A draft environmental impact report published by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning has unveiled a new look for the Academy, a proposed mixed-use complex in Hollywood.

The project from Los Angeles-based Kilroy Realty would redevelop a 3.5-acre site bounded by Vine Street, De Longpre, Ivar and Homewood Avenues.  Plans call for a mixture of high-rise and low-rise structures, containing nearly 500,000 square feet of multifamily residential units, office space, shops and restaurants.

Architectural renderings from the Shimoda Design Group have evolved from the original vision for the project, and now portray a lower height profile along the Vine Street side of the property.  Plans call for a gateway entrance at the corner of Vine and De Longepre, flanked by a pair of one-story buildings which would include a combined total of 9,100 square feet of pedestrian-oriented commercial space.

The gateway would lead to a meandering paseo threading east-to-west through the project site, surrounded by three-to-six-story buildings containing approximately 235,000 square feet of offices and 37,000 square feet of ground-level retail space.

The paseo would culminate with a 23-story high-rise building, featuring up to 250 residential units, 3,000 square feet of street-fronting commercial space, and amenities such as a rooftop pool deck and a gym.  Elevation plans indicate that the building would rise to a maximum height of 261 feet above ground, slightly shorter than nearby high-rise structures such as the Sunset/Vine Tower and the Sunset Media Center.

Shimoda's design for the project calls for contemporary-style buldings with hints of classic Southern California architecture.  All buildings would be clad with glass curtain walls and corrugated metal panels, accented by metal eaves and windowed frames with flat or gabled roofs.  The office buildings along Homewood Avenue would reference industrial architecture through the use of metal cladding and trusses, while the residential tower would allude to the Streamline Moderne style of nearby buildings through the use of precast concrete, rounded corners and strong horizontal lines.

Parking for the project would be provided in excess of code requirements, with 1,349 vehicle stalls and 398 bicycle spaces on four underground levels.  The garage would be accessed at various points along Ivar, Homewood and De Longepre Avenues.

Construction of the Academy, which is seeking LEED Gold certification, is expected to occur over 27 months beginning in the third quarter of 2016 and concluding in late 2018 or early 2019.  As currently planned, the project requires no zoning variances or general plan amendments.

Immediately west, a similar $110-million development is proposed by for a roughly two-acre site on Cahuenga Boulevard.