LA Calls for More Seismic Testing for Millennium Hollywood Project

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety ordered more seismic testing to determine if an earthquake fault line runs below the site for the Millennium Hollywood project located at the center of Hollywood’s historic downtown. The project’s developers hired geologists and engineers to perform testing, and their results did not agree with a 2006 map created by the California Geological Survey. The city geologist spoke with Millennium Hollywood’s developers and requested further trench testing. The developer’s engineers and geologists will conduct more testing and resubmit their findings to confirm that the project will not be built on a fault line.

Group Delta, the company hired by Millennium Hollywood’s developers, stands by their initial findings.  They believe the city is erring on the side of great caution by asking them to conduct further testing.  The fault line drawn on the city’s 2006 map passes directly below the job site, but the city geologist drew the map in this way because he felt it explained the different groundwater levels across the site.  Group Delta believes that pools of water collecting on clay buried at different depths causes the differences. The city must approve Group Delta’s report before issuing building permits to Millennium Hollywood’s developers.

The Millennium Hollywood project will be a mixed-use project built across the street from the Capitol Records Building. According to the project’s website, “the project’s central design objectives will be to preserve, complement and highlight the Capitol Records Building by creating extensive and inviting open spaces that will greatly enhance the pedestrian experience of the area and forever preserve the critical views of one of the 20th century’s most recognized and beloved structures.”  The project will create residential units, a hotel, office space, restaurants and retail space, and 2,000 parking spots.  Building the development is expected to create 2,915 construction jobs.