Of all the places to put a hotel in a hip, cool neighborhood like Echo Park, the curve of a freeway onramp seems one of the most unlikely locations, and yet here we are. A four-story, 89-room motel has been proposed for a spot on Palo Alto Street (on the border between Historic Filipinotown and EP) that is immediately next to the Glendale Boulevard onramp to the southbound 101 Freeway, says Eastsider LA. The spot was the site of an office building until that structure was consumed by a massive fire in late 2012. That's a good omen, right?
Planning documents show that the hotel would be 50,000 square feet and 55 feet tall, with 53 car spots and parking spaces for 24 bikes. Developer Morgan's Legacy, LLC is seeking a height district change and a conditional use permit to operate a motel less than 500 feet from a residential district, the documents show. The site is just a couple of blocks north of HiFi's Temple Street, where several new, hipster-friendly developments are in various stages of completion, but even still, this is a pretty odd spot for a hotel.
· New Echo Park motel might rise from the ruins of 2012 fire [ELA]
· New Historic Filipinotown Complex Fully Expecting to Rent One-Bedrooms at $1,850 [Curbed LA]