At the West Hollywood City Council's regular meeting on Monday, February 4, 2024, it was revealed that developer Farling's French Market development project is completely doomed due to expiration of rights. In comments to the City Council, Councilwoman Lauren Meister bluntly called the project “done.”
An update on the City of West Hollywood's major commercial and mixed-use development project allows city staff to review the rights and architectural plans for a proposed three-story, 49-foot-6-inch tall, 69,293-square-foot mixed-use commercial building. He said he was checking. The underground parking garage had 146 parking spaces, which had expired and could not be expanded further.
As part of the planning phase, the French Market Development Rights were approved on December 5, 2019 through Planning Commission Resolution No. PC 19-1342. His one-year extension of eligibility was granted in December 2022. Project eligibility expired on December 5, 2023.
Architectural plan check expires May 29, 2023.
This ambitious project involved the restoration, adaptive reuse, and modification of existing potential cultural resources at the French Market site. The approved project was for commercial purposes only and did not include any residential units.
Jennifer Alkiel, current and historic preservation planning manager, said Falling is working on putting a tenant in the French Market building and plans to move forward with renovating the space. “We expect that to happen soon,” she said. “They have been negotiating with us for the last few months.”
Meister pointed out that the developer removed approximately 12 trees in the parking lot as part of the development. She said her staff hopes to work with the developer to bring the tree back into the space.
French Market closed on July 12, 2015. Furling held a groundbreaking ceremony in February 2022.
Construction begins on French market development project – WEHO TIMESAccording to history, French Market was originally built in 1936 along what was then Route 66 and operated as the Fitzsimmons Grocery Store, an outlet for a small Los Angeles-based supermarket chain. French Market he sold in 1967 and expanded to Louisiana Purchase. Louisiana Purchase is an enclosed shopping mall with 41 retail stores, office space, and a large restaurant that quickly became a hub for LGBT businesses and organizations.
Jake Stevens, vice president of Falling Co., confirmed that some type of restaurant will return to the space and that Farring Co. will invest in the building's renovation as promised. He confirmed only that the restaurant will return to the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Jolla Avenue. He did not comment on the return of the retail and office space that was part of the French Market experience.
