Bel-Air Developer Ordered To Stop Work On Hilltop Mansion

BEL-AIR (CBSLA.com) — A controversial hilltop mansion in Bel-Air stood eerily half-finished Thursday after Los Angeles building inspectors reportedly ordered the project's developer to demolish and remove all unapproved construction.

A resident's complaint about the project at 901 Strada Vecchia lead city officials to revoke the project's permits in September, a move that effectively shut down all construction work, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Since then, other neighbors made several other reports to city officials that celebrity developer Mohamed Hadid had resumed work on the 30,000-square-foot home in violation of the stop-work order, The Times reported.

Concrete decks, retaining walls and other features of the property were completed in direct violation of the stop-work order, according to The Times.

Inspectors noted violations ranging from wiring and cabinetry issues to more serious examples of unpermitted construction, including the addition of two levels of irregularly shaped concrete decks, an entire story below basement level and three large retaining walls.

Hadid has 15 days to remove the unapproved construction after he "was pretty much caught red-handed," Luke Zamperini, chief inspector for the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, told The Times.

An attorney for 901 Strada LLC, which owns the property, told The Times construction completed after issuance of the stop-work order was done to protect the exposed house from rain and was approved by the building and safety departments.

If unapproved construction resumes, Hadid could potentially face misdemeanor criminal charges.

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