SEAL BEACH : Planners OK Reduced Scope for Hotel Plan

A recommendation to reduce by 150 rooms the size of a hotel proposed for the city’s beachfront has won Planning Commission approval, but the landowner vowed this week to fight for the larger hotel size.

The nine-acre property, bordered by First Street, Marina Drive and Ocean Avenue, is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The city had previously approved a zoning plan that would accommodate a 300-room hotel on the property, but a citizens advisory committee recommended cutting the capacity in half.

The Planning Commission approved the committee’s recommendation Wednesday night, but the vote is only advisory--the City Council will make a final decision on the project in February.

“A lot has happened since the original plan for this property was approved in the mid-1980s,” Planning Commission Chairwoman Patty Campbell said. “We’ve all got to shoulder the problems with traffic and the environment.”

But DWP officials said reducing the number of hotel rooms could have a detrimental effect on the value of the property.

“We need to test the market out there to see what the potential is,” said Gary R. Langewisch, assistant manager of energy support services for the Department of Water and Power.

“Since the late 1980s, economic conditions for development have precluded trying to do anything with this property,” he said. “We feel that now may be a better time.”

Campbell said the DWP will have an opportunity to make a case for a 300-room hotel before the City Council.

“I’m not saying they’ll get it,” Campbell said, “but they can try.”