This article was written by Matt Lopez and published by the Beverly Hills Courier
Celebrity megamansion developer Mohamed Hadid’s current project at 901 Strada Vecchia violated a Stop Work Order, according to L.A. City Officials.
Bob Steinbach, who heads the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety Inspection Bureau, told The Beverly Hills Courier this week that construction work done at the site over the Thanksgiving holiday was “in violation of a Stop Work Order issued by this department.
Steinbach said the LADBS is currently investigating the site to determine exactly what, and how much, work was done in violation of the Stop Work Order, and to determine what the next steps would be.
“We are not done with the investigation,” Steinbach said. “I won’t have any other info until we are done.”
Any construction work going on at the nearly 30,000 square foot house outside of pre-approved watering of plants or weatherproofing would be in violation of a Stop Work Order levied in July by the LADBS.
Along with the Stop Work Order, the LADBS in July slapped the property 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. officially revoked Hadid’s construction permits. That meant, according to LADBS Chief Inspector Luke Zamperini, that the only work allowed to be done at the site was watering of plants or weatherproofing the site.
Nearby residents, however, reported hammering and sawing as early as 5 a.m. last Friday at the home, and photographs show a large cement truck on the property, with workers laying cement near the driveway and climbing scaffolds to install apparent siding on the walls.
Hadid’s attorney Ben Reznik told The Courier that all work was weatherproofing done with prior knowledge of LADBS’ inspection staff.
Reznik said the scaffolding was to facilitate temporary weatherproofing material, and that the concrete was placed on the ground to protect exposed electrical work from rain water.
“I’m quite surprised he said that to you,” Reznik said of Steinbach’s comments of a violation. “They have not identified any work for us that they believe to be in violation. We’re going to meet with him at the site sometime next week.”