Apartments May Be Converted Into Hotels

The West Hollywood City Council has voted to allow hotelier Severyn Ashkenazy to proceed with a plan to convert seven apartment buildings to hotels in exchange for $4.9 million paid to the city over the next 20 years.

The council also relaxed several restrictions that had been imposed by the city Planning Commission in response to complaints about the project by irate neighbors.

The commission had denied liquor permits to the hotels and imposed limits on parking, delivery traffic, and the hours and types of parties that could be held at the hotels. The council, however, allowed a liquor permit at one site and partial liquor permits at two others, and significantly softened the other restrictions.