(Courtesy of David Hertz Architects.)
Hotel as seen on Abbot Kinney Blvd.
(Courtesy of David Hertz Architects.)
Abbot Kinney Hotel as seen from Electric Ave.
The proposed Abbot Kinney hotel project that spans a block on Abbot Kinney will be heard Tuesday along with a small lot subdivision at 758 Sunset. Both will be heard by Venice Neighborhood Council at 6:30, Westminster School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd. All information is available on Cityhood.org. Select case history, visitor case history, and put in address.
Firestone-Walker Brewery and 1414 Main Street were scheduled to be heard but they have been postponed with date/s not determined.
758 Sunset
The lot on Sunset is zoned RD1.5 and is 4670 square feet after alley dedication. Builder is asking for an adjustment to allow balcony and canopy projection into side yards as well as using side yard for parking.
Abbot Kinney Hotel
The Abbot Kinney Hotel has gone thru Venice Neighborhood Council (VNC) Land Use and Planning Committee (LUPC) eight times according to the architects. The proposed project will be a three-story project to be built in two phases with 85 hotel rooms, two apartments, and miscellaneous commercial endeavors including the commercial establishments already on Abbot Kinney. (See Frank Murphy’s comments under comments regarding lot consolation for 1414 Main and the Abbot Kinney Hotel.)
A motor court and valet parking area will be accessed from Electric Avenue to service a sub-grade parking structure. Loading is proposed off of Broadway with a new street widening on both Broadway and Westminster and new sidewalks and underground utilities on electric. The hotel project will include a spa, restaurant, bar, pool, large courtyard, roof deck areas and other amenities, as well as ground floor commercial space on Abbot Kinney and Westminster in phase two.
Abbot Kinney Hotel Specifications (1 of 3).
Abbot Kinney Hotel Specifications (2 of 3).
Abbot Kinney Hotel Specifications (3 of 3).
Robin Murez, local artist and long-time Venice resident, is the one who has been featured in Update with the mobile, local library, the “Take a Peek”, and the reflected face of Abbot Kinney on Electric.
Robin asks why not a boutique hotel on Abbot Kinney Blvd? Why not this design and construction?
Here’s her take on the project and why she thinks it’s good for Venice.
Background: I had my studio on Abbot Kinney for the past 12 years. I teach Public Art at Otis College of Art and do public art projects throughout the country and throughout Venice.
Abbot Kinney Blvd has never been a significant “neighborhood” shopping area. It was dead until recently. Now, with the in-fill of shops, restaurants and businesses, it’s hopping. It still isn’t primarily visited by locals. Tourists and guests are the clientele who shop at the boutiques and eat at the restaurants.
The new stores charge lavish prices for high end “bohemian chic” merchandise. The old stores, like Surfing Cowboys, charged lavish prices for “alley finds,” 2nd hand stuff. Both appeal to “hipsters.” BTW, Surfing Cowboys could have found a new location on AK; the property across the street was available at a reasonable rent. They chose to move. Don’t believe some of the tales being told.
My lot was sold, so I moved to Main Street. It was inevitable. I enjoyed it for 12 years. But most visitors to my space on AK were not locals. They were guests and tourists to Venice.
A cafe like Jin Patisserie, enclosed a wonderful front patio and served tiny tea sandwiches at lavish prices. The current cafe Creation re-opened the patio to serve their lavish health food … at least the open patio builds community!
Change happens. Abbot Kinney Blvd has gone from a dead, grungy block with a few good venues, to a high-end, bustling commercial street. So now Venice has 2 huge tourist attractions: the Boardwalk and Abbot Kinney Blvd. Locals stroll by each; it’s the tourists and visitors who support them financially.
Additionally, many of our homes are small in Venice and businesses are ever growing; this hotel would be a great place for guests to stay … that alone promotes family and community harmony.
I’ve seen 2 previous hotel proposals for AK — this one is good; the others were not. Here’s why:
1. Design fits Venice – this one keeps the look on AK by incorporating the old buildings with the new. There’s variety and at low-roof heights. As a comparison, the new construction of the AK Hotel amounts to fewer lots along AK than does the white building, housing 3 Square Cafe.
The Hotel would have lots of community gathering spaces: the existing restaurants Joe’s & Primativo, an outdoor patio, similar to what is now there behind Primitivo, and most of the ground floor. Sounds like a comfortable place to rendezvous with locals or visiting friends.
2. Height is within or under the Venice Specific Plan – It 30’ tall while some AK neighbors are 35’ and it’s just like the surrounding loft buildings along Electric Avenue. It won’t be overly imposing on the neighborhood on either the AK or Electric Ave sides.
3. Parking – AK Hotel provides more parking spots than required by the VSP. When you stay at a hotel, you generally park there. These folks won’t be parking all through the neighborhood. They’ll also have valets who will use their own parking lot, and not park on AK and throughout the neighborhood, as do current valets. They’ll also provide bikes and bike parking.
4. Traffic – Hotels don’t create as much in-and-out traffic as would multiple restaurants, stores, and businesses on that block. If I were to stay at the hotel, I’d rent a car at LAX, drive around the city, as needed, and come back and park at the hotel. I’d walk or use one of the hotel provided bikes to roam around Venice.
5. Delivery Trucks – One hotel will coordinate the schedule of deliveries, trash trucks, and all. In contrast, multiple restaurants, shops and businesses would each have separate trucks coming and going, stopping and beeping, at each of their locations. The design also has these trucks servicing the project from Broadway, the side street, which is far less dangerous and imposing upon the neighborhood, including Westminster Elementary School, than anywhere else is, or would be, if multiple businesses were there.
6. School Safety – Trucks and traffic will be less imposing with this hotel design than with multiple businesses. The hotel will be adding a crosswalk to benefit the school. I also think it’s a non-issue, that mini-bars in the rooms would create a risk to kids from alcoholics running wild. The existing restaurants already serve liquor from morning brunch to late night.
7. Quality – This project is an intelligent design for the site and is to be constructed with quality materials. They not only have an architect, they have David Hertz, a Venice homeboy architect, who has led the way in creating warm feeling contemporary projects: he uses wood, brick and open spaces, together with concrete and glass. His designs embrace sunshine and ocean breezes. He created the first concrete that used recycled materials. He takes pride in the site specific, creative, livability and beauty of his designs. No wonder he wins national awards, is featured in Dwell Magazine and even Good Morning America. He’s a Venetian to be proud of. I am told through friends that Dan Abrams, the Developer, comes from a family that published premier Art Books. He built his own home in Venice with Marmol Radzinor Architects, loves Venice history and lifestyle, loves good quality design and good art.
8. Community Input – these folks listened to the community and make changes to their plans in order to conform to community input, the Venice Specific Plan, and the Coastal Commission regulations. They are not using loopholes in State or City laws in order to create an inappropriate mess for Venice. This fits. Mass, Scale, and Character are within the Venice Specific Plan. They’ve developed their project in the right way for Venice.
9. Integrity – Two of the principals, the architect David Hertz and the developer Dan Abrams, are long-time residents of Venice. They’re here to stay. They care. They take pride in their work. They are highly accomplished. They aren’t outsiders trying to make a quick buck and leave Venice. They’re good people and ones who can be trusted. If not, they know that we know where they live!!! And when they do sell the Hotel someday, we’ll be left with a quality boutique hotel that suits the neighborhood.
I know David Hertz, and have friends who know Dan Abrams. I would not support this project just because of friendship. If I’ve gotten anything wrong, please tell me. I support it because I truly believe that it is a good, well designed project that will enhance community, safety, economy, the arts, creativity and the eclectic “vibrance” of Venice.