Zoning Administrator Approves Application to Reopen the Notorious "Bates" Motel
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WILL THIS                                               BECOME THIS


On June 16, 2006 Zoning Administrator Gary Booher issued his decision based on the zoning hearing held on May 4th, 2006. At that time representatives of Silver Lake resident and business owner Dana Hollister asked Zoning Admibnistrator Gary Booher for the okay to rehabilitate and reopen the forlorn remains of the Sunset Pacific Motel as a 40 room "High End Hotel with Restaurant/Bar/Lounge" The property's troubled past has kept it closed for the last four years. After hearing from the LAPD, the City Attorney, nearby neighbors, members of two neighborhood councils and city Councilmember Garcetti's office, most of whom asked for more time to study the matter

At its April 18th meeting the GGPNC received an impressive presentation of Hollister's plans for the property, with room rentals ranging from $135 - $255 per night and such "luxurious amenities" as "in room massage and spa treatments."  At its May 16th meeting the GGPNC Board voted to support the project with certain conditions related to traffic/parking and signage.

In April because of the lack of a quorum and time to properly inform the area residents who had played an important role in shutting down the old "Bates" motel, the matter was scheduled for review by the GGPNC's Planning/Zoning and Historic Preservation Committee on May 10th and the full GGPNC board on May 16th.

Click on the links below for more detailed information including:
The May 4th hearing ZA Findings  brief summary of comments ... official hearing notice and application.   Staff Investigators Report
Applicant's plans, volunteered conditions, hotel description and menus,
a  history of the notorious  property, and an aerial photo showing other bars nearby.

The Zoning Hearing May 4, 2006

 Zoning Administrator Gary Booher (left) takes notes while applicant Dana Hollister (standing right) and her designer display concepts of the proposed Silver Lake Hotel at the May 4th City Hall hearing to renovate and reopen the 1960s era property.
Property owner Dana Hollister's representative, Elizabeth Peterson, explained the projected 40 room hotel, with its 132 seat restaurant and lounge and the adjacent property with a single family home that would be come the Silver Lake Hotel's Spa, Pool and message room area. She also detailed the 22 self imposed conditions of operation designed to allay community fears, including automatic review after one year, and discussed the new parking plan with some parking in what is now an auto repair shop on Sunset and 50 additional spaces at 1081 Manzanita. She said the project could not be financially viable without all of the elements.

Next to testify was LAPD vice officer Ken Korn who noted the crime in the area now "exceeds the Northeast Division's statistical goals" He asked for more time to study the conditions, but indicated from what he had seen if the hotel met the conditions he could support the project.

Bruce Carroll an FHRA and GGPNC board member who had toured the hotel when previous owners sought to reopen it spoke next. His concerns were the motel's very small rooms would prevent it from retaining an upscale clientele which could lead to lower standards and reintroduce old problems. He suggested  yearly reviews for five years, but ZA Booher rejected that idea, saying that at the one year review it could be decided if future reviews were needed and how often.

Elizabeth Bougart-Sharkov of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council said their Urban Design committee, which she chairs, had approved the project but do have some concerns over parking and traffic. She said her council would need until June 6th to formally act on the matter.

Former FHRA President Ricardo Gomez, who was instrumental in closing down the crime ridden "Bates," spoke in favor of this design saying "the addition of amenities makes the difference."

Vasken Hagopian, who owns the proprty across Sunset Blvd. from the motel, feared that after reopening "this hotel might go back to its sleasy tricks." He also was worried about the amount of parking.

Dennis Buensuceso, who lives adjacent to the property said his "biggest concern is the noise....\we will never be able to sleep." He termed the project "like a death sentence for us."

Next up was Tania Goodman of the Silver Lake Independent Jewish Community Center which is located across Bates from the motel. She said they support the project and hope it will make the area "a safer place for kids." She supported the concept of 5 year annual reviews and suggested that the 10 foot high wall surrounding the spa area instead of being solid incorporate open areas "so there could be surveillance."

Jeffrey Wylie, manager of the nearby Akbar Bar, spoke in support of the project and praised Hollister for the fine work she's done with other faltering neighborhood properties.

City Attorney Bill Larsen, who has been dealing with the "Bates" since the days when it was "a neighborhood catastrophe" said he had just gotten the new information and didn't have an official position, but likely would defer to the LAPD.

Allison Becker, Councilmember Eric Garcetti's planning deputy closed out the comment period crediting the FHRA for their work  in closing the property and pointing "the context has changed considerably" She explained the coulcilman believes the project "will enhance the existing environment," But echoed the requests for more time so they can further study the noise, spa, parking and other concerns.

In concluding the public hearing Booher noted there was "a lot to review"  and that "time will be needed to resolve a lot of things." He seemed to indicate he had concerns over impact to neighbors and that he was open to imposing conditions that would bind future owners to maintain the safe guards against the property's decline into it old ways. He left the period for written comment open until Friday June 9, 2006 and said his decision would come about two to four weeks later.
A Sad History
     Called by the LAPD one of the most dangerous properties in the city, it was nicknamed the "Bates Motel" both for its location at Sunset and Bates and because in sheer numbers its horrors far outdid the motel in Hitchcock's Psycho.
     In the past police repeatedly found drug dealing, shootings, prostitution, gang activity and numerous other crimes in and around the motel where the coroner has had to remove three dead bodies.                                                 
In January 2002, 350 area residents packed the King Middle School auditorium for a community meeting to hear police explain that crime statistics showed "Bates" was a hub from which crime radiated to our community. The school is just 400 feet from the motel. Councilmembers Tom LaBonge and Eric Garcetti both pledged at the meeting to get the City Council to close the motel after its owners appealed the decision of  the Chief Zoning Administrator who earlier had ordered, "discontinuance of the motel use effective immediately."  Just three weeks after the meeting there was another shooting in front of the motel. Three weeks later, on March 13, 2002, the City Council voted unanimously to shut the place down.

The Results of Closure
Once the motel was forced to close, the LAPD reported a very noticeable drop in crime in the area surrounding the defunct hotel. For many years the area ranked #1 for violent crime in the Northeast Division. Afterwards Senior Lead Officer Al Polehonki reported that computer maps show it sometimes has the lowest crime rate of Northeast's eight reporting districts.

Previous Failed Re-Opening Attempt
In December 2002 an application to reopen the hotel as what the applicants called a "very upscale bed and breakfast type inn...boutique type hotel" was turned down by the Zoning Administrator. Although the then owners planned on reducing the property from its original 37 small rooms to 20 - 29 larger rooms and pledged to spend $800,000 on renovations, they still lacked sufficient parking and serious questions remained about the viability of the property to attract its target clientele.

At the zoning hearing in December 2002 a trio from LAPD spoke. Senior Lead Officers Al Polehonki and Sam Salazar both told how the place was the center of area crime and how the motel's builder and former owner, Mr. Eng, had started out trying to run a proper motel, but the business could not be sustained without renting to the undesirable elements. Those elements were still very much in the area according to the sergeant heading up the LAPD's Northeast vice unit. Councilman Eric Garcetti's planning deputy, Allison Becker, pointed out that the history has proved that as a motel for travelers it's "not economically viable." The reopening application was denied.