A proposed hotel development which would rise on the former site of Angel's Attic has cleared the Santa Monica Planning Commission, according to architect Howard Laks.
The proposed project, first revealed in August 2022, would bring an eight-story, 74-room hotel to what is currently a vacant lot just east of Downtown Santa Monica Station at 516 Colorado Avenue. Plans also call for a ground-floor restaurant with outdoor dining - but no on-site parking.
View looking southeast from Colorado AvenueHoward Laks Architects
The design by Laks was previously described in a staff report to the Architectural Review Board as being divided into four separate building blocks, separated by an exterior circulation corridor that offers natural ventilation. Renderings also show a roof deck at the top of the structure.
Los Angeles County Assessor's records list the owner of the site as an entity linked to Santa Monica-based property management firm XYZ Rent, which acquired the site upon the closure of Angel's Attic. The building which housed the museum, a late 19th century Victorian home, was demolished in mid-2021.
Following approval by the Planning Commission on a 6-1 vote, the project now heads to the Architectural Review Board for consideration, says Laks via e-mail.
View looking southwest from Colorado AvenueHoward Laks Architects
The project site sits directly across Colorado Avenue from two additional hotels - a Courtyard Marriott and a Hampton Inn - which debuted not long after the E Line made its way to Downtown Santa Monica. The Kaufman Apartments, an affordable housing complex, opened next door to 516 Colorado in 2015.
The proposed project near the E Line is the second Santa Monica hotel for Laks Architects in recent years. The firm previously designed the 271-room Santa Monica Proper, which opened in 2019 on Wilshire Boulevard.
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