On Friday, the Los Angeles City Council is expected to vote on the possible acquisition of the 294-room Mayfair Hotel in Westlake, a building that would be used for homeless housing.
Despite officials’ good intentions, the road to this decision has been paved with eye-popping price tags, and on Wednesday, leaders learned of yet one more.
As it turns out, while the city was required to pay the current owners $11.5 million for repairs after residents caused damage to the building and furniture, the deal did not require the owners to actually perform those repairs, as reported in the Los Angeles Times.
“We are buying the hotel in its ‘as is’ condition, meaning … in its damaged state,” Melody McCormick, assistant general manager for the General Services Department, told City Council members on Wednesday.
This comes in addition to L.A. spending $83 million on the structure — $60 million to buy the hotel and $23 million for renovations and upgrades — meaning the city’s total costs might top the nine-figure mark.
The damage still in need of repair likely won’t require the city to pay another $11.5 million, as much of that amount is for luxury furniture, which was fit for the hotel but not for homeless housing. Instead, more affordable furnishings would be purchased.
However, it’s still likely to be a significant figure, raising eyebrows among some council members.
“To propose a rushed acquisition of a property we’ve paid $11 million in damages to repair, and take possession without repairs being completed, is not a deal I believe any taxpayer would view as too good to pass up,” said Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, 7th District.