Hawthorne Residents Hear Proposal for 20-Acre Hotel-Retail Development

Hawthorne residents packed the Dana Intermediate School auditorium Wednesday night to hear about a 20-acre development at Rosecrans Avenue and the San Diego Freeway, and many seemed to welcome the project.

The 4 1/2-hour meeting--held jointly by the Holly Glen Taxpayers Assn. and the Hawthorne Community Redevelopment Agency--included presentations by the developer, Watt Investment Properties, about the project, which would include six office buildings, three parking structures, two hotels, at least three restaurants and some retail businesses.

Although some residents, mostly from the adjacent Holly Glen area, expressed concerns about the project’s impact on traffic, several cited the advantages of increased property values and having hotels and restaurants nearby.

Mark Phillips of Watt Investment Properties said the firm is negotiating with the Marriott hotel chain for a 10-story high-rise. A smaller hotel is also being proposed.

City officials said Hawthorne expects to get $750,000 to $800,000 a year in revenue from the development, mostly from bed and sales taxes.

Bud Cormier, Hawthorne’s assistant director of redevelopment, announced that the city’s traffic consultant will draft a list of mitigation measures for discussion at a public meeting in three to four weeks. Residents will be notified by mail, he said.