Oscar's Hollywood
June's Hollywood Economic Development Summit, An Urban Experience, presented in June by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, included an array of projects that have already broken ground or are in the pipeline. It amounts to $4.5 billion in development up to 2016. For Hollywood the country's economic downtown only amounted to a 2-year lull before construction surged forward again.
It's easy to spot the projects underway as building cranes reach skyward with more on the way. Apartments and offices, hotels and shopping-the list is long and impressive. While the community is concerned about the parking and traffic, the future is here and there's no end in sight.
When I served as Chairman of the Board of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce at the turn of the millennium, there were two major projects underway. At this year's summit, over 60 projects were featured. It's very gratifying to see that this "town" is once again taking its place as one of Los Angeles' major economies and being touted as an "urban village". As we move forward, the challenge may be to balance our progress with the "village". We've all heard the saying0 "too much of a good thing."
For now, all roads lead to Hollywood and that is a good thing. Visitors want to visit, builders want to build, and, it seems that everyone wants to live in Hollywood. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Welcome to the 20's-2020, that is.