Bel-Air residents tired of unruly, out-of-control construction with little oversight from the City of Los Angeles finally have a seat at the table to at least attempt to affect some change. Dan Love, treasurer of the Bel-Air Homeowners Alliance (BAHA), was elected last week to the Bel-Air/Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council. The organization, although not a decision-making body, is certified by the City of L.A. to represent the area’s hillside communities. The group’s website says it’s goal is “to promote better and safer neighborhoods through our work on issues of land use, transportation, city services and quality of life.” Love said he felt Bel-Air homeowners were “not being represented in a meaningful way” considering the rash of construction that has been a bane in the existence of Bel-Air residents over the last year.

Will Raymond Chan be more responsive to community concerns now that he is officially in charge of the Los Angeles Building and Safety Department? That is what some local residents are asking after it was made official this week by a unanimous L.A. City Council vote that that Chan, a longtime veteran of the department, would be promoted from his interim status to permanent head of LADBS. The LADBS has come under intense criticism in recent years after a bribery scandal that led to prison sentences for some employees, as well as the agency’s allowing construction projects in areas close to earthquake faults.

Local residents fighting back against out of control megamansion construction scored a big victory last week. L.A. Superior Court Judge Joanne O’Donnell last Friday ruled that the Los Angeles City Council relied on improper evidence to grant a 50-foot height variance for a 27,000 square foot house at 360 N. Stone Canyon Rd. in Bel-Air. 

Anger over how Los Angeles is permitting development — from vast shopping centers to the McMansion next door — is all but constant on the campaign trail as more than a dozen candidates compete to represent the 4th City Council District, a grab bag of far­flung neighborhoods such as Sherman Oaks, the Hollywood Hills and Hancock Park. In the Hollywood Hills, candidates have been questioned about whether they would forswear campaign money from developers.

Jannice Lazaroff's attorney Victor Marmon provided this summary of last weeks trial.

On Friday, January 23, Superior Court Judge Joanne O'Donnell ruled that the Los Angeles City Council relied on improper evidence to grant a 50-foot height variance for a 27,000 square foot house at 360 N. Stone Canyon Road in Bel Air. In her decision Judge O'Donnell said that the findings adopted by the City Council were based upon a declaration submitted by developer M & A Gabaee's engineer, rather than actual evidence before the Zoning Administrator, which is the only evidence that can be considered by the Council.

For the past few years, Bel Air residents have been increasingly impacted by the onslaught of construction traffic, oversized developments, and massive excavation projects. Until recently, we watched helplessly as these projects proceeded without any oversight. Bel Air residents have a right to be involved in the planning process. That is why we formed the Bel Air Homeowners Alliance.

The mansions of Bel Air once deemed extravagant can seem positively modest today. Rising prices and a robust economy have speculators rushing to develop the next generation of posh estates, some of which rival the size of shopping centers. That’s good for builders, real estate agents and the handful of buyers able to afford such massive homes, but the trend has enraged many nearby residents – some of whom are seeking to block new projects in court – and intensified a feud within L.A.’s community of land-use attorneys. Click Here to view the article.

The notorious 901 Strada Vecchia project in Bel-Air, a nearly 30,000-square foot megamansion, has exactly 60 days to get its act together, according to the city of Los Angeles. Following a private hearing with the City Attorney’s office on Tuesday, the owners and representatives for 901 Strada Vecchia were informed of the deadline to submit new topographic maps to the city.

A private hearing set for tomorrow at the L.A. City Attorney’s office could determine whether misdemeanor criminal charges will be filed against the massive 901 Strada Vecchia project in Bel-Air.

A private hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6 at the L.A. City Attorney’s office to determine whether criminal charges will be filed against the massive 901 Strada Vecchia project in Bel-Air being designed by Mohamed Hadid.

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.

While Bel-Air residents slept off their Thanksgiving dinners, construction crews were apparently cooking up work at the now infamous 901 Strada Vecchia. 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.