With a bundle of plans and permits approved by the Westminster City Council, Bolsa Row is just about ready to build on 6-acres of undeveloped land at Bolsa Avenue and Brookhurst Street – though at the reluctance of some of its neighbors.
With a 144-room, five-story hotel, a 201-room, five-story apartment complex and an about 37,550 square feet of retail space, Westminster officials are touting Bolsa Road as one of the major development projects for the area.
The buildings will be joined by what the developer, IP Westminster, is calling “Festival Street,” a plaza space that can host up to six events per year.
Ken Ryan, a principal with KTGY Architecture + Planning, said his favorite feature of Bolsa Row is the landscaped Celebration Bridge, which connects an event hall and the hotel’s garden space.
“There’s something kind of magical about this place and people are going to want to be there whether they call it home or are just visiting,” Ryan said. “It’s a mix of different experiences from activity to serenity. We’ve incorporated elements that touch the human experience.”
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Residents in nearby neighborhoods told the City Council they were concerned about parking, traffic congestion and light pollution from the project would affect their homes.
Ronald Hamamura said he likes the Bolsa Row project, but the parking doesn’t seem adequate for the hotel and the central plaza. He and his neighbors, he said, worry the overflow will end up on their streets, especially during popular events such as the Tet parade or festival held for Lunar New Year.
“The planned hotel is roughly 150 rooms; a restaurant and bar; banquet hall for up to 650 people. The city’s own development report expects 190 on-site, permanent jobs to be created,” Hamamura said.
Also, locals call the Bolsa Avenue and Brookhurst Street corner where Bolsa Row will build, “Crash Corner,” Anthony Candoll, another Westminster resident, said.
“Now what we want to do is put party central on the corner of Crash Corner,” he said. “I don’t think that it’s a good idea.”
“I hear words such as ‘vetting.’ I hear words such as ‘it’s going to look beautiful,’” Candoll said. “But it’s not a question of whether you could or not, it’s the question of whether you should put something like that there.”
The City Council is requiring the development’s electronic signage be turned off at midnight to cut down the impact on residents, as suggested by the city’s Planning Commission.
“The alternative is a vacant lot,” Councilman Sergio Contreras said. “A dirt lot, that’s been that way since I don’t know how long. It is a big step in terms of Little Saigon. It’s an opportunity for growth.”
Designs for Bolsa Row are expected to be finalized in the coming 10 months to a year, and construction is expected to be underway shortly thereafter, but does not have a specified date at this time.
