WEST HOLLYWOOD—The city of West Hollywood was recognized with several accolades and designations highlighting exceptional design, planning achievements, housing efforts and sustainability practices.

On October 30, the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA|LA) presented its top-level Next LA Award of Honor at its 2017 Design Awards to the city of West Hollywood for its forthcoming Sunset Strip Pilot Creative Off-Site Advertising Sign project, “West Hollywood Belltower,” which is a collaboration of the City of West Hollywood; Orange Barrel Media; Tom Wiscombe Architecture; MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles); and Walter P. Moore.

According to a press release from the city of West Hollywood, the AIA is a professional organization with over 90,000 members worldwide, which supports the value of architecture, gives architects the materials they need to do their best work, and aims for positive change through the power of design. AIA|LA awards are given in three classifications: Honor, Merit and Citation, with Honor being the highest category; this was the only Honor-level award conferred.

The West Hollywood Belltower is expected to be a one-of-a-kind, creative billboard structure installed at the city-owned site at 8775 Sunset Boulevard as a limited-term pilot project. It will feature a design by Wiscombe Architects, a small public plaza with new landscaping elements, two digitally programmable billboard faces that will include arts programming, and a new, open-air arts location for established and emerging artists to create public art installations on the Sunset Strip. The project will have architectural lighting and high-resolution LED screens for both commercial and arts content and the completed structure will feature a layering of public art, custom advertising content, and technology. For additional information about the project, visit www.weho.org/sunsetsigns.

On September 24, the American Planning Association, California Chapter presented two Awards of Merit at its California Conference to the city of West Hollywood:

—Implementation Award, Small Jurisdiction, for the City of West Hollywood’s inclusionary housing program, which requires a 20-percent set-aside of affordable units in all multi-unit housing or an in-lieu fee, and which has realized a substantial number of affordable housing units equitably distributed in new projects throughout the city. For more information about the City’s rent stabilization and housing programs, visit www.weho.org/rsh.

—Communications Initiative Award for the City of West Hollywood’s Communications and Community Engagement Strategic Plan, which is a comprehensive toolkit that provides urban planners, staff members, and others at West Hollywood City Hall a roadmap to increase effectiveness in communicating with the public and engaging with the community. For more information about the City’s communications and community engagement plan, visit www.weho.org/communications. APA California is a network of more than 5,000 practicing planners, citizens and elected officials committed to urban, suburban, regional and rural planning in the State of California. APA California’s mission is to make great communities happen through good planning.

West Hollywood also received two prestigious recognitions highlighting its sustainability initiatives:

—The Institute for Local Government has awarded the City of West Hollywood its Silver Level Beacon Spotlight Award for Sustainability Best Practices. The Beacon program, sponsored by the Institute for Local Government and the Statewide Energy Efficiency Collaborative, honors voluntary efforts by local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, and adopt policies that promote sustainability. For more information about the City’s sustainability programs, visit www.weho.org/residents/go-green.

—The U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative has recognized the City of West Hollywood with a SolSmart Gold Designation for its Go Solar West Hollywood program in partnership with EnergySage, which provides information and resources to property owners to implement solar systems. For more information about the City’s Go Solar West Hollywood program, visit www.gosolarwesthollywood.org.

The Institute for Local Government supports good government at the local level with practical, impartial and easy-to-use resources for California communities. The U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative is a national effort to support solar energy adoption by making solar energy affordable for all Americans through research and development efforts in collaboration with public and private partners.

For additional details, contact the city of West Hollywood’s Communications Manager, Joshua Schare, at (323) 848-6431 or at jschare@weho.org.  For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, call TTY (323) 848-6496.