The City of West Hollywood revealed renderings for improvements that are in the works for the West Hollywood Log Cabin. Early plans were on display during a presentation at the West Hollywood Day event celebrating the city’s 38th year of cityhood this past November 29, 2022.
A feasibility study has been completed for the structure. New designs are in development to preserve, renovate, and add to the cabin structure and reshape the parking lot with upgrades for disability requirements. The plans indicate two additional meeting rooms will be added to the Log Cabin’s main meeting room, along with a colonnade, solar panels and permeable paving.
West Hollywood Log Cabin – WEHO TIMES
The rendering are in the early stages and will require a long list of approvals. According to the report, design consultants will be proceeding with additional analysis in the coming months.
The questions being, what will happen to the meetings that currently take place at the Log Cabin during the renovations and additions, and whether or not meetings hosted by the West Hollywood Recovery Center (WHRC) will continue at the Werle Building across the street after the project is finished. The WHRC currently uses two rooms at the Werle Building (referred to as Room 1 and Room 2).
At a regular city council meeting on Monday March 22, 2022, the West Hollywood City council moved to consent agenda Item 5.A., approving a resolution to exercise an option for the purchase of the West Hollywood Log Cabin property and its adjacent parking lot located at 617-621 N. Robertson Boulevard.
Item 5.A. authorizes the Director of Finance and Technology Services to allocate up to $5,750,000 plus all related closing costs for the purchase of real property from reserves in the Debt Funded Capital Projects Fund. It also authorizes the City Manager to negotiate and execute all necessary documents to facilitate the purchase of real property located at 617-621 N. Robertson Boulevard.
On April 1, 2020, the City of West Hollywood entered into a lease agreement with an option to purchase with the City of Beverly Hills for property located at 617-621 N. Robertson Boulevard, which was authorized on the City Council agenda on March 16, 2020. The agreement had an initial term of twelve (12) months with an additional twelve (12) month tenancy which either party could terminate with a thirty (30) day notice. After conducting due diligence and completing a feasibility study for the renovation of the Log Cabin, the City will exercise this purchase option. This option includes a 99-year deed restriction which limits the use of the property to addiction recovery services and a surface parking lot.
The Property is zoned CN2 (Commercial Neighborhood 2) and consists of two contiguous parcels for a combined square footage of 15,314. The Property is improved with a surface parking lot and a 2,090 square foot special purpose meeting facility (“Log Cabin”).
The property was identified in the 2016 City of West Hollywood Commercial Historic Resources Survey as appearing eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) with a California Historical Resource status code of 3S/3CS/5S3 (defined as eligible for listing in the National Register and the California Register of Historical Resources and for local designation). This status was confirmed independently during the City’s lease period.
The West Hollywood Log Cabin is in need to renovation. Any proposed work or renovation of the Log Cabin structure which would alter of have an adverse effect to the property’s character defining features would subject to a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and would need to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
Should the City of West Hollywood re-develop the property or cease using the Log Cabin property primarily for addiction recovery services, the City of West Hollywood would be required to provide additional compensation to the City of Beverly Hills, which shall be 50% of its then fair-market value, as determined by an independent third-party appraiser. This compensation would remove the deed restriction.
All future uses of the Property are expected to conform with existing development standards and would need to be consistent with the City’s General Plan.
Thank you, City of WeHo for making this purchase and expanding and improving the property which has enabled tens of thousands of people over the decades to achieve recovery.
I was at the West Hollywood Day thing and do not remember this part of the presentation. They should honestly tear the entire thing down and build something that offers more than three rooms.
Yes, GAWD it’s in need of a makeover. It’s a dump.
So the public parking lot adjacent/behind it will be removed? There’s so few public spaces like it is….