But Tuesday’s first stage of approvals is a major step forward for the project.
With an angular glass rooftop facing Central Avenue and a sculptural facade facing Wilson Avenue, the Hyatt project is considered by city officials to be a major development for the east-west link between Brand Boulevard and Central.
If the Hyatt project is finalized, it will join the previously approved 16-story mixed-use residential “Alexander” building — planned for across the street — in dramatically transforming the east-west link between Brand and Central.
“It’s a nice, contemporary neighborhood that we’re creating down there,” said City Councilman Ara Najarian, Redevelopment Agency chairman.
The Hyatt project is also among the first major developments to come downtown as a result of the Americana at Brand. A Hyatt official on Tuesday cited the mixed-use commercial behemoth as “the reason why we’re here.”
The Hyatt project would include a ground-level restaurant, public space, a cafe terrace and 59 spaces of public parking on the first two underground floors. The third and fourth floors of the subterranean garage would be valet-operated and dedicated to the hotel for a total capacity of 231 vehicles, according to Hyatt’s proposal.
The modern design of the hotel’s exterior and interior was so well-regarded that it even won over Councilman Dave Weaver, who earlier said he would vote against the project to protest the developer’s exclusive negotiating agreement with Glendale for use of the city-owned lot.
