A rendering of the proposed hotel project on Whitley Street (Credit: Daryoush Safai)
Hotel construction in Los Angeles is booming, particularly in Hollywood. But residents of one project are hoping to put the brakes on development.
L.A. officials approved a 156-room hotel at 1719-1731 N. Whitley Street, but now residents of six rent-controlled apartment buildings that would be razed are appealing the decision, according to Urbanize.
The developer, Whitley Apartments, has owned the property since the mid-1990s. Architect Daryoush Safai is designing the hotel, which would rise 10 stories above a three-level subterranean garage.
Palms-based Whitley Apartments is seeking demolition and construction permits to make way for the hotel. The entity is controlled by an individual named Fariborz Moshfegh.
Residents say their landlord intimidated them in an attempt to force them to vacate. The L.A. Tenants Union is supporting the appeal, according to a post on NOlympics LA, a site managed by the L.A. chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.
Hotel projects in Hollywood regularly face opposition from locals, but the city has generally denied those appeals. So far this year, KOAR Institutional Advisors has received approval for a 191-key hotel on Schrader Boulevard and Relevant Group received approval for the 114-key Selma Wilcox hotel in March, despite appeals.
Relevant Group is building two other hotels nearby. [Urbanize] — Dennis Lynch