The Los Angeles City Council, in a split vote Wednesday, Aug. 16, requested that the city’s planning director consider halting a developer’s application to build a controversial luxury hotel in the environmentally sensitive hillsides of Benedict Canyon.
The 8-6 vote comes three months after the council deadlocked on the same issue. The matter now heads to Planning Director Vince Bertoni, who will decide if the developer can continue seeking a general plan amendment, which is designed to let his proposed project move forward.
The Bulgari Resort & Estates Los Angeles, proposed by developer and film producer Gary Safady, would feature a 58-room hotel, the Bulgari’s signature restaurant, an exclusive eight-seat sushi bar, a state-of-the-art gym, a 10,000-square-foot spa and a private cinema. The venue is expected to host special events such as weddings and corporate functions.
The hotel would include 18 buildings, a stand-alone parking structure, a funicular railway and a main hotel building, including outdoor amenities, commercial space and subterranean parking.
In addition, eight homes, ranging from 12,000 to 48,000 square feet, would be built on the property, which is located at 9704-9712 W. Oak Road. The property spans nearly 33 acres along West Oak Pass Road, West Wanda Park Drive and North Hutton Drive in an area of the Santa Monica Mountains susceptible to wildfires.
Supporters maintain the resort would respect the environment and wildlife, create jobs for construction and hotel workers, and improve fire safety in the area.
But opponents point to impacts to the environmentally sensitive area, and to nearby residents due to traffic and noise. They also cite alleged ethical conflicts involving a former L.A. City Hall staffer during the early stage of the Bulgari Resort application process.
“The last thing we should be doing is putting a hotel smack in the middle of a high-fire severity zone. Simply put, it is the wrong project in the wrong…
Read the full article here