Glendale Redevelopment Agency OKs $24,000 Hotel Project Study

The Glendale Redevelopment Agency has agreed to spend $24,000 for a study on the feasibility of building a major hotel in the downtown project area.

Susan Shick, deputy redevelopment director, said the study would serve as “a calling card” for the city in its 5-year-old search for a hotel developer.

The city had earlier negotiated with a joint venture partnership for development of a 250- to 350-room hotel to be built south of the Galleria II. That proposal collapsed last year after the Mariner Corp. of Texas, a major hotel operator, withdrew from negotiations.

City plans call for development of two hotels in the downtown area. The first, which is under study, would cater to business travelers and provide banquet and meeting facilities for local organizations. Other potential sites will be studied in addition to the block near the Galleria II.

The second hotel would be incorporated into a proposed “gemstone project” combining a luxury hotel with offices and condominiums in the proposed central mixed-use district bounded by Maryland, Central and Wilson avenues and Lexington Drive.

The redevelopment agency agreed to hire consultants Laventhol & Horwath of Los Angeles, specialists in hotel and office development, to study the potential for projects in Glendale. The study is scheduled to be completed in seven weeks.

The study was approved by the City Council, acting as the redevelopment agency, by a 3-1 vote. Councilman John Day voiced the only objection, saying the city should use a less expensive method of marketing.