The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety has signed off on geology reports that found that no active earthquake fault runs under the site of the Millennium Hollywood development, even though the state geologist last year concluded there was one, it was reported today.
The move ends a controversial two-year debate over whether two massive skyscrapers could be built safely due to seismic conditions.
New studies completed for the city by Millennium’s geologist concluded an earthquake fault was probably located deep beneath the property. But city officials agreed with the developer that the fault was too old to be considered active, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The conclusion is markedly different from those made by state geology officials, who had analyzed previous data and said last year that an active fault slices through part of the project site, south of the Capitol Records tower.
“Our conclusion from the data is that there is an active fault, and it does run right along the course that’s right along the map,” state geologist John Parrish told the Times last November when his agency, the California Geological Survey, released its regulatory map of the Hollywood fault.
California law defines faults that ruptured within the last 11,000 years as active. The Hollywood fault was forced into the spotlight in 2013, when the L.A. City Council approved the Millennium project even after state officials said the project might lie in an active earthquake fault zone.
The California Geological Survey accelerated its analysis and mapping of the Hollywood fault, which stretches from the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood to Atwater Village, The Times reported. Under state law, developers in the fault zone are generally required to prove that new buildings can be constructed safely away from any active faults.
The final say over whether a structure can be built lies with city building officials.
