Los Angeles' First New Office High Rise in 22 Years Approved

The article features excerpts of testimony in support and opposition of the project from the public and members of the City Council at one of the project's full council approval hearings.

"Additional urban infill projects, such as the Wilshire Grand, are necessary to ensure the continued vitality of, not only the area, but of the city, so that we have an adequate number of hotel rooms to continue to increase our tourism numbers. Wilshire Grand is key to our redevelopment." -City Councilmember Jan Perry

"Korean Air has negotiated a fair agreement with the hotel staff that protects housekeepers and cooks and all the hospitality. We signed a project labor agreement with the building trades. This is a model, and there are so few models in Los Angeles, so few models across the country. We ask you, to not only support it, but to hold it up as an example that we want all employers and all developers to follow." -Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary, AFL-CIO

"...there is one aspect of the Wilshire Grand proposed sign district that is particularly and especially troubling. And that is the permission to install electronic, off-site signage on the Francisco side that faces the Harbor Freeway 110 traffic. In this, you have abdicated your responsibility to protect our safety from these signs that are designed to catch the attention of all who pass." -Barbara Brady, the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight

Thanks to James Brasuell