NOHO Artwalk: Beauty in eye of beholder?

Three 27-story high-rises are part of the newest proposed mega development for North Hollywood, the latest in a string of massive area projects that will draw more than $5 billion in private investment during the next decade. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

In the design phase, the Artwalk East and West project includes the three high-rises, 1,249 new residential units, 37,000 square feet of retail space and 2,900 new parking spaces.

A spokesman for the developer, JSM Capital, touted the project as the ultimate example of smart growth and a symbol of the successful revitalization under way in North Hollywood.

"We think this design is consistent with the type of development the city wants to do around a major transportation node," said Allen Freeman, chief operating officer at JSM Capital.

"It's about a two-minute walk from the subway, and there is no better location for new housing."

The Artwalk joins a list of projects planned for the greater North Hollywood area, including Lowe Enterprise's $1billion Artwave, J.H. Snyder's Valley Plaza and NBC/Universal's $3 billion expansion.

But with the list of projects growing, the JSM proposal has ignited long-simmering concerns about the area's rapid development, which now faces legal battles and growing community opposition.

"We are not anti-development. W