By JOSE HERRERA | City News Service
The City Council on Friday approved a motion aimed at addressing an abandoned luxury skyscraper development in downtown Los Angeles, after more than 25 floors were tagged with spray paint.
Council members voted 14-0 to instruct city departments to begin an abatement process to secure the site and restore the sidewalks should the property owners fail to respond by Feb. 17, and remove all graffiti and debris, and securely fence the property on their own accord.
The planned $1 billion multi-use complex, known as Oceanwide Plaza, began construction some years ago, but stalled since 2019 when Beijing-based developer Oceanwide Holdings could no longer finance it.
With recent events at Crypto.com Arena such as the Grammy Awards and the statue unveiling of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash in 2020, worldwide attention has fallen on the tagged complex as well.
“We confront a challenge that undermines the very character of our neighborhoods — that is both blight and criminal vandalism,” Councilman Kevin de León said prior to the vote, who represents the 14th District where the development is located.
He added, “Last week, the eyes of the world turned toward our vibrant city where we hosted the Grammy Awards. Yet, I missed the excitement. We could not ignore the blight across the street on the building of a private development that failed to be completed.”
While he noted graffiti art has its place, it should not be on public or private property, where it defaces city streets and diminishes a sense of security.
“Let me be clear, defacing this property or any public property is not the fault of the city or due to neglect by the city,” de León said. “That responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the developer. There’s no ifs, ands or buts.”
According to the councilman, the city notified the property owners in several different ways, such as email, phone…
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