Rendering of Sunset Strip project with Charles Co. founders Mark (left) and Arman (right) Gabay (R&A)
Amid bribery allegations facing one of its co-founders, developer Charles Co. is trudging forward with plans for its eye-catching hotel tower on the Sunset Strip.
The firm is looking to build a taller, 22-story building with 237 hotel rooms, as opposed to the proposed 19-story tower with 185 rooms, according to an initial study published by the City of West Hollywood.
The study also revealed that the developers will now retain and relocate the two-story Bing Crosby Building on the site, Urbanize reported. In May, the California State Historical Resources Commission voted to nominate the Crosby Building for the National Register of Historic Places.
Crosby Building (Google Maps)
Previous plans called for the demolition of the building at 9026 Sunset Boulevard, where the late Hollywood singer and actor had his headquarters. Early videotape technology is believed to have been invented at the property.
Charles Co. will also include 12,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and 10 affordable housing units on the 496,000-square-foot mixed-use complex. A parking for up to 547 vehicles will spread across five underground levels.
R&A Architecture + Design is designing the circular, irregularly shaped structure, located at 9016 – 9034 Sunset Boulevard.
In May, federal prosecutors charged Arman Gabay, a co-founder and partner at the firm, of allegedly bribing a Los Angeles County official. Prosecutors said Gabay sent the employee monthly $1,000 payments over six years in exchange for receiving a $45 million county lease at the Charles Co.-owned Hawthorne Plaza mall. [Urbanize] – Natalie Hoberman