The L.A. City Council voted unanimously yesterday to approve Caruso CEO and founder Rick Caruso's 333 La Cienega project, a 145-unit residential tower near the Beverly Center.
Caruso said in a statement he was thrilled with the approval.
The vote shows "by working closely with the community, we can bring a project to the neighborhood with tremendous community benefits and that sets new standards in environmental sustainability," he said.
L.A. councilman Paul Koretz endorsed the proposal last week after Caruso agreed to make the project 16 stories instead of 20, a 55-foot reduction in height, the LA Times reports.
The project will include 14 units at affordable rates, and a store and restaurant on-site will help create jobs.
Caruso has come under scrutiny for giving more than $476k in donations, along with his associates, to local politicians and all but one of the L.A. City Council members. Opponents of the project have questioned the city planning process over the issue.
Construction is expected to begin later this year. [LAT]
