West Hollywood 'Entertainment Shuttle' in the Works

An idea floated by West Hollywood Mayor John Duran to shuttle club-goers around the city is up for a vote at Monday's City Council meeting.

“Often, people want to park their car and go to more than one club,” Duran told Patch. “They might want to start at the for dinner, then go meet some friends at , and then go catch a band at the or the .”

The idea behind the shuttle is to lessen traffic and also to keep people from driving drunk, Duran said. “Rather than move their car each time, they could take the shuttle around to the clubs."

Since people in LA are often reluctant to take public transportation, Duran said the idea is to make the shuttle more of a party atmosphere.

“Make it free and make it fun,” Duran said. “If we made it a party opportunity where you had the chance to meet someone as attractive on the bus as you would in a bar, it might work.”

If the council approves the idea, city staff would explore options for how to make this entertainment shuttle viable. Duran envisions a shuttle that would make a loop down Santa Monica Boulevard, up San Vicente Boulevard, and then east on Sunset Boulevard to Crescent Heights, and back to Santa Monica Blvd.

The idea is not unlike the Weho Trolley Lucas John proposed during his run for city council last winter.

“I credit Lucas John,” Duran admitted. “He was the one who was campaigning about it. I heard it and I liked the idea, so we’ll see what we can do with it.” 

John is happy Duran is taking on the idea.

“I'm thrilled that Mayor Duran and Councilman D’Amico [who is co-sponsoring the proposal] are willing to listen to and potentially utilize good ideas from members of the community,” John told Patch. “I launched my campaign for a Weho Trolley, because it's an innovative concept that will decrease traffic, parking problems and drunk driving for my fellow citizens.”

PDC Green Building

The council will also hear an appeal to allow the to install a single horizontal ribbon of “vision glass” windows on all floors of the Green Building. If approved, the windows of the Green Building would then match the windows on the Red Building currently under construction.

The PDC first applied for this window change to the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) in September. The HPC had a 3-3 tie vote, resulting in no-action. Several commissioners felt the window change would significantly alter the appearance of the Green Building.

The City Council designated the PDC as a “cultural resource” in 2003, a designation which requires the city’s approval for any changes to the building.

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