This article was written by Matt Lopez and published by the Beverly Hills Courier
While Bel-Air residents slept off their Thanksgiving dinners, construction crews were apparently cooking up work at the now infamous 901 Strada Vecchia.
The Courier has learned that nearby residents are concerned over apparent construction work that was ongoing all weekend at the nearly 30,000 square foot property, which has come under fire from residents over the last several months.
The problem? No construction should be occurring at the residence.
In July, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety ordered all construction work stop and levied an “intent to revoke permits” amid pressure from neighbors who claimed the nearly 30,000-square-foot property had skirted numerous permit processes for grading and other construction-related activity, and had continuously ignored “Orders to Comply” by the City of L.A. when certain violations were found. That meant that Hadid, the owner and developer of the property, would be forced to present revised plans and topographical maps for the project.
In September, the city of L.A. followed through with that by revoking the project’s permits and issued an order to stop all construction work.
That means there should be no construction work ongoing, but that didn’t stop a large cement truck from making its way to the property on Saturday, and it also didn’t deter dozens of workers from climbing large scaffolding to install new wall siding throughout the home. Residents reported hearing hammering and steel-cutting beginning Friday morning as early as 5 a.m.
This isn’t the first time workers have been seen at the property since the stop work order was issued – in fact, it’s been a rather common occurrence. LADBS Principal Inspector Jeff Napier has previously informed residents that the only work allowed to be done was routine maintenance of plants and trees.
In October, LADBS Chief Inspector Luke Zamperini told The Courier that the project had been visited nearly daily by city inspectors and that the only work being done is by maintenance crews “maintaining the property… it is a maintenance crew, not a construction crew.”
Bel-Air residents intend to find out if the photographs of cement trucks on the property indicate more than routine maintenance. In an e-mail obtained by The Courier, LADBS Inspection Bureau Chief Bob Steinbach told concerned residents and L.A. city officials over the weekend that inspectors will visit the site Monday to see “if indeed work has taken place in violation of the order.”