Groundbreaking on Bay Street Hyatt Place Hotel

Development in the long vacant “Site A” that has mostly served as a seasonal pumpkin & Christmas tree lot since the popular Flower Outlet was demolished, is finally underway. In its place will be a 175-room Hyatt Place hotel being developed by Long Beach-based Ensemble Hotel Partners. Ensemble has broken ground on a five-level, $37MM Hyatt Place hotel with plans for completion by Fall of 2016. The development is being reported as the only major hotel under construction and first in over a decade in the entire East Bay.

Emeryville hotels continue to benefit from our proximity to SF and its steady stream of conferences & events because of our convenient access via the Bay Bridge & West Oakland BART station. The hotel will reportedly add 60 permanent hotel jobs administered through RIM Hospitality and 175 – 200 construction jobs through DavisReed Construction. Ensemble initiated planning of the project three years ago after acquiring the land from Madison Marquette. The project received a 6-0 Planning Commission approval after some haggling over sidewalk and other improvements.

The design is said to feature “extensive use of glass and brick to reflect Emeryville’s industrial architectural heritage”. The hotel’s ground floor will be dedicated to public use, including a lobby and dining area. In addition to 40 onsite parking spaces, the hotel will utilize Bay Street’s existing parking facilities. Hyatt Place is marketed as a “casual hospitality” hotel with amenities including free wi-fi, hot breakfast and 24 hours gym access. Ensemble Hotel Partners is the hospitality group within Ensemble Investments, a privately held commercial real estate investment, development, and management firm.

The adjacent “Site B” vacant lot was originally slated for what was expected to be a MACY’s department store anchor until the loss of redevelopment effectively killed this deal. No concrete plans are currently underway for developing this space.

Planning Commission approval can be viewed on Ken Bukowski’s EPOA YouTube Channel:

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