Compromise on Beach Hotel Now Goes to Voters

Santa Monica City Council members approved an agreement with restaurateur Michael McCarty for the construction of a 160-room, $300-a-night luxury hotel on beach land the state owns and the city manages.

But voters in this coastal city will have the final say on the project. The council also agreed late Wednesday night to place a measure on the ballot asking whether the hotel should be built.

The Pacific Coast Highway site has been occupied by the Sand and Sea Club since the early 1960s. The City Council also voted to evict the private club, which has paid the city about $20,000 a month in rent, by Sept. 30. The hotel is expected to generate $1 million annually for the city to spend on beach clean-up.