No Action Reported on YWCA Building in Council’s Closed Session Meeting

The City Council took no action during an afternoon closed session meeting on the Julia Morgan YWCA building.

“There is nothing to report at this time,” said Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian.

Derderian said she did not know when the project would come back to the council or the public for more debate.

Plans submitted by developers for the building are currently being considered for the dilapidated building seized by the city under eminent domain in 2012 for $8.3 million.

Local residents have demanded city officials not choose a project without first allowing them to provide input.

Mayor Terry Tornek has guaranteed final decisions will not be made without public input.

The current proposals include a 125-150 full-service Four Seasons hotel at YWCA site along with 25 luxury residences at the former Water and Power site by Carpenter and Company of Boston, Mass.

Continental Assets Management in Arcadia is proposing a four-star 167 hotel room, either a five-story 120 room market-rate unit building or a six-story 139 affordable housing unit is proposed at the Water and Power site.

A proposal by Edgewood Realty Partners from nearby South Pasadena would see a 164-room boutique hotel operated by Palisociety and a 70,000 square foot, five-story office building is proposed for the Water and Power site.

New Orleans-based HRI Properties LLC would create a 179-room hotel, of which 165 rooms would be in a new 83,000-square-foot building adjacent to the YWCA. Their proposal didn’t specify what the Water & Power site would be used for.

The Ratkovich Company with the National Community Renaissance in Los Angeles is proposing two alternatives.

The first would call for rehabbing the building for office space. The second option calls for the rehabilitation of the building with construction of a new 59,000 square foot office building, or rehabbing the building and building a 142-room hotel.

On the PWP, permanent supportive housing or permanent supportive housing and 15,000 square feet of leasable office space is proposed by Ratkovich.