Judge's ruling on Sunset/Gordon tower puts tenants in limbo

At 22 stories, the Sunset and Gordon residential tower is the most prominent example so far of Mayor Eric Garcetti's push to make Hollywood a place for high-density, high-rise living.

But the future of that newly completed, 299-unit project is up in the air. A judge earlier this month issued a ruling invalidating the construction permits, saying city officials improperly allowed the developer to demolish a 1924 building that until recently housed an Old Spaghetti Factory restaurant.

City officials say they are still trying to figure out what the ruling means for the 40 or so tenants who have already moved in. Luke Zamperini, spokesman for the Department of Building and Safety, said it is possible the tenants will have to relocate until developer CIM Group obtains new permits. Other officials are hoping it won't come to that.

It's the latest of several setbacks for the city as it seeks to remake Hollywood with a series of big developments. Two months ago, a judge halted construction of a 74-foot-tall Target shopping center on Sunset Boulevard, saying the city had improperly allowed the project to exceed a 35-foot height limit.

Another judge forced the City Council to rescind a controversial 2012 plan allowing for taller buildings near transit stops in Hollywood, concluding the council had relied on out-of-date population data.

Community groups also are waging a legal fight that has slowed the planned Millennium project, a pair of 35- and 39-story skyscrapers. Opponents contend an earthquake fault runs beneath the site and construction is on hold until the case is resolved.

Attorney Robert P. Silverstein, who represented the activists in all four legal battles, said Hollywood's aging infrastructure cannot handle the "densification" Garcetti is planning. Neighborhood groups who are suing, he said, simply want the city to follow the law.

"Instead what we constantly see is a city mentality of throwing the zoning code out the window whenever it benefits a favored developer," Silverstein said.

Hollywood has 1 million square feet of new office space and nearly 1,800 housing units that are either under construction or recently completed, said Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Gubler said it makes sense to put office towers and residential high-rises on transit corridors such as Sunset and Hollywood boulevards. "What we're trying to do is create a livable community," he said.

Gubler fears the rash of lawsuits will send a message that it's "difficult" to get projects built in Hollywood.

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Judge's ruling on Sunset/Gordon tower puts tenants in limbo