Renderings for new Hermosa Beach hotel elicit mixed reactions

Strand & Pier, a three-story hotel with a rooftop pool and 120 rooms could be at the northwest corner of The Strand and Pier Plaza in Hermosa Beach as early as 2018. Photo Courtesy of Bolour Associates, Inc. — Strand & Pier, a three-story hotel with a rooftop pool and 111 rooms could open be at the northwest corner of The Strand and Pier Plaza in Hermosa Beach as early as 2018. Photo Courtesy of Bolour Associates, Inc.

A modern, coastal design for the proposed Strand & Pier hotel in downtown Hermosa Beach was unveiled for Hermosa Beach residents and civic leaders Monday evening. The hotel on the current Mermaid restaurant site could be completed as early as 2018, its developers said.

HKS architect Tom Sprinkle said his design was inspired in part by Hermosa chalk graffiti, one of which read, “Fun is good.” Photos

Real estate developer Bolour Associates of Los Angeles, Provenance Hotels of Portland and Hill Glazier Studio (HKS) of San Francisco presented the renderings at a community meeting, held at the Beach House Hotel, adjacent to the proposed hotel.

HKS architect Tom Sprinkle said the design was inspired by Hermosa’s fun, beach lifestyle and the city’s jazz history.

The proposed hotel, as viewed from the volleyball courts just nort of the pier.

“The building is trying to be almost like frozen music, I guess you could say,” Sprinkle said, referencing Goethe’s famous observation that “architecture is frozen music.”

While residents were not opposed to the aesthetics of the hotel, some expressed concern that it was too big for a town that is less than two square miles.

Retail and restaurants would occupy the first floor along Pier Plaza.

The 111-room hotel, with a 15,000 sq. ft. restaurant and a rooftop pool and umbrellas (which the city counts in its height limit calculations) would be 45 feet tall. Hermosa’s current height limit is 30 feet. Increasing the height limit to 45 feet would require voter approval.

“You have decided to bring an urban hotel to a small town,” said Hermosa Beach resident Raymond Dussault. “I think you need to start thinking about bringing a small hotel to a small town.”

Former Hermosa Beach councilman Jim Rosenberger asks how the proposed hotel would be marketed. Provenance’s Bashar Wali responded, “If you visit our web site, even once, we will track you down on Facebook and other social media sites until you book a room.”

Other residents expressed support for the hotel, saying it would allow more people to enjoy Hermosa Beach.

“In my world, we always want people to come to Hermosa Beach because we love it here,” Chris Miller, who grew up in Hermosa Beach, said.

Provenance chief financial officer Bashar Wali said his hotel will generate over $1 million for the city in bed taxes.

The hotel would generate over $1 million annually in TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax) revenue for the city and approximately 120 jobs, Bashar Wali, Provenance’s chief financial officer said.

The developers' schematic of the hotel shows a 15-foot first floor, two 10-foot floors and a pool, umbrellas and rooftop equipment adding another 10 feet. — The developers’ schematic of the hotel shows a 15-foot first floor, two 10-foot floors and a pool, umbrellas and rooftop equipment adding another 10 feet.

Strand & Pier project manager Adam Eisenberg said his team will submit a development application to the city in early August. Work on an environmental impact report for the hotel will begin at the end of August or in early September, Eisenberg said.