Infrastructure protectionSite of proposed Los Angeles skyscrapers may contain active seismic fault
Officials at New York-based Millennium Partners have agreed to dig a trench on a site proposed for two towers, thirty-nine and thirty-five stories tall, flanking the iconic Capitol Records building in Los Angeles. Opponents of the project say there is an active seismic fault under the planned location for the two towers, and the developer says the trench will allow geologists to see whether or not it would be safe to build the towers on the proposed site. Critics say that a panel of neutral experts, led by state officials, should do the geological investigation.
Officials at New York-based Millennium Partners have agreed to dig a trench on a site proposed for two towers, thirty-nine and thirty-five stories tall, flanking the iconic Capitol Records building in Los Angeles. Philip Aarons, a developer of the project and one of Millennium’s founding partners, told the Los Angeles Timesin a phone interview, “We want to make sure that it’s safe and that everyone sees that it’s safe. We do not believe … there’s a fault there, but we’re going to examine and do further testing just to make sure that everybody sees it exactly the same way as we do — most importantly, the city.”
California state geologist John Parrish believes that strands of an active fault exists underneath the proposed site, capable of producing a devastating earthquake, but further tests are needed to determine the fault’s exact path.
California state law bars construction of building on seismic faults, which can rip buildings in half. Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said he trusts the city’s engineers to supervise Millennium’s studies. “We rely on the government engineers who are experts in this area. They’re not softies. They’re people who are tasked with protecting lives and property,” Garcetti told the Times. The Los Angeles City Council fully backed the Millennium project on a 13-0 vote, but the city Department of Building and Safety must approve before permits are given for construction. Reports from Parrish, who heads the California Geological Survey, describe physical proof of a fault west and east of the development site, but not directly below it. Further tests are needed to confirm whether a fault exist beneath the proposed site.
Los Angeles City councilman Mitch O’Farrell calls the $664-million project a “game changer” which would revitalize Hollywood. “It is more or less a claim that there is a fault that lies underneath the property, but that claim has never been substantiated. And for that matter, it might lie right directly underneath the Capitol Records building or any number of buildings in Hollywood.” O’Farrell’s concern includes setting an example which would delay development of the property. “There are fault lines that run all across the city. And we want to make sure we don’t set some sort of precedent because there are suspicions that a fault line might be somewhere, that it stops all economic activity and development activity. It would cause irreparable harm to our economy if we proceeded that way,” O’Farrell said.
Robert Silverstein, a lawyer for the opponents of the proposed project, urged the appointment of an outside panel of neutral experts, and the involvement of the state, to head the fault investigation. Millennium officials insisted that their trench investigation, which is done under city supervision, should be enough.
“We have no interest in building a building on an earthquake fault,” Aarons said.
