The owner of the El Mirador at Fountain and Sweetzer Avenues in West Hollywood is mired in a serious case of "so close, yet so far." Until last week, the building seemed ready to move out of renovation purgatory, but then the West Hollywood Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of a plan to rehab the 1929 building. The seven-story, 32-unit Spanish Colonial Revival building, built in 1929, has been vacant for the past two years, since owner Jerome Nash evicted tenants under the Ellis Act. Back at the end of March, it seemed like renovations were primed to move forward when the West Hollywood Historic Preservation Commission approved a plan to allow Nash to turn it into an "urban inn" (similar to the San Vicente Inn). The Planning Commission, however, rejected the plan because "the building does not meet the main criteria for an urban inn which has a maximum height of two stories and at least 10 percent communal space so guests can interact easily," according to the WeHo Patch. The Planning Commission also rejected the possibility that the building could be converted to condominiums because of a lack of onsite parking: "City zoning ordinances would require 63 parking spaces. However, El Mirador only has 24 spaces in its garage." Despite the vote, the City Council will have final say on the project, and could approve renovations against the recommendations of the Planning Commission.
· El Mirador Agreement Denied by Planning Commission [WeHo Patch]
· WeHo's Long-Empty El Mirador Could Become an "Urban Inn" [Curbed LA]
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