Miramar Avarice

I was quite disappointed with the article from March 14 concerning the Miramar hotel’s plans to build a 20,000-square-foot luxury mini-mall with high-end shops (Chanel, Prada, Gucci, YSL, etc.) on the undeveloped northwest corner of their property. More than 50 lines of copy were dedicated to the sales pitch by the Miramar rep, and only 15 lines to those opposing the project. This slice of Rodeo Drive is out of character with the general area, and does not belong in a traditional residential neighborhood, that includes the 140-year-old All Saints church, its pre-school, and a senior day care center adjacent.

Above the retail shops, which are designed to serve the wealthy hotel guests, is proposed a second layer of luxury apartments, which will rent for $18,000-$30,000 per month, and be the third or fourth homes of rich out-of-towners. This is nothing more than an attempt to “upsell” the tony Miramar guests (who are already shelling out $2,000-$3,000 per night) by offering $250 YSL T-shirts, $800 Prada sneakers, $900 Brunello jeans, and expensive watches and jewelry. It does not benefit the local community, and will cause more traffic and pollution, while sucking up resources and defiling our scenic views.

The ploy here is to offer the county “low income” or “moderate income” housing for about 7 percent of the hotel’s staff, in exchange for permission to build the mall/apartment complex. However, only three of 16 studio units are so far designated for “low income” workers (up to $85,000 salary); 13 of 16 are for “moderate income” employees ($85,000-$130,000 salaries). That means only three to six blue-collar workers, out of scores, will qualify. They would still pay rent, too! The workers’ studios are to be built a quarter mile to the east of the mall, on a parking lot.

To make up for the loss of parking on the west end, mechanical “Stacked Parking Structures,” shown above, and parking decks will be constructed on the east side, near a flood zone, and a 60-space underground garage will be scooped out under the mall, adding to the thousands of cubic yards of earth to be hauled away by fleets of dump trucks.

This avaricious plan must not be allowed to go forward.

Editor’s Note: The photo of a three-level car stacker originally posted was removed as the Miramar stated their intended stack was street-level plus one elevated level on the east lot that would not be visible from Jameson or Eucalyptus.