New Hermosa Beach motel will retain classic beach bungalow
A 1909 beach bungalow will be incorporated into the development of a 5-unit motel at 10th Street and Hermosa Avenue. Rendering courtesy of B & J Capital Group
by Dan Blackburn
A new Hermosa Beach motel with deep historical roots won near-unanimous approval Monday by the California Coastal Commission after one member called 70 Tenth Street Motel Development “a really creative proposal.”
The three-story motel structure will rise at the corner of 10th and Hermosa Avenue and incorporate a conversion of an existing residential structure that has graced the property since 1910. It is one of five contiguous beach bungalows stretching toward the sand on 10th Street; four remain private residences.
Project planners B & J Capital Group Investments of Redondo Beach have been trying for years to get approval of the 10th Street project through myriad public agencies.
The new motel will be a five-unit building, with suites ranging from 537 sq. ft to 564 sq. ft. Two on-site parking spaces will be included. Bike racks and four, shared bicycles for guests’ use will be provided, as will an electric vehicle, and electric power site for vehicles.
Conversion of the existing single-family residential building will create a two-bedroom, two-bath rental unit of about 1,629 square feet, with an ancillary registration office. The residential portion will also contain a living room, dining room, a full kitchen, and a laundry room with washer and dryer. It will rent for a projected $700-750 a night.
B & J’s planners worked with a historical consultant to create a look for the new structure “that will complement the existing historic single family residence’s original architecture,” according to partner Dean Thomas, who presented the motel before the coastal commissioners.
Thomas told commissioners that original plans “did not anticipate doing this as an historic project. It was not an historical property, but it could be considered an ‘historical resource.’ That’s when we came up with an idea that kept the beach bungalow home.”
A consultant for B & J said the existing building “appears to be a contributor to an historic district of beach bungalows from Hermosa Beach’s early development as a beach community. It is part of a rare, intact grouping of early 20th Century beach dwellings.”
A 1980 zoning change included in the Downtown Corridor program changed the home’s zoning to commercial, a factor allowing its new use as a motel property.
“We have been working with the community for the past five years,” said Thomas, “and in these community outreach meetings, residents all had one thing in common: They wanted to see that bungalow saved.”
Thomas added, “We are creating something that is very unique. This city will have this now for another hundred years, and it will be a centerpiece for the community. People will have the chance to stay in an original beach bungalow house.” ER