Local News in Brief : Council Rejects Hotel Plan
A drawn-out battle between a hotel developer and a south Torrance residential neighborhood ended with victory for the residents as the City Council rejected a plan for a 5-story, 134-room Hampton Inn hotel.
The council voted 7 to 0 to deny the project, which was before the council on appeal after rejections by the city staff and the Planning Commission.
Residents and council members voiced concerns that the project would dump traffic onto residential streets just northwest of the intersection of Hawthorne Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway, and that the 64-foot-tall building would overshadow homes to the west.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Katy Geissert also said she was worried because the proposed hotel is in the flight path of Torrance Municipal Airport.
The owner of the property, Tom Fitzpatrick, said he had sought city approval for the hotel for about 18 months, after an unsuccessful attempt 10 years ago to develop the property at 238th Street and Los Codona Avenue as a shopping center. He said he does not know what he will do now.
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