How High is Too High in Los Angeles?

Yesterday, the Planning Commission in Los Angeles approved the Columbia Square project which will bring a condo tower, office tower, and a hotel to the area, but what some people are worried about is the 28 stories it will be towering above the ground, and the shadows it will create for those down below. So just how high is too high in Los Angeles?

The existing 136,233 square feet Columbia Square building which was built in 1938 will be retained, renovated, and expanded upon. In the days and weeks leading up to the approval of the Columbia Square project set to be built around the Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street area, many residents were voicing their opinion, and distaste, about the development that will be bringing a condo tower, office tower, and a hotel to the neighborhood. When the Planning Commission approved the project yesterday, people in the neighborhood made a last chance effort to appeal, speaking out against the 28-story tower and saying they are worried about the shadows the tall building will cause on the areas around it.

Although those who disapprove of the Columbia Square project are going to have to learn to live with it since it has now been approved by the Planning Commission, the whole situation does beg the question, should there be limits to the heights of buildings in cities that are already filled with high-rises?

In Hollywood and Los Angeles city, the US Bank building towers way above the rest of the high-rises at 73 stories, followed by The Century building which has 42 stories. The Columbia Square building will be the third tallest coming in at 28 stories, followed by Evo which has 24 stories, Sunset + Vine and House of Blues which each have 22 stories, and Capitol Records which has 13 stories.

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