“A slap in the face”: LA developer criticized for condo project name

Developer 4Site Real Estate is taking heat for the choice of name for a recently completed condo project in East Hollywood.

The firm named the 24-unit unit development at Virgil and Melrose avenues “Cha Cha Cha” after the popular Caribbean restaurant it replaced. 4Site principal Todd Wexman called the name choice an homage to the restaurant and thought the former owners would be “flattered.” But at least one former Cha Cha Cha owner feels quite the opposite, according to Curbed.

“I was in such awe when I saw that they had the audacity to do that,” said Javier Anaya, adding the name was “a slap in the face.”

The 24-unit project also borrows the restaurant’s bright tropical-themed color scheme and has a neon sign resembling the sign that hung above the Cha Cha Cha restaurant.

Units range from 550-1,700 square feet and are priced between $400,000 and $950,000, according to the property website. Monthly HOA fees are $445. The industrial-styled building has a communal pool and gym.

The Cha Cha Cha restaurant opened in 1986 and operated for 30 years. It shut down in 2016 after 4Site bought the property for $2.5 million.

Anaya said he and the other owners had an opportunity to buy the property themselves or relocate the restaurant, but said those options were too expensive. They now own the local chain Pinches Tacos, according to Curbed.

4Site has built 10 condo and small-lot projects over the last decade and has at least two others in the works. Last year the firm filed for a 200-unit apartment and hotel project in Lincoln Heights. The project is moving through the planning process. In 2017, 4Site filed for a 54-unit project in Westlake. [Curbed] — Dennis Lynch