By Hector Gonzalez
Special to The Lookout

December 14, 2015 -- Saying the project's design is not up to Santa Monica's standards and image, City Council members approved a motion sending a proposed hotel on Wilshire Boulevard back to the developer for further work.

A staff report and presentation at the Tuesday, December 8, meeting recommended the Council approve an appeal by developer and property owner Alexander Gorby, after a special Council-appointed panel rejected architectural designs for the 270-room hotel.

On a motion by Council member Kevin McKeown, the Council voted unanimously to deny the appeal “without prejudice” and remanded the architectural renderings back to Alexander Gorby for more work.

Most of the Council agreed with McKeown that the project “isn't quite there yet” and “falls short” of the City's expectations.

“Before I saw the final renderings, which I just saw this week, I had told staff, 'Yeah, we're ready to go with this project. It's been years. We should get this built,'” McKeown said.

“Now, however, having seen the renderings, I'm finding myself a bit baffled by the staff recommendation.”

A City Council composed of different members approved a development agreement for the project in 2012.

As part of the agreement, the Council appointed three members of the Architectural Review Board (ARB) and four members of the Landmarks Commission to the Joint Design Review Body (JDRB) to review and approve designs for the project.

ARB approval is needed because the project includes the adaptive reuse of the landmarked Santa Monica Professional Building at 710 Wilshire Boulevard.

In September, the JDRB rejected Gorby's designs and recommended eight changes to the plans. Since then, however, City staff has narrowed the recommendations down to three areas that have to do mostly with the aesthetics of the proposed building.

Council members Tuesday agreed with the special panel that the drawings need more work.

McKeown said it's important the Council get the project built right, because the proposed hotel would be built in a “crucial location, next to a landmark.”

“This project shouldn't look OK,” he said. “This project should look great.”

Along with the hotel, the project includes 13,087 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, a ground-floor public paseo and 318 parking spaces within a four-level underground parking structure.

A few public speakers who commented on the proposal before the Council took action on the matter Tuesday asked that the project be expedited, as it will bring much-needed new construction and other jobs to the City.

The project, also known as the Alex Gorby Hotel project, became a focal point in Santa Monica's battle over a living wage in 2012, when some Council members tried to include a $15-an-hour minimum wage for the hotel's future employees as part of the development agreement.

That effort failed, and the Council instead settled on a $12-an-hour minimum wage, or $11.25 with health benefits.

At the Council's most recent meeting, McKeown apologized for yet another delay in bringing new jobs to the City, adding however, that he would not “build a bad building to get good jobs.”

“This building is not bad,” he said. “It's not bad, it's just not great, in a place where we need and deserve great. I think we can do better.”

Representatives for Gorby expressed frustrations over the bureaucratic red tape involved so far in the project, including 12 different hearings and conflicting design recommendations from members of the JDRB.

The architect incorporated all the changes members of JDRB agreed on, refining and incorporating design recommendations made by residents, Planning Commissioners and Council members into the current renderings, representatives said.

Councilman Ted Winterer said he believes having the project go through the JDRB process resulted in improvements to the design.

“Wouldn't that argue for the possibility that a bit more review would make the building even better?” asked Winterer.

“No,” said architect Howard Laks. “The process has worked beautifully, and it's time for the project to move on.”