First in a series

April 25, 2017 -- Residents see the three big luxury hotels proposed for downtown Santa Monica as towering massive structures that will erase what is left the City's quaint beach-town feel.

Proponents and City officials, however, see them as sustainable economic engines that generate less traffic than housing or commercial development and will pump millions of dollars a year into the City's coffers.

The battle over the trio of hotels in the heart of downtown -- which total 1,264,635 square feet of new building within blocks of each other -- will enter a new phase Wednesday when the often-changed final blueprint for new downtown development goes before the Planning Commission ("Santa Monica Downtown Plan Seeks to Strike a Compromise, Officials Say, But Some Remain Skeptical," April 13, 2017).

Read More: http://surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2017/April-2017/04_25_2017_Battle_Pits_Residents_Against_Big_Hotels_Slated_for_Downtown_Santa_Monica.html