Hollywood Hills

Neighborhood in Uproar After Construction Destabilizes Hollywood Hills Road

A $2-million home in the Hollywood Hills was in the midst of demolition when the developer dug too deep into the hillside, compromising the roadway and a nearby house.

Although the Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved emergency funding to reconstruct the street, neighbors in the area said in the meantime, they will have to deal with the delays and impending destruction.

The construction site on Sunset Plaza Drive has come to a standstill -- the house across the street is on the brink of collapse, and the hillside is destabilized. John Devoe, a resident, said it has been like this for seven weeks.

"Nobody's returning calls. Nobody cares," Erez Chaim said.

"We're not happy in this neighborhood at all," Laura Fewell said.

Estevan Montemayor, spokesman for LA City Councilman David Ryu, said redesigning the street will take time.

"The Bureau of Engineering is hiring contractors right now. Once they put their team together, we'll be able to put some milestones in place and let the community know," he said.

Rick Morales' mother-in-law lives across the street and is worried the hillside could cave in at any point.

"Whatever is occurring here has affected the foundation of the road, which ultimately could affect our property. We don't know. So we have to test for that. Is that our cost?" he said.

The developer said he did everything under city approval and said it was the city that was negligent.

The Department of Public Works said the developer is under investigation and has been cited more than once by several city agencies. The developer denied those claims.

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