Conrad’s seeking chamber backing

Karen S. Kim

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE -- The Glendale Chamber of Commerce has delayed

deciding whether it will support longtime member Conrad’s Restaurant in

opposing a proposed Embassy Suites on Burchett Street.

Conrad’s co-owner Tony Dalkas and his attorney, Craig Beardsley, made

a presentation Monday to the chamber’s City and County Affairs Committee,

asking for the chamber’s support.

But the chamber wants to hear the other side of the story first.

“We don’t have all the information,” said Judee Kendall, the chamber’s

executive director. “We listened to redevelopment, and Tony Dalkas asked

us to listen to him, so we think we should listen to Embassy Suites.”

The committee is hoping a representative from Embassy Suites Hotels,

which is owned by Hilton Hotel Corp., will attend next month’s meeting to

speak about the project.

Hilton Hotel Corp. officials could not be reached for comment Monday.

In the meantime, Conrad’s’ request has put the chamber in a sticky

situation. One the one hand, Conrad’s Restaurant has been a chamber

member since 1979. On the other hand, a new hotel in Glendale could be a

boon for local business and city revenue.

“It makes the decision a little more difficult,” Kendall said. “What

we do is weigh both sides and make a decision based on what we feel is

best for business in general, and for commerce in the city.”

Kendall added that the chamber could vote to take no position on the

issue.

Dalkas and Beardsley told committee members Monday that they are

opposed mainly to the size of the hotel project.

“You’re trying to shove a big hotel on a postage stamp,” Beardsley

said.

The 160-foot-tall, 277-room hotel is proposed for a site that is

44,776 square feet in size.

But Redevelopment Agency staff said the project is within city

guidelines for its size.

Beardsley said Conrad’s is looking for strength in numbers. “If you

had 1,000 people show up at a hearing protesting it, the [city] would

listen,” he said.