Want to see what prepared looks like?
Take a glance at the AECOM presentation given to Pacific Palisades residents Thursday evening during an over two-hour community meeting. Specific actions and timelines for deliverables were offered to residents. That cuts a stark contrast to the April debacle when a representative from Hagerty Consulting spoke to residents, but was unable to answer questions around what the Chicago outfit had done in relation to infrastructure, public health and community outreach.
Hagerty’s Chicago headquarters has been a point of contention for some, who think a local will do what’s best for locals. Maybe the AECOM reps at Thursday’s meeting heard that and meant to take a shot when Matt Talley, senior vice president and client account manager at AECOM, told residents, “Our U.S. business is based here in Los Angeles, and I’ll just repeat that. We’re based in Los Angeles and so we’re part of the community.”
PowerPoint to PowerPoint, AECOM outlined more than 15 meetings with city divisions such as the Department of Water and Power and the Los Angeles Police Department; over 10 community meetings; and outlined its plans for infrastructure restoration, future fire protection and logistics and traffic management. The Hagerty presentation talked up a “structured approach” to rebuilding, “resilience as an emerging recovery focus” and “recovery support functions.”
On fire rebuild fees, Measure ULA
Permit fees and taxes continue to make their way into rebuild discussions. Final decisions are hard to come by.
Council member Traci Park, whose district includes the Palisades, revealed a lengthy document during Thursday’s Palisades community meeting, called the “Pacific Palisades Vision.”
Park described the “vision document” as the culmination of months of conversations with residents at town halls, community meetings and other events.
Among her thoughts was an acknowledgement of the need to waive fees for property owners and renters. Park’s stance on this is not new. Her motion passed earlier this year by the city’s Ad Hoc Committee for L.A. Recovery needs to move through the Budget and Finance Committee next before consideration by the full Los Angeles City Council. Currently, the city has stopped collecting permit fees, but that is not permanent.
The idea could face a potentially uphill battle.
“There is about a $90 million impact to the general fund to waive those fees,” Park told residents during Thursday’s meeting. “There will be discussion amongst my [city council] colleagues about whether we can do it. Can we afford to do it? Should we do it?”
Park made clear her opinion that permit fees should be done away with regardless of whether someone is building the same exact footprint or not.
Park also acknowledged in her vision document what she called the “detrimental effects” of the Measure United to House L.A. 2022 ballot measure, a property tax which applies to all real estate transactions in the city starting at $5.3 million. Those in real estate say it’s done nothing but chill deals and development. In the Palisades it could prove another hurdle in the recovery.
Park said she’s working with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and state lawmakers on a possible solution.
New attitudes on modular, prefab housing
It’s not as though a raft of wildfire victims are enlisting modular or pre-fab housing manufacturers to get them back on their lots and inside faster and cheaper. However, it’s worth noting there’s a growing contingent going that route.
About 28 percent of those surveyed in late spring and early summer by Park’s office in the Palisades said they’re considering modular or prefab construction.
“What we’re hearing constantly are identical stories: People seeking us out because they’re underinsured and they’re looking for alternative ways to build aside from timber,” said Mary O’Brien, Hapi Homes’ CEO and co-founder.
Hapi Homes has 30 rebuild clients in Altadena and Pasadena. RSG 3-D is counting between 40 and 50 homeowners who have architects and intend to use the company’s panelized materials. Hapi Homes and RSG 3-D are what’s known as makers of panelized housing that come in kits assembled on site at a resident’s lot.
Warring construction quotes
Ask anyone how much it’s going to cost to rebuild a home burned in the Palisades or Eaton fires and you’ll get a different answer. That quote’s also likely to change next month and the month after that.
Still, Opus Builders’ Gary Mkrtichyan can’t make some of the math on rebuilds that he’s hearing pencil out. While Opus Builders — a construction company with its own in-house architecture and design services — charges $550 to $600 per square foot, Mkrtichyan hears all about some firms charging $700, $750 and beyond.
Palisades residents estimated their construction costs averaging $800 per square foot in an Urban Land Institute-sponsored survey in the spring, while Altadena’s mean was $580 per square foot.
“There’s not one client that I’m charging $700 a square foot,” Mkrtichyan said. “I built three homes in the Palisades prior to the fires below that number. Now, OK, I understand there’s been some appreciation. There’s a labor shortage, especially with ICE [raids], but I know this is not the reason for these numbers people are talking about.”
Brad Pitt heads to Hollywood Hills
Brad Pitt’s moving, and so is The Killers guitarist Dave Keuning.
The “F1 The Movie” star earlier this week paid $12 million for a Hollywood Hills home sold by Keuning and his wife and interior designer Emilie Keuning.
That was a nice, double-ended deal for Carolwood Estates.
The Beverly Hills brokerage’s David Parnes, Sam Collins and James Harris represented the Keunings. Meanwhile, Carolwood’s Marci Kays and Jonathan Mogharrabi represented Pitt.
Malibu’s $80M trade
Anyone have more details on the $80 million sale of 28719 Grayfox Street in Malibu?
The multiparcel deal traded off market last month, per the deed, but it has limited liability companies on both sides of the transaction.
Also unclear is if the buyer and seller were represented by any agents in the deal, which is so far the priciest trade on record in Malibu this year.
The property consists of a 1.4-acre lot with a 1,300-square-foot residence, while the other lot is empty.
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