Plans for 200-Foot Ferris Wheel on Venice Beach on Neighborhood Council Agenda

The United Kingdom-based company that has proposed the "Great Observation Wheel" on Venice Beach will discuss their plans for a 200-foot tall Ferris wheel on Windward Plaza during Tuesday's meeting of the Venice Neighborhood Council.

Great City Attractions wil present their concept during the council's regular board meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Westminster Avenue Elementary School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd. The company is negotiating with the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and is seeking a three-year permit to install and operate the Ferris wheel. The presentation will be followed by questions-and-answers with the public and the council board. The matter is up for discussion only and any voting to recommend or reject the project would occur at a future meeting.

The Ferris wheel operator last month outlined its plans at a community meeting in Venice and received a lukewarm response from residents who mostly voiced concerns over parking. The Venice Stakeholders Association sent a letter dated March 14 to the Los Angeles City Department of Recreation and Parks urging the city to conduct a full environmental impact report on the proposal.

Other items on the board's agenda include two projects for small lot subdivisions that the council's Land Use and Planning Committee has recommended be rejected. One of the proposed subdivisions developments is at 522 N. Venice Blvd. and the other is at 729 California Ave.

The board also is slated to select a new outreach officer at the meeting. Current VNC board member Matt Kline, who recently organized the Silicon Beach town hall, and Jeffrey Harris, a paralegal, are the two candidates.