Plummer Park Redesign Hearing Postponed

West Hollywood City Council voted to postpone a public hearing on the controversial $41 million Plummer Park redesign which the Council was scheduled to discuss during its Monday night meeting.

Because the hearing on the proposed renovations, one of several major items on the Council’s agenda, would take up considerable time, the Council opted to delay it until later in the summer. An exact date for the hearing has not yet been scheduled, but Mayor Jeff Prang suggested that whenever it is heard, it should be the only major item on the Council’s agenda.

Stephanie Harker, who spearheaded the which rallied public outcry against the renovations, was happy with the decision.

“We’re pleased that the Council delayed the hearing,” Harker told Weho Patch. “This was an already packed agenda and we want them to have enough time to give Plummer Park the full consideration it deserves.”

Harker said she liked Prang’s suggestion of having Plummer Park be the sole item for a Council meeting and suggested that meeting should be held in Fiesta Hall in Plummer Park.

“What better place to hold the hearing than in Fiesta Hall, one of buildings they will be making a decision about?” Harker said.

. Those renovations included closing a majority of the park for 18-24 months while a 179-space underground parking garage was constructed.

The digging of the subterranean garage would result in the removal of most of the oldest trees in the park as well as the demolition of the conjoined WPA-era Great Hall/Long Hall and the Tiny Tots pre-school building. Additionally, the Spanish Colonial Revival-style Fiesta Hall was scheduled for a complete renovation that included a futuristic-looking exterior.

Due to against the plans, the while other options for the park were considered.

A committee consisting of Councilmember John D’Amico and Mayor Pro Tem Abbe Land has been meeting periodically since the beginning of the year to discuss those options. The full five-member Council was set to discuss those options Monday night.

There have been no public meetings regarding the park since the Council voted to delay the start of the renovations. However, on April 12-13, the city conducted focus groups with five different groups of park stakeholders about what they wanted to see happen with the park renovations. Those focus group were by invitation only.

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