YWCA/Kimpton Hotel Project Moves Forward with Unanimous City Council Support

Following a somewhat contentious public hearing that ran past midnight, the Pasadena City Council early Tuesday morning unanimously approved the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Kimpton Hotel/YWCA project, which will convert the 1922 Julia Morgan-designed building at 79 North Marengo Avenue into a 179-room two-to-six story luxury “boutique” hotel.

The project is one of six new hotel projects in the city, in various stages of planning or construction, including the new Le Meridien Hotel project.

The vote sends the Kimpton project to the Design Commission where the final plans will be reviewed and approved. It is estimated that that portion of the process will take at least six months.

Meanwhile, the City will continue with its lease negotiations with KHP Capital Partners, which, according to City Manager Steve Mermell may take “one to two months.”

The hotel decision not only approved the EIR and its conditional use permit, but also a host of “conditions of approval” that ranged from parking to loading variances, along with permits for a hotel operation and the sale of alcohol.

In addition, the decision mandated that various modifications be honored, such as directing the City’s Design Commission to address the hotel’s corner height and articulation at Union and Garfield, as well as a recommendation to the Urban Forest Advisory Committee to search for ways to preserve as many trees as possible, especially those in the Sister Cities Tree Garden on the southeast corner of Holly and Garfield, near the Robinson Memorial.

“This project is worthy of our support,” said Mayor Terry Tornek. “This is not inconsistent with the Civic Center Specific Plan.”

Tornek also praised the work of the City planning department in compiling the lengthy and detailed EIR.

“I think that overall this is a good decision,” said Councilmember Margaret McAustin. “The building is a little larger than I would like to see, but I think it’s going to turn out very well. It’s a really important building in the Civic Center, but I also think that the issues that were brought up in tonight’s meeting, like the importance of green space, I think we need to pay attention to that.”

“It’s wonderful,” said Richard McDonald, attorney for KHP. “It’s great for the city, and I hope everyone is happy. I know we are.”

The hearing was conducted before a standing-room-only chamber mostly filled with activists and preservationists who while not opposed to the hotel project itself, took issue with the size of the hotel, its effect on the amount of open or green space surrounding the proposed hotel site, and the position of the rear loading area which would “face” the City Hall.

Many of those activists preferred a version of the hotel plan known as “Alternative 2E,” which would have reduced the size of the hotel’s footprint as well as its impact on the nearby Sister Cities Tree Garden.

Said Jonathan Edewards, president of the Downtown Pasadena Neighborhood Association and member of the Civic Center Coalition (CCC), “We are not against the project, but we are in support of ‘Alternative 2E.”

The CCC had previously stated that they were ready to take legal action, should their alternative plan not be chosen by the Council.

Edewards continued, saying, “This project is being driven by the Kimpton, and not by the City,” echoing a comment heard more than once during the evening. “It should be the other way around,” he said.

“You’re letting Kimpton run everything,” agreed resident David Whitehead.

Marsha Rood, CCC member and a former administrator in the City’s development department, also questioned the City’s notion of the hotel as “surplus property.”

“This violates the Pasadena municipal code,” she told the Council. “No public land can be sold without public input.” The land is being provided to the Kimpton company on a “long term lease,’ the details of which are still in the negotiation stages.

Meanwhile, Sue Mossman, executive director of Pasadena Heritage and one of the city’s leading preservationists, testified on behalf of the project, saying, “We’ve spent years analyzing and agonizing over this decision. Change is difficult, but there is an opportunity to save a historic building here.”

Citing the sometimes quiet character of the Civic Center neighborhood, Mossman said, “This hotel will activate the Civic Center.”

Both former Mayor Bill Bogaard and his wife, Claire, testified in support of the project, two of only a very small handful of residents at the hearing to do so.

“You’re going to have another great building here,” said Claire. Added Mayor Bogaard, “I am in total agreement with Claire Bogaard.”

Following the long hearing and just before the final vote, Mayor Tornek spoke to those at the hearing who opposed the project in its approved form, Tornek said, “Your intensity with regard to green space in this city is important.”

Edewards, interviewed following the hearing, said he was “disappointed” at the decision, and added that the CCC was still reviewing its legal options.