Invite-Only Group Will Get Sneak Peek at Miramar's Latest Plans

A group of about 150 neighbors will be the first to see the latest specs for the proposed renovation and expansion of the historic Fairmont-Miramar Hotel.

At an invitation-only open house Thursday, a revised project description for the site will be unveiled, according to Alan Epstein of MSD Capital LP, which owns the hotel.

Earlier iterations of the plans called for rehabbing portions of the hotel and building an adjoining mixed-use project with as many as 120 condos and 9,300 square feet of retail space. A development agreement with the City Council is required for the expansion to occur.

Several neighborhood groups have opposed the plans, saying the new buildings would be too big and dense.

The newest project description, which Epstein declined to disclose to Patch, will be part of a state-mandated environmental review of the project. That review will begin soon, he said.

SEE ALSO: Here's What the Miramar Hotel Looked Like 70 Years Ago

One of the project's opponents, Santa Monica Coalition for a Livable City, is urging "as many residents as possible" to drop by Thursday's open house to ask questions of the developers.

"We are ALL stakeholders in what will likely be one of the largest project Development Agreements in the coming years," the coalition wrote in an email to its supporters, "and it’s impossible to ask questions directly of the developer at Planning Commission and City Council hearings so now’s our chance!"

In part, the hotel's invitation read:

We have reached out to over a thousand Santa Monica residents, businesses and stakeholders for input and comments on the future of the hotel... The input received was enormously helpful, and provided invaluable guidance.

The City is about to begin a comprehensive environmental impact report (EIR) for our proposed project, which has evolved significantly in accordance with the City's [sic] Council's direction.

Anyone without an invitation will be turned away from the open house, because the meeting space is too small to accommodate more than the number of invited guests, Epstein said.

"However, we are not hiding anything," he said. "If people want an opportunity to visit with us, we will make that happen."