By Mary O’KEEFE

A proposed development at 2413 Foothill Blvd., the La Crescenta Motel, is a five-story, 80-unit residential project that includes four studio units, 52 one-bedroom units and 24 two-bedroom units. Of that, one studio, three one-bedroom and two two-bedroom units will be restricted to extremely low income households. One one-bedroom unit will be reserved as a manager’s unit. 

According to the permit, the developers have requested five waivers: A height increase request from 35 feet to 61 feet to the top of the stair tower for a total increase of 26 feet, a reduced landscaped buffer, a reduction in the required number of parking spaces from 104 to 87 spaces (54% of the total 87 spaces – 47 – would be compact spaces) and a request in the reduction of ground floor transparency stating that because of the sloping nature of the project site, the ground floor frontage along both Foothill Boulevard and Briggs Avenue requires several retaining elements that must be designed with non-transparent structural materials. 

This project is utilizing provisions of State Density Bonus law (created by SB9), which was established to encourage the production of affordable and senior housing in California.

According to the LA County Planning permit, “On April 17, 2024 the Director of Regional Planning approved Administrative Housing the permit [at 2413 Foothill Blvd.] and Ministerial Site Plan Review to authorize an 80-unit apartment building with an affordable housing set-aside.” 

The project has not been submitted to LA County for a plan check, according to a spokesperson. 

To many in the area the motel property is part of Crescenta Valley history. Once called the May Lane motel, it was built around 1946 by Glen Hine and named for his children Maynard and Alane. Hine died in 1964 and the business stayed in the family until it was sold in the early 2000s to Tony Talisse, a La Cañada homebuilder. At the time Talisse had planned a condominium complex but after meeting with local residents decided to build an assisted living facility; however, due to the economy at the time that plan was halted. The motel property has since had several developing ideas explored but nothing has been built.

Over the years the motel has been the site for many films and television shows including “The X-Files,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” the pilot for “Supernatural” and “Win a Date with Ted Hamilton.

CVW has reached out to the developer and was not contacted as of press time.