A bold redevelopment may be in the works at 7000 Romaine Street in Hollywood, where Vancouver-based Onni Group is steering its focus away from office space toward high-rise housing. The development site, located near the intersection of Romaine Street and Sycamore Avenue, includes the historic Howard Hughes Headquarters—a Streamline Moderne structure that dates back to 1930 and remains a local architectural landmark.
Solomon Cordwell Buenz is responsible for the designs. Onni Group had previously pursued entitlements for a 14-story office tower at the site, which would have added roughly 195,000 square feet of commercial offices, 6,393 square feet of street-level retail, and an 809-space garage. However, amid a softening office market and shifts in planning policy, the developer is now advocating for a general plan amendment that would allow residential uses instead.
7000 Romaine Street via Solomon Cordwell Buenz
The adaptive reuse plan seeks to preserve the historically significant façade along Romaine Street while introducing a contemporary tower behind it, creating a dramatic juxtaposition between Art Deco heritage and modern urban form.
Renderings submitted to the city reveal a building mass characterized by staggered glass volumes cascading upward from a mid-rise base. The plans indicate that the bulk of the tower would be reserved for either housing or office use, depending on the outcome of the requested zone change. A pedestrian paseo flanked by the garage and commercial podium provides access into the site, improving mid-block walkability. The garage—previously slated for over 800 cars—connects to the tower via skybridge and will remain part of the proposal regardless of the programmatic shift.
The proposed zoning change, currently under review via a motion introduced by Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, would incorporate 7000 Romaine into the ongoing Hollywood Community Plan update. This would allow Onni to pursue high-density housing on a parcel currently restricted to commercial uses, with compliance required under Measure JJJ—including prevailing wage labor and affordable housing set-asides.
If approved, the revised plan would contribute to the ongoing transformation of Romaine Street and adjacent La Brea Avenue, which is fast becoming a hybrid corridor of residential, commercial, and entertainment uses. Nearby, CIM Group is pursuing high-rise housing at the former Cemex site, signaling broader shifts in land use patterns across this portion of Hollywood and West Hollywood.
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Will this building have appartments for low income citizens
I’d like to be considered with my husband.