Hotel ZaZa Project Moves Forward, Gets Planning Commission Approval

By Camelia Bulea, Associate Editor

Despite opposition from residents currently living at the nearby Plaza Lofts, a controversial hotel recently received an Austin Planning Commission recommendation. Represented by Coats, Rose, Yale, Ryman & Lee’s John Joseph, nearby residents worry that the new project will obstruct their views; that music from the pool deck will be too loud; and that there will be increased traffic on the alley between the buildings, noted the Austin Business Journal.

The site on which the mixed-use project would be built is already zoned as a CBD.

The 24-story mixed-use project called Hotel ZaZa is planned on West Fourth Street between Guadalupe and Lavaca streets, very close to the residential property. According to its developer, Gables Residential, the new project will include 215 luxury apartments and a 160-room boutique hotel under the ZaZa brand.

The project would also feature two pools overlooking Republic Square Park, multiple restaurants and a luxurious ZaSpa.

Hotel ZaZa is considered to be one of the most successful brands and innovators in the boutique hotel field. Currently operating in Dallas and Houston, the brand’s officials had been scoping out an Austin location for years before settling on the almost one-acre site, which is now used for parking.

There are still hopes that the project will break ground in the second half of this year, with a completion date expected for the first semester of 2015, according to The Austin-American Statesman. 2015 will also mark the opening of another massive hospitality project in downtown Austin—the 1000-room JW Marriott planned near the Austin Convention Center.

Photo rendering of the proposed Hotel ZaZa, courtesy of Austin American-Statesman

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