City of West Hollywood Celebrates Grand Opening of West Coast's First Municipal Automated Garage

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif., May 25, 2016 -- The City of West Hollywood hosted a Grand Opening celebration on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 to mark the completion of its Automated Garage and Community Plaza at West Hollywood City Hall. More than 500 community members attended to enjoy hosted tours of the garage and parking bays, which contain art murals.

"We're very excited about the completion of the Automated Garage," said City of West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister. "It is located in an area of the City that has been in need of additional parking, and it will help to fill that need. The technology is amazing — and kind of fun, too! I drove in facing one way, but my car came out facing the other way ... how does it know?!"

The City of West Hollywood is thrilled to embrace automated parking as an innovative solution to the challenge of creating sufficient parking. The garage requires a much smaller physical footprint than would a conventional parking structure with a similar capacity. The space savings nets more than 7,000 square feet for a Community Plaza and an entry service area for community events.

In March 2014, the City broke ground on the project; construction was finished in spring 2016. It is the first municipal project of its kind on the West Coast and it includes a 200-space parking garage that matches the height of the adjacent City Hall building. There is less tailpipe pollution than a conventional garage; with no idling or circling, the predicted reduction in CO2 emissions for the garage equals taking 92 cars off of the road each year or planting 67,000 trees.

The Automated Garage contains four bays for entry and exit.
Each bay features a hand-painted mural by artists including Art of Chase, MONCHO1929, Bronwyn Lundberg, and Kim West. The garage features a fixed-art installation by renowned public artist Ned Kahn, with a grid of clear marbles in front of a glass pane that reflects moving parts inside the garage. The structure also contains photovoltaic solar panels, features the use of a sustainable material made from recycled bags, and uses drought-tolerant landscaping.

The project includes a Community Plaza, which is a tranquil space with trees, benches, a water feature, and a stage for events. The plaza holds a large-scale triptych art-banner installation, which is a collaboration of artist MONCHO1929 and West Hollywood City Poet Steven Reigns.

The Automated Garage was designed by LPA, Inc., a sustainable design architecture firm, which has completed numerous award-winning public and private buildings throughout Southern California. The automated system that stores and retrieves vehicles was designed, manufactured, and installed by Unitronics, an international leader in automated parking systems. The structure was built by T.B. Penick & Sons, Inc., a San Diego-based contractor that has built numerous parking structures, and private and municipal buildings around Southern California. Construction management was provided by Heery International, Inc. a nationwide firm that for more than 40 years has been dedicated to sustainable design and construction practices.

Details — www.weho.org/automatedgarage
Garage Photos — https://flic.kr/s/aHskzDL9ww
Grand Opening Photos — https://flic.kr/s/aHskAtutwZ
Videos — 1. "Inside View" — https://youtu.be/H6BQuggpWWg
and 2. Time Lapse" — https://youtu.be/Y459nLgXphg
For more information, please call (323) 848-6375.

SOURCE The City of West Hollywood

CONTACT: Joshua Schare, Public Information Officer, (323) 848-6431, jschare@weho.org, or Lisa Marie Belsanti, Communications Manager, (323) 848-6378, lbelsanti@weho.org