BEL AIR—On June 2, the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners denied celebrity developer Mohamed Hadid time to bring his Bel Air project up to code.
Located on the hilltop at 901 Strada Vecchia, Hadid’s sprawling 30,000-square-foot, multi-level megamansion has long had a troubled history with the city.
Since March 2011, just after Hadid took ownership of the property, 10 orders to comply have been issued to the site. In September 2014, due to downslope resident Joseph Horacek’s concerns about the destabilizing the hillside, building officials revoked the project’s permits in an effort to halt construction.
Horacek’s attorney Victor De la Cruz told the Los Angeles Times, “The safety issues and the destruction of the hillside are so severe that the only path forward now is a judicial and city-led remediation process to restore the hillside to its original state, and that means a complete demolition of the house.”
As neighbors repeatedly reported, construction did not halt in accordance with the stop-work order.
In April 2015, building inspectors discovered several violations, “much of it concealed behind tarps, potted plants, paneled walls and taped-over doors,” according to the Los Angeles Times. These violations ranged minor changes like the addition of wiring and cabinetry, to major changes like the addition of guest suites below the swimming pool and an underground IMAX theater.
During that time, inspectors ordered Hadid to remove or demolish all unapproved construction within 15 days. Hadid appealed the order, and asked for 60 days to comply.
At their regular meeting on June 2, the Board of Building and Safety Commissioners voted unanimously to deny Hadid’s request.
After the vote, Commissioner Joselyn Geaga-Rosenthal called the project “over the top,” and said that the board “did what we had to do.”
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety said it planned to refer the case to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office on June 3, arguing that Hadid violated stop-work orders and constructed unpermitted features. There are no details yet on whether Hadid has been charged in relation to the property.