20-Story Hotel Expansion Project Planned in Universal City

The Hilton Universal City hotel expansion project took a major step forward today with the release of a notice of preparation for a Draft Environmental Impact Report. 

The proposed project by Sun Hill Properties, would construct a new 20-story hotel next to the existing Hilton Universal City hotel tower on a 7.26-acre site. The project would contain 395 guest rooms, a spa, a new single-level lobby connecting to the existing hotel building, a one-story addition to an ancillary hotel building consisting of a junior ballroom and meeting room totaling 15,000 square feet (SF), a three-level expansion of the existing subterranean parking garage, a revised surface parking program, and landscape and hardscape improvements.

The expansion would also include the development of new pool areas on Level 3 and a new rooftop deck of the hotel expansion building. The rooftop of the new building would also consist of a 5,000 SF restaurant, a 1,500 SF indoor/outdoor bar, and the rooftop pool deck. 

Overall, the project would add approximately 300,000 SF of additional floor area to the site, 408 new vehicle parking spaces and nearly 400 additional guestrooms. Upon completion, the project would provide 890 guestrooms total and 687,521 SF of floor area. 

Large Architecture will be designing a modern expansion building that will complement the existing hotel building and incorporate clear and tinted glass, architectural precast panels, painted metal panels, tile, and exterior plaster. The rooftop would be articulated to define the restaurant space which would be enclosed by an operable glazing system that allows for indoor and outdoor dining

The City will hold a public comment period on the Draft Project EIR from October 6 – November 4. It will also hold a virtual public scoping meeting on October 20th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.