Jason Illoulian’s hotel project receives rare WeHo welcome

UPDATED, 2:30 p.m., June 27: Could the NIMBYs be on vacation?

Developer Jason Illoulian’s 242-room West Hollywood hotel and retail proposal drew praise from local residents and planning commissioners at a meeting last week, after facing initial backlash in February.

One commissioner, for instance, called the design “spectacular” and another deemed it “exciting,” WeHoville reported.

When Illoulian, of Faring (formerly Faring Capital), first unveiled the project, residents were initially concerned about the historic factory building on site, which used to be the Mitchell Camera Factory and Studio One. But in its most recent iteration, the plans call for the building to be disassembled and rebuilt on a different portion of the site.

The plans call for a 35-foot walkway between two towers, which will include a rooftop restaurant, pool and a helicopter landing pad. The ground floor of the complex between Robertson Boulevard and La Peer Drive would contain retail and restaurant space, an underground club and 9,000 square feet of event space.

The city’s Historic Preservation Commission is slated to review the project’s Environmental Impact Report in August. It will likely go before the full Planning Commission in the fall. [WeHoville] — Cathaleen Chen

Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the historic structure on the site as the Eames furniture showroom, which sits on another Faring development site nearby.