Landmarked site will require multiple approvals before building
By ROBERT FATURECHI Special to the Daily Press
BAYSIDE DISTRICT — Plans to build another Santa Monica hotel are underway, as architects rev up to renovate a city landmark on Wilshire Boulevard and Seventh Street, and build a new structure on a nearby parking lot.
The new hotel, with smaller, less expensive rooms than the city’s other luxury hotels, will be geared toward those who stop in Santa Monica on business.
The Santa Monica Landmarks Commission deemed the 710 Wilshire Blvd. site — formerly an office building — a landmark last month, a status that adds some red tape to the renovation process.
Before getting a building permit, developers will have to get approval from the city’s landmarks commission, as well as with the planning commission, the architectural review board and the City Council.
The bureaucratic hurdles, though, are a long way away as the hotel’s architects have just started planning the new structure and haven’t even addressed the renovation process yet, said architect Howard Laks.
Real estate investor Alex Gorby owns the 10,000-square-foot landmark site, along with the nearby 37,500-square-foot parking lot, where he said he plans to develop a great majority of the rooms.
“I’ve owned the building since 1970,” Gorby said. “(The new hotel) would be good for the community. In a sense, it’s an entrance to Santa Monica, to the business district.”
Though some have said a new hotel in Santa Monica is superfluous — the city already has nearly a dozen luxury hotels — others have welcomed the renovation with open arms.
“Additional hotel rooms and affordable accommodations, specifically those with historic and unique appeal, are always a welcome addition,” said Misty Kerns, president of the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The hotel will likely boost local tourism revenue and taxes, she added.
Officials expect the new hotel’s traffic impact to be minimal compared to that of a new office building. “(Hotel traffic is) more dispersed throughout the day,” City Councilman Ken Genser said. “It could be a good move, give a little bit more energy to that part of town.”
Though the new development will likely face some stiff competition from the city’s gaggle of luxury hotels — including the Fairmont Miramar, the Viceroy and Le Merigot — some say there’s still room in the market.
“Santa Monica has one of the best occupancy rates in the Southern California region,” said Rob York, retail consultant at the Bayside District Corp., which helps manage downtown Santa Monica in conjunction with City Hall. “Its average room revenue is high by typical standards.”
But before the hotel reaps the revenue of Santa Monica tourism, they’ll likely face an expensive and restrictive renovation process since the site has landmark status.
“Getting into an older building is always tricky even if it’s not a landmark, and when you have a landmark building, you have more restrictions on what you can do,” York said.
Laks said he expects a three-year wait before even getting a building permit.
York expects the tough renovation process to pay off, as the site’s landmark status and striking architecture will make it more appealing to guests.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 9, 2005. Read the original PDF.