Favoring Affordable Housing, Neighborhood Council Readies For Vote Against 168-Key Hotel Near USC

The Empowerment Congress North Area Neighborhood Development Council will vote on a motion to oppose a proposed 168-key hotel at 3685 S. Vermont Ave. in favor of affordable housing, according to its Thursday evening meeting agenda.

The vacant project site, which formerly held the University of Southern California’s Bethune Library, was originally planned to hold a new affordable housing project; in 2018, the city agreed to negotiate with a developer to cede its control of the site for a mixed-income housing project. However, the city and company did not come to terms, and in 2019 the city came to an agreement with an affiliate of real estate investment company Orion Capital, the applicant for the current hospitality plans.

The plan has elicited opposition from neighborhood groups and housing activists who claim the property, which was formerly a Community Redevelopment Agency site, ought to be used for much-needed affordable housing rather than a hotel.

Ahead of the council’s Thursday meeting, its policy committee has unanimously recommended the board act to oppose the project and welcome new affordable housing proposals for the site, according to the council’s meeting agenda.

As it stands now, Orion’s plans call for an approximately 100,000-square-foot hospitality development with about 4,300 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The seven-story, 75-foot-tall project would provide 74 vehicle parking spaces and 20 bicycle parking spaces.

The Empowerment Congress North Area Neighborhood Development Council, which covers USC-adjacent neighborhoods like Adams-Normandie and St. James Park, will meet virtually at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.