Residents Seek to Block Retail Project : Development: Group says the plan’s environmental report underestimates how much traffic the shops on Sunset Boulevard would generate.

A group of West Hollywood and Los Angeles residents is getting ready to mount a legal challenge to block approval of a commercial development on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood that the residents say will bring more traffic to their neighborhoods.

The group, Residents Organized Against Raleigh, contends that the environmental impact report prepared for the 123,700-square-foot project at Sunset Boulevard and Alta Loma Road underestimates the congestion that will result. That report indicates that the Raleigh Enterprises project will draw fewer than 100 cars daily onto Alta Loma Road and will not have a significant impact. Delivery trucks for the project’s retail stores, restaurants and

But the report also predicts that the project, the second-largest ever proposed in West Hollywood, will draw as many as 8,800 extra vehicles each day onto Sunset Boulevard. The report did not look into the project’s effect on the Los Angeles streets north of Sunset. Residents there say that the project will cause traffic problems in their neighborhoods. Concerns have been raised as well about the pollution caused by the increased traffic and the project’s four-story, 60-foot height.

The West Hollywood Planning Commission, which approved the environmental impact report, will consider the project on Aug. 15. Corin Kahn, chief environmental counsel for Narvid, Glickman, Harrison & Scott, the firm representing the home and condominium owners, said that if the commission approves it, residents will appeal to the City Council.

Should they fail there, the group will file suit against the city, challenging whether the findings in the report are consistent with standards set by the Los Angeles County congestion management plan and the California Environmental Quality Act, Kahn said.

“This project raises serious questions of responsibility on the part of the city,” Kahn said. “We do not want to stop development in West Hollywood, but we do want to stop the process by which projects like this are approved without proper oversight.”

Other residents in the area have praised the project, saying it will draw small businesses and foot traffic to the city.

“It’s a charming atmosphere,” said Russell Blackstone, a resident of Alta Loma Road who favors the project. “They’ve done a good job of designing this. It will attract people. I look forward to going there.”

Designed as a continuation of neighboring Sunset Plaza, it will feature shops and open-air restaurants, according to Deborah Rosenthal, vice president of Raleigh Enterprises.

Those who favor the project point out that the site was identified three years ago as one of five large lots that would be granted extra height and density in exchange for public improvements. For example, the city may require the developer to provide a 7,760-square-foot theater on the site. Rosenthal also noted that the project already has been scaled back more than 25,000 square feet from the initial plans.

City officials acknowledge that the project has a downside, but they insist that Raleigh Enterprises has gone out of its way to reduce the effects on the surrounding community. Raleigh Enterprises has revised its design plans numerous times over the last two years to meet the city’s requirements.

Raleigh has agreed to install a traffic light at Londonderry Place and Sunset Boulevard, for example, to reduce the number of cars exiting via Alta Loma Road. Alternate transportation will be encouraged with bicycle racks and shower facilities provided for employees. The firm also will be required to provide incentives for ride-sharers.

“We’re talking about long-term solutions here, about changing people’s behavior,” Rosenthal said. “We’re talking about creating an urban village with a pedestrian orientation.”

Several residents have asked that Alta Loma Road be converted into cul-de-sac, and the developer has agreed to pay the $65,000 cost. But city staffers have balked at the idea, saying the environmental impact report does not indicate a need for it. Lucy Dyke, the city’s traffic manager, said Alta Loma Road and other congested streets that abut Sunset Boulevard will be reviewed by the city this fall and a cul-de-sac could be approved as a result. Many city officials and residents say Alta Loma Road’s problems are no different from other crowded residential streets in West Hollywood. Congestion has long been exacerbated by the Sunset Marquis Hotel and by motorists using the road as a shortcut between Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard.

“This is an area where it is difficult to find good north-south access,” Dyke said. “There are going to be problems whether or not there is development on Sunset.”