The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday backed a developer's plans to replace the popular Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City with a 520-unit apartment complex and mixed-use development.
The council voted 13-1 to deny the project's appeal, allowing Midwood Investment & Development to demolish the popular event center and hotel at Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue.
In addition to 520 residential units, 78 of which will be allocated to low-income tenants, the project will provide 46,000 square feet of commercial space. A bicycle and pedestrian path is also planned along the Los Angeles River.
Grocery chain Erewhon, which operates a store at the site, Studio City Residents Assn. Unite Here Local 11, which represents hotel workers, sought to stop the project and filed an appeal with the city.
Some opponents argued that the hotel should be preserved. It was one of the first union hotels in the San Fernando Valley and one of the first union hotels in Los Angeles. Others expressed concern about the project's 97-foot height, construction noise and environmental impact.
In its heyday, the Sportsmen's Lodge was a movie studio hangout and a popular venue for weddings, Christmas parties and New Year's parties. The event center and restaurant opened in 1946 and the hotel in 1962.
The hotel is permanently closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Supporters of the development say it will bring housing to this section of Studio City, which is being targeted for a wave of new development. Across the river, the private school Harvard-Westlake plans to build a large-scale sports facility.
City Councilman Hugo Soto Martinez, a former Unite Here 11 organizer, cast the lone “no” vote. Council President Paul Krikorian was absent from Wednesday's vote.
Councilwoman Nithya Raman, who represents Studio City, declined to take a position on the development but voted yes at Wednesday's meeting.
