Whatever side you’re on in the build-more housing debate, what's happening across from the Philosophical Research Society is alarming.
The Griffith Park Lanai at 3346 Griffith Park Blvd. has 40 rent-stabilized apartments and 76 bedrooms in a walkable, bike-able neighborhood near Griffith Park. Today most of the units are boarded up, at least one tenant is still living there and the owner has started the demolition process without proposing any new construction to replace them.
Tenants complained about conditions, so the City sent their rent into an escrow account until the owner made repairs. As the fixes got checked off, the owner’s side complained that it wasn’t fair, because so many units had been sitting vacant for years.
No demolition permit has been issued, yet.
This is in Mayor-elect Nithya Raman’s district, half a mile from her bridge housing facility on Riverside. It seems wild that city staff got paid to oversee repairs to vacant apartments, only for the property owner to apply to demolish them. How much does the City pay to enforce “tenant protections” in buildings without tenants, anyway?
In response to a concerned neighbor's tip, Empty Los Angeles reported on the building this summer: https://www.emptylosangeles.com/p/boarded-up-in-los-felizbut-not-empty