be no new taxes enacted to subsidize the cost of the project. Additionally, the West Hollywood Library Fund has initiated a fundraising campaign to raise $10 million in private contributions to help finance the new West Hollywood Library component of the project. To date, nearly $7 million has been raised from private donors.

Who Do I Contact for More Information?

For more information, contact Christopher Worland, 25th Anniversary Capital Project Community Liaison, at (323) 848-6511, cworland@weho.org