1990 in Review : Fairfax : Farmers Market Fate Remains Uncertain

After a year of meetings, debates and public hearings, the A.F. Gilmore Co. proposal to build a 2-million-square-foot shopping center, hotel and office complex at the Farmers Market was whittled down to less than half that size, but its fate is still unclear. The City Council is set to consider the issue in January.

Under a plan put forward by City Council President John Ferraro, who represents the area, the Gilmore Co. would be limited to about 700,000 square feet of new development, including 150 units of low-cost senior housing.

That recommendation was endorsed by the Los Angeles City Planning Commission. Hank Hilty, president of the Gilmore Co., said he is appealing that decision on the grounds that hotel and banquet facilities are needed in the area, and that offices will bring customers to the mall.

The owners of the nearby Park Labrea apartment complex are still waiting for the city to issue an environmental impact report on the rival project, which would add more than 2,000 rental apartments and an office building to the neighborhood.