Judit Meda Fekete and Mr. Miller, the developers, have been working at a furious pace through the hottest months of the year with new Community Development Director Sol Blumenfeld to pare and reconfigure the building and their vision.
Parking Meter Proposal
Only one other high-profile subject was on tonights City Council agenda an ordinance that would increase Downtown parking meter rates and it, too, has been continued.
The emotionally charged stair-step drama of whether 9900 Culver will be approved, over voluble residential opposition, has been heatedly percolating since last April when the advisory Planning Commission unanimously turned it down.
The 5 Commissioners deemed 9900 too large at 5 stories and a source of increasing, and strongly unwelcome, new traffic at a borderline residential intersection that homeowners said already was too busy.
A Twist
When the conventional appeal of the rejection came before the City Council a little more than 2 months later, the case carried more ammunition than usual. The Community Development Dept. staff recommended overturning the ruling of the Planning Commissioners.
Over the summer, drama rose and fell through a series of delays and abruptly halted public discussions, several storylines thickened and homeowner opposition stiffened and spread.
The project across the street from City Hall went from apparent loser to prospective winner which is its unofficial status this morning.
Malsin in the Middle
Credit for the improved outlook may go to Councilman Scott Malsin, who doubles as director of the Redevelopment Agency.
On July 9, the night 9900 came before the City Council for the first time to appeal the Planning Commission turndown, Mr. Malsin, creatively and mysteriously, made a proposal intended to salvage the project while mollifying the deeply divided two sides.
Although predictions were scarce, it appeared Mr. Malsins backstage maneuvering was working to a cautious degree of satisfaction.
An Outlook
Around City Hall, the expectation is that the combination of the passage of time and revision of the original dimensions will turn out to be key factors in ultimately winning approval.
