You would think a simple project to add a car wash in West Hollywood would be easy to see and understand. But after I went through the appeal process it was discovered that something was amiss in the Chevron owner and his attorney’s petition presented.
This was a petition presented to the Planning Commission and to the City Council at the meetings to approve razing the building at Holloway and La Cienega by removing the repair station. In addition to keeping the present gas pumps but also adding two store fronts, One store would be a convenience store with snacks, beer, wine and alcohol. The other store would be leased out to a new business yet to be determined.
I spent time looking into this when at my appeal hearing, City Councilmember Lauren Meister remarked that she did not see in the petition that they mentioned they were removing the repair station.
So upon hearing this I looked over the petition heading describing what the petition would be telling any potential signer. And then, lo and behold, there it was in black and white that there was no mention of the removal of the repair station.
I also spent time calling numerous petition signers to discover many disturbing things. Some people said they did not sign it but that their friend probably put their name down and signed it for them. Others said they would not have signed it if they had known the repair station was going away. Then others said they do not even remember signing the petition.
The residents had expressed in writing and in public testimony at the planning commission and city council meetings that there was no traffic study, that this car wash will cause gridlock, that the car wash will take over an hour in cars waiting in line, that the MTA buses will be blocked at the intersection, and that there has been no environmental study.
All these valid concerns at both meetings did not sway the approval of the project.
The reason I know the car wash will take over an hour is because I went to the Chevron’s other business at La Brea and Beverly Boulevard for the $9.99 car wash and waited over an hour for this.
I went to this other location several times and saw numerous cars waiting for the car wash blocking the driveways to the gas station. This forced other cars to be waiting in the traffic lanes of La Brea and Beverly Boulevard trying to get to the car wash, get gas or buy something at the store.
What concerns me most is that the petition misinformed the 316 people who signed it not knowing they were being misinformed.
This has a psychological impact too when it’s announced by the Chevron owner’s representative that they have 316 people who signed their petition in support of their project. But what project are the signers in support of? When the planning commissioners and the city council hear that 316 people are in support of the project it does influence their decision to green light the project a lot.
Last month the city requested soil samples from the Chevron owner before they approve demolition permits. Now the residents must wait to see how this plays out.
Jerome Cleary is a longtime West Hollywood resident
