Man Meruelo Himself to Talk Mystery Tower, Building Permit Issued*

Meruelo via Michael Milio
DOWNTOWN: Amid all the news about developer Meruelo Maddux's plans for a tower at the corner of 11th and Grand comes this bit of info: You'll soon get to hear from the man himself. Last week, Richard Meruelo contacted the Planning & Land Use Committee of the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC), asking if he could present his plan for the building, which is already entitled, to the neighborhood. UPDATE*: And look here: The permit to start construction on the apartment building was issued yesterday by the Building and Safety Dept. The permit is for the "core and shell only."

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 29th. Details here.

Meruelo was urged by the Community Redevelopment Agency, which signed off on the 19-unit building, to talk to the neighborhood, according to Shiraz Tangri, who serves on the Planning & Land Use Committee.

Meanwhile, downtowners still sound very surprised by the tower. "We are just now being made aware of the project," said DLANC President Russell Brown. But should they be? Maybe this is a good time to remind everyone that last July, Meruelo was boasting that he was going to soon announce a new South Park tower. Although many are proposed for this neighborhood (scroll down on their web site to see the different plans).

And among those leaning positive on the project: Downtown neighborhood council member Brady Westwater, who said, "If it pencils out as a rental, it's a great time to build right now. " A spokesperson for City Councilwoman Jan Perry writes in an email that Perry's office is aware of the project, "but has no first hand information from the developer as to what they intend to build at this time."

Meanwhile, as commenters have pointed out, Merulo applied for a tract map change to make the apartment building a condo project. But he can start construction before that change is made.

Finally, going through Meruelo Maddux's SEC filings, the company doesn't mention much about the project, although it's referred to a few times as 1099 Grand Ave and the company has paid out fees in relation to the project. [Curbed Staff]