It's getting ripped here by a lot of people - it's disrespectful to the historic low-rise area, it's not where most activity is, it's ugly, disruptive construction, ... I say build it because it'll help a crap part of hollywood, it won't harm the residential area because it's on a big commercial boulevard which has never blended with the residential area around it, the area will start redeveloping in the next cycle and this will be not be out of the action for long, and ugliness (if it is ugly) is an Angeleno art form, so do it.
i don't think it's a threat to the boston school - it's an extension campus, will be used for a sort of west coast study abroad. half of emerson comes out here anyway (it's amazing how many bostonians or people who spent time in boston are out here in the industry, hollywood even has 2 boston themed bars, one complete with a mini green monsta)
what i wonder is how big emerson's endowment is?