Fool Me Once...

Huh? Why would contractors not even associated with that property, referring to the crews working on the Concerto and the Market Lofts, be using it? But if neighbors really are borrowing the land for storing material, why did they or someone else think it necessary to first scrap away the asphalt of the parking lot?

Meruelo’s website www.meruelomaddux.com states that this project is set to begin construction in 2006… Hopefully this is it!

first step is frequently ringing the perimeter of the future dig with steel and concrete in deep drilled holes. They later form the columns of the outer wall of the basement. If the i-beams are plain other than a rough hole cut at one end then that is what they are for. If they have flanges welded to the ends then it is probably stuctural steel for a nearby site.

Meruelo rents out his big lot over here near Sci-Arc all the time. Right now it is full of UPS overflow. The normal holiday season usage. He would not be above making a little cash on the side if the opportunity came along.

If he wanted to make money, he would leave it as a lot so he could park cars there for Lakers/Clippers/Kings games as he was doing for so many years. the fact that he stripped the asphalt leads me to believe that this is probably the start of construction, but i could be wrong.

what I meant was that he might rent it out in the interim until his project starts to get out of it what he can. Seems to be his MO.

The biggest delays on these projects seem to be waiting for some level of approval from government. It can be arbitrary and longer than anyone expects at all stages. Here’s hoping Goldberg can streamline the process somewhat. I get the feeling it is one of the things giving the impression of a slowdown in the downtown renaissance. Psychology is everything in economics and the city and other governments need to be more aware of the effect these delays have on people’s willingness to invest.

I guess some of it is due to lack of skilled labor … that is another tragedy.