Scientology Signage Hearing Expected this Month

LOS FELIZ—A public hearing by the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council (LFNC) was postponed from last month to July regarding the Church of Scientology’s plans to install their illuminated logo on an existing 15-story-tall antenna at its now-owned former KCET studios on Sunset Boulevard.

The LFNC had planned to take public comment on the issue June 16th, but the issue was delayed at the request of the church in order to have more preparation time. A hearing, including public comment, is now tentatively scheduled for the LFNC’s July 21st meeting.

The existing 160-foot antenna is located on the 102-year-old broadcast studio lot that formerly belonged to KCET. The church acquired the studios from the public broadcast station in 2011, and will now serve the church in producing and broadcasting marketing campaigns targeted towards big donors.

Before, a sub-committee of the LFNC on June 3rd, residents gathered around a rendering of the proposed sign and asked questions about its dimensions, lumens and visibility.

All of the attendees, who asked to speak to the sub-committee about the signage, were vehemently against it.

Gensler—a design firm with 46 offices worldwide, that has designed the Shanghai Tower, the Ritz Carlton in downtown Los Angeles and Facebook headquarters in Northern CA, among others—has been contracted by the church to fit the top of the tower with a metal emblem and a “halo” ring of LED lighting.

“We have been working with the church for over 10 years now, helping them build their projects around the world,” said Alan Robles, a representative for Gensler. “It is a historic site,” Robles said of the old KCET studios, “and it’s actually one of the things that the church does. . . buy historic sites and renovate them.”

The studios were listed as a Los Angeles cultural monument in 1978.

After hearing from over a dozen residents from the immediate vicinity, the council made a motion to deny the application for the signage.

According to LFNC President Linda Demmers, the decision was based on grounds that the sign would “change the character of this neighborhood” and “sets a bad precedent.” Neighborhood council motions or votes are advisory only.

The church received approval from the departments of Building and Safety and City Planning for the signage earlier this year. However, those agencies recommended the LFNC get more feedback from the public.

Frank Luoc, a local resident who lives within the sightlines of the tower, said the project is intrusive to surrounding residents and could be a slippery slope towards similar projects going forward.

“Who else can put a sign up 165 feet in the air? Why do we need this thing that shines in everybody’s windows?” he said.

Hans Krake, with the design firm Gensler, said the project’s specifications are being modified as a result of the feedback.

“My understanding,” he said, is that we “are going to be doing some modifications to the initial proposed sign. [The designers are] aware of the tone of the meeting and knew that they had some adjustments to make.”