With once robust demand for Hollywood office space not on track to return to pre-pandemic levels, Onni Group is changing up its plans for a project in the Media District.

The project site, located at 7000 W. Romaine Street, is home to the nearly 67,000-square-foot Howard Hughes Headquarters Building. Onni has sought entitlements to redevelop the property with a new project that would retain the historic structure, while adding a new 14-story building featuring 195,000 square feet of offices, 6,393 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, and an 809-car garage next door. That project had once been set to begin construction as early as 2025, but has yet to complete the entitlement process - a common trait among proposed office developments in the neighborhood.

With offices a less safe bet than in years past, Onni is now looking to "Plan B." In a motion introduced earlier this year, 13th District Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez calls for initiating a general plan amendment and zone change for the property at 7000 W. Romaine Street. As the Planning Department is continuing to make updates to portions of the Hollywood Community Plan, the motion contends including the Romaine Street site in that effort would enable Onni Group to develop high-rise housing units in lieu of at least a portion of the proposed office space.

7000 W Romaine Street and 948 N Sycamore AvenueGoogle Maps

The change would be required to comply with the labor and affordable housing provisions of Measure JJJ, according to the motion.

Although nearby sites along Romaine Street and Sycamore Avenue have been developed with offices and retail space over recent years, residential uses are already sprouting along nearby La Brea Avenue to the west. CIM Group previously developed a mixed-use apartment complex at 904 N. La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, and has plans for what would be West Hollywood's tallest building at the former site of a Cemex plant one block north.

This would not be the first time Onni Group has looked to transition an office-heavy project toward residential uses. The Vancouver-based development firm recently initiated plans for an all-residential tower complex in the Downtown Arts District in lieu of a project which previously included nearly 200,000 square feet of offices.

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