$1 billion Hollywood skyscrapers approved despite earthquake concerns
Building safety officials agree with a developer that Hollywood's tallest buildings can be built on a fault line
By Nick Allen, Los Angeles
07 Jul 2015
Two skyscrapers are to be built in the heart of Hollywood despite fears they will be on an earthquake fault.
The buildings, costing $1 billion, will be the tallest built in Hollywood and would dwarf existing structures.
A scientific debate has been going on for two years over whether they would be at risk from a seismic event.
In November, California state geologists said there was an active fault under the proposed Millennium Hollywood site.
Geologist John Parrish told the Los Angeles Times: "Our conclusion from the data is that there is an active fault."
California geologists regard faults as active if they have ruptured within the past 11,000 years.
But building safety officials have now agreed with the developer that the fault is too old to be considered active.
Studies carried out for the developer, New York-based Millennium Partners, said the fault was estimated to be 150,000 years old.
Philip Aarons, of Millennium Partners, said: "Millennium Hollywood remains firmly committed to building a project that will revitalise Hollywood's historic downtown, doing so in a manner that conforms to the highest earthquake resiliency standards."
Tim McCrink of the California Geological Survey, told the Los Angeles Times: "The definition of what is an active fault is a man-made call.
"There have been a number of cases where faults that hadn't moved in 20,000 or 30,000 years have now ruptured."
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