Sportsmen’s Lodge Hotel renovates hotel to housing
BUILDING OUR FUTURE: Construction workers continue their development of The Residences at Sportsmen’s Lodge, which is undergoing a renovation from a hotel to affordable housing as part of Project Roomkey. The building will ultimately hold 500 new apartments for residents.
This article has been corrected. The updated article was published Sept. 6, 2021.
Sportsmen’s Lodge, a Studio City hotel built in the 1880s, is undergoing construction to become The Residences at Sportsmen’s Lodge and The Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge. The Residences, which will replace the original Sportsmen’s Lodge hotel, will house over 500 apartments, and The Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge, a retail and restaurant complex, will replace the original hotel’s banquet center. Construction for the shops was scheduled for completion in June 2021 but was delayed by the COVID-19 lockdown, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Sportsmen’s Lodge worked with Project Roomkey, a short-term housing project financed with federal money, to provide affordable housing in the hotel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Midwood Development CEO John Usdan said the property struggled financially before being shut down due to the pandemic. The Residences at Sportsmen’s Lodge will convert the previous hotel into new apartment housing.
Studio City resident Zoe Fribourg ’24 said the apartments will be a practical addition to the local community.
“I think it is great that the hotel is being converted into apartments,” Fribourg said. “The hotel was never a major part of our community, and the people of Studio City will most definitely get better use out of the apartments and affordable housing in the area.”
Other community members voiced their concerns regarding the short-term effects of construction, such as increased noise levels and heavier traffic in the already congested intersection of Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Ventura Boulevard.
Math Teacher and Studio City resident Catherine Campbell said the increase in traffic inconveniences her in her daily commute to school.
“The traffic at that intersection in the mornings is really tough, especially while driving to school,” Campbell said.
Studio City Starbucks employee Marvin Paiz said he is concerned about how business will be impacted by the construction.
“Business might slow down a bit if people don’t want to pass by the construction or drive through traffic,” Paiz said. “I’m not sure how long any potential challenges will last, but we will deal with them as they come.”
