Is Pasadena being hoity-toity or just selective? Some residents and union members are coming out in opposition to a proposed Residence Inn--for extended stay travelers--intended for an empty lot on Fair Oaks and Walnut, near the 210 and Gold Line. Tonight the Planning Commission will consider an extra height allowance for the project, reports the Pasadena Star-News, and probably get an earful from the people of the Pasadena Coalition for Responsible Development, which earlier this year fought against the renovation of 'Dena's historic Hotel Constance. The group claims that the Residence Inn will only create eight new jobs, and that Constance employees make an average (poverty-level) wage of about $22,000/year. They also argue that an extended stay hotel does little for the Pasadena coffers--these hotels hire fewer maids, often feature kitchens in the rooms so people don't eat out (but they do need to buy groceries, right?), and bring little foot traffic to the area. City officials say an extended stay hotel is helpful for booking lucrative conventions. The PCfR were supportive of a W Hotel, which was originally planned for the same fallow lot. "Something like a W can revitalize an area," Rachel Torres of the Unite Here union told PSN. · Residence Inn Project Heads to Planning Commission [PSN]
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