A proposal which would bring a new hotel and apartments to a corner lot in Koreatown is moving forward.

At its meeting on July 11, the Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted to approve plans from applicant Mike Barry which would redevelop a property at 3216 W. 8th Street with a new seven-story building which would feature a 60-room hotel, 20 apartments, and 3,950 square feet of ground-floor commercial uses. Plans also call for a three-level, 71-car subterranean parking garage.

3216 W 8th StreetGoogle Street View

The proposed project, which would replace an existing four-unit apartment building, is slated to feature four units of extremely low-income affordable housing to replace the existing rent-stabilized apartments. Existing tenants would have the right to return to the new project, should they meet income eligibility requirements.

EWAI Architecture is the project, which would divide the hotel and housing into separate wings. Plans call for shared amenities including swimming pools at the second floor and rooftop, as well as a 1,435-square-foot rooftop bar for the hotel.

3216 W 8th StreetGoogle Maps

An environmental report previously circulated by the city points to a roughly 24-month period, starting in late 2024 and concluding in 2026. However, that schedule is contingent on the approval of discretionary entitlements by the City Council, including a zone change.

Though not faced with an appeal, the project was subject to vocal opposition from the Los Angeles Tenants Union, which sent numerous members to argue that the project would accelerate gentrification in Koreatown and fail to provide replacement housing for existing residents. The developer and city staff indicated that the project is complying with state laws relating to replacement housing, and the applicant is working on an agreement for existing tenants who would be displaced from the property.

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