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Los Angeles

LA planning commission rejects hotel in Pico-Robertson

Bows to public opposition over staff recommendation

LA planning commission rejects hotel in Pico-Robertson
Renderings of the rejected seven-story hotel in the Pico-Robertson district (Alajajian Marcoosi Architects)

The Los Angeles City Planning Commission has rejected plans for a seven-story hotel in the Pico-Robertson on the Westside.

It’s a rare move for the commission–and even more so since the body went against a staff recommendation to approve the project, according to Urbanize.

The planning commission voted unanimously against the project after receiving a slew of public comments opposing the project. Most of the opposition was because it would replace 12 rent-stabilized units.

The project comes from Sinanian Development and the property owner, Dan Harkham. The project site spans 1434-1456 S. Robertson Boulevard.

Only four of the 12 rent-stabilized units are occupied, but Sinanian and Harkham have been unable to close relocation agreements with those tenants.

The developers pitched the project as catering to the local Orthodox Jewish community, which counts the Pico-Robertson district as a cultural center. That would include offering kosher food and banquet facilities.

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Members of the nine-seat planning commission were skeptical of that claim, according to Urbanize. They were also concerned about the loss of affordable housing, and said that other uses would be more appropriate for the site.

The developers have tapped Alajajian Marcoosi Architects to design the project. The firm is also working on the proposed Armenian American Museum in Glendale.

Renderings show a contemporary building with floor-to-ceiling glass windows on most floors, as well as an amenity deck on the third floor and a pool towards the rear of the site.

There are also plans for 945 square feet of ground floor retail space — shown as a café in renderings — and a 77-car garage.

Pico-Robertson is home to a handful of other new development projects. Panorama Group filed plans last spring for an 80-unit elder care facility in the neighborhood.

The planning commission earlier this year approved a 64-unit development from local non-profit Cornerstone Housing for Adults with Disabilities. The six-story project would rise at 9224 W. Pico Boulevard.

[Urbanize] — Dennis Lynch 

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