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Council upholds church appeal, denies permit for proposed 50-room Highland/Franklin hotel
Summary
The Los Angeles City Council on May 5 upheld an appeal by Hollywood United Methodist Church and denied a conditional-use permit for a proposed 50-room hotel at the corner of Highland and Franklin, citing traffic, lot size and neighborhood compatibility concerns. The vote was 12-0 to grant the appeal.
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to uphold an appeal and deny a conditional-use permit for a proposed 50-room hotel at the corner of Highland and Franklin.
Attorney Ben Resnick, representing the Patel family, and property owner Barrett Patel urged the council to deny the churchs appeal and allow the hotel, describing the project as a high-end, Hyatt-affiliated property that the applicants estimate would generate about $140,000 in transient occupancy tax annually and add to the neighborhoods commercial tax base. "This is a high-end hotel, which is affiliated with Hyatt Reservation Systems," Barrett Patel said, describing the project as compatible with Hollywood redevelopment.
Opponents, including trustees and clergy of Hollywood United Methodist Church, told the council the 19,000-square-foot lot is too small for a 50-room hotel and raised public-safety and traffic concerns. "It is being built at the third most dangerous intersection in the city of Los Angeles in terms of traffic accidents," a church representative told the council, noting the sites proximity to Oaks Elementary School and a playground.
Planning staff and members of the City Councils Planning and Land Use Management Committee said the committee could not make the required zoning findings because the intersection is excessively busy and the lot is substandard for the scale of the requested use. Council members urging denial cited existing backups and ingress/egress problems on Highland Avenue and noted an 18-foot dedication related to a neighboring project that further reduces the usable lot area.
After discussion the council adopted the committees amended findings and voted to grant the appeal and deny the permit. The clerk recorded the vote as 12 ayes. Council minutes indicate the permit has been denied.
Next steps: The record shows the council thanked the speakers and moved on with the agenda; the defeat of the permit resolves the immediate land-use request but does not preclude future proposals or appeals.
