On the steep streets of Mount Washington, what was supposed to be a sleek set of new hillside homes has instead become more like an abandoned movie set. Neighbors along Ganymede Drive and Primavera Avenue say two clusters of half-built structures, with exposed rebar and bare concrete, have sat frozen since the pandemic. In their telling, the quiet streets now double as a backdrop for late-night filming, drinking and occasional drug use, with the unfinished frames serving as a daily reminder of a promised rebuild that never quite arrived.
As reported by ABC7, property owner Naji Garabet told 7 On Your Side that a bank pulled financing when the pandemic hit, and that his building permits later expired. Garabet said he has since lined up new funding and brought in advisers, and told the station that roughly $3 million of his own money is tied up in the hillside project. He said he hopes crews can be back on-site and working within weeks.
City enforcement has limited tools
According to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the city can respond to complaints, issue Orders to Comply and step in with abatement work like fencing and cleanups when properties create safety or nuisance problems. Those powers are aimed at clearing immediate hazards and enforcing the building code, not at forcing a private owner to finish a stalled construction job. Permit histories and enforcement records can be checked through the department's online building files.
Who owns the lots?
Public records show that developer-linked limited liability companies control several Primavera Avenue parcels. City planning documents for 3620 East Primavera list "Primavera 5, LLC" and Mario Tarzia as applicant and owner, according to CEQAnet. Nearby properties are held by other LLCs, per county records and parcel reports in databases such as PropertyShark. Neighbors and city-watchers say that patchwork ownership, combined with expired permits, helps explain why the sites have neither sold nor been demolished.
Neighbors want stronger rules
Residents told ABC7 that the exposed concrete shells attract people who show up to film, throw small parties and leave behind trash and drug paraphernalia. They argue the city should require developers to prove that their financing is solid before they are allowed to start digging into Mount Washington's hillsides, so projects do not stall mid-build. The CD1 council office told ABC7 there is currently no city code that lets Building and Safety force an owner to complete construction, which leaves residents largely dependent on basic nuisance and safety enforcement.
For now, neighbors say they plan to keep pressing their elected officials, tracking permits and filing complaints in the hope that the skeletal structures finally become finished homes. The standoff is a mix of private financing problems, expired permits and limited public-safety powers that city officials say can only go so far. Upcoming planning filings or inspections will likely determine whether anything changes. We will monitor planning filings and Building and Safety updates for developments that could reopen the sites.
