Rendering: MSD Capital
Update, September 10, 2020: Late Wednesday evening, the Santa Monica Planning Commission voted 6-1 in favor of recommending the project’s approval to City Council. Commissioner Mario Fonda-Bonardi cast the sole dissenting vote.
A special meeting of the Santa Monica Planning Commission is scheduled for this evening to continue a discussion about the future of the Fairmont Miramar hotel expansion.
The proposed project by MSD Capital seeks to redevelop the existing hotel, which opened in 1921, adding 312 new guest rooms, 60 for-sale luxury condominium units, 428 parking spaces, exclusive amenities, retail, restaurant and meeting space, and 14,000 square feet of publicly-accessible open space.
Rendering: MSD Capital
To meet the City’s affordable housing requirements, a 42-unit, 100 percent affordable housing complex will be built offsite at 1127 2nd Street. Other notable components of the redevelopment plan include the preservation of the Landmark Palisades Building and a 141-year-old Moreton Bay Fig Tree.
There’s also a long list of negotiated community benefits, including public art, a local hiring program, internship program, community meeting space, sustainable design features, affordable lodging contributions and more.
Rendering: MSD Capital
The mixed-use project was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and will span 500,000 square feet, including two new structures reaching seven and ten stories. There will be ample outdoor space, much of it maximizing sparkling ocean views, including public garden terraces, a deck area anchored by the fig tree, open-air cafe seating, and a courtyard reserved for hotel guests and condominium residents.
The Bungalow, one of Santa Monica’s most popular nightlife venues, will be featured in the redevelopment in addition to a few other dining options. Construction could begin within the next two years and is likely to be completed in three years’ time if all goes according to plan.
Rendering: MSD Capital
The Planning Commission is expected to recommend the approval of the development application to the Santa Monica City Council, moving the decade-old project forward. The Fairmont Miramar hotel expansion has faced stern opposition from community members who disapprove of the proposed height increase, construction pollution and the prospect of absentee condo owners. Tonight’s special meeting was called in part because the public comment period during the September 2nd meeting lasted for several hours.
