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Politics & Government

Approval of Lexus Expansion Finalized, Funds Appropriated

The Jim Falk Lexus project got a second nod from City Council.

The City Council gave final approval for the expansion of Jim Falk Lexus and appropriated funds for a variety of projects at its meeting Tuesday.

A report by City Attorney Larry Wiener detailed conditions for the Wilshire Boulevard car dealership set forth at a :

  • Vehicle service hours on Saturdays won't begin until 9 a.m.
  • A Lexus employee must direct vehicles exiting the facility for the first six months of operation.
  • The Planning Commission must review the dealership and service center's conditional use permit after one year.
  • No food trucks will be permitted in the facility's Wilshire Boulevard loading zone.
  • Placards must be placed on vehicles that are being test driven.
  • "The city should retain flexibility to require the installation of cameras should such cameras later appear appropriate as a tool to enforce compliance with the conditions of approval," Wiener's report states.
  • Jim Falk Lexus must deposit $50,000 to establish an enforcement fund from which the city can withdraw fines if the dealership violates permit conditions.
  • "The city council directed that staff study the potential for installing bollards and that Lexus be required to fund the study and installation of the bollards," according to the report.
  • The council required the dealership to pay for a traffic light at South Maple Drive and Wilshire Boulevard "and that flexibility be maintained to reconsider the traffic signal installation if bollards are not installed on South Maple Drive," Wiener's report states.
  • The council also approved a resolution that calls for the existing 15-foot-wide alley adjacent to the property at 9230 Wilshire Blvd. to be replaced by a 20-foot-wide alley.
  • Parking for the new Lexus facility and future auto dealership expansion projects may utilize tandem or compact configurations if at least half of the total parking capacity is used to store new vehicles, according to an ordinance amending the municipal code.

Council members also allocated funds for the following projects:

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  • State and county grant money will reimburse the city as much as $2.5 million for a public safety radio system upgrade performed by Motorola Systems Inc.
  • Koury Engineering & Testing Inc. will receive an additional $30,889 for further testing and inspection services for the 9400 South Santa Monica Blvd. office building due to the construction delays caused by a "steel subcontractor's lack of performance," according to a report by Director of Project Administration Alan Schneider.
  • MDA Johnson Favaro, the architectural firm that designed the city's library renovation project, will receive an additional $160,250, bringing its total fees for services to just over $657,000.
  • The law firm Richards Watson Gershon will receive $87,025 for preparing eminent domain proceedings in connection with acquiring a median slated for use as a gateway into the city from West Hollywood.  

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