Placentia council approves plan for four‑story True by Hilton at 450 S. Placentia Ave., tightens valet/parking conditions

A majority of the Placentia City Council voted 4–0 (one absence) on Dec. 2 to approve a development plan, use permit and associated agreements to allow a four‑story, 86‑room True by Hilton at 450 S. Placentia Avenue.

Staff planner Andrew Gonzalez told council the roughly 15,000‑square‑foot site would host a contemporary, horseshoe‑style hotel of about 42,000 square feet with on‑site amenities and two parking areas (at‑grade and subterranean). The approvals included development plan review (DPR 2025‑01), a use permit for limited on‑site alcohol sales (UP 2025‑02), a disposition and development agreement and a purchase/sale resolution. Staff cited a Planning Commission recommendation of consistency with the general plan and an environmental determination under CEQA Class 32 (infill exemption).

Gonzalez said the project will provide 82 on‑site parking spaces and that the city is requiring a mandatory valet operation and a parking‑management plan to address any off‑site parking spillover: “There is a parking management plan that the city can require of the operator … to address any parking issues as a result of spillage of parking on to either Industrial Way, Crowther Avenue or adjacent properties,” he said. He added that failure to maintain valet operations could lead to a temporary reduction in the number of rooms the operator is allowed to rent while the city works to curtail impacts.

Richard Price, who identified himself as representing adjacent property owners on Industrial Way, urged the council to strengthen conditions before approval. “We would prefer the project not be built,” Price said, “but we understand the project is pretty far along. We don’t think it is properly conditioned to protect my clients’ interests.” He asked that the valet requirement be mandatory in practice (including making valet free to remove an economic incentive to bypass it), that the parking‑management plan be mandatory rather than discretionary, and that neighbors be granted the ability to review and comment on the construction staging plan.

Council members pressed staff on enforceability. Several members supported language requiring that guests who arrive in vehicles use on‑site parking and that the valet operations plan include a provision obliging the operator to ensure overnight guests park on‑site. Councilmember Yamaguchi moved to approve the recommended actions with minute‑order edits to strengthen condition 17; the motion passed 4–0 with one absence. Mayor Kerwin asked staff to share the operator/valet agreement with the adjacent owners once it is developed.

Why it matters: The project converts an underused industrial parcel into a hospitality use the city expects will capture visitors to nearby venues, generate transient occupancy tax revenue and spur redevelopment in the corridor, while neighbors worry about construction impacts and longer‑term parking pressure.

What’s next: Staff will finalize the valet/operator agreement and the parking‑management plan consistent with the conditions adopted by council; neighbors requested the city share those documents when available.