{"id":378970,"date":"2026-06-29T06:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/378970\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T06:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:08:26","slug":"las-housing-hell-exposed-as-three-luxury-townhouses-sit-half-built-after-10-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/378970\/","title":{"rendered":"LA’s housing hell exposed \u2014 as three luxury townhouses sit half-built after 10 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three luxury townhouse projects that have been left half-built for nearly a decade have descended into a horrific eyesore<\/a> \u2014 as locals demand Los Angeles get the site cleaned up.<\/p>\n

The plot, now known to locals as the \u201cgraffiti towers of Silver Lake,\u201d shows abandoned shells of the three buildings with loose tarp covering the exterior at an intersection on Glendale Blvd.<\/p>\n

Work began in 2017 with construction kicking into gear in 2019 before the wood framing was added back in 2023.<\/p>\n

But despite the progress into what now resemble houses, the project has been left to rot and has attracted homeless people and stacks of litter inside and out.<\/p>\n

Three luxury townhouses have been left half-built for nearly a decade in LA neighborhood Silver Lake. Katie Avery for CA Post<\/p>\n

Local activist Debbie Slater told The Post: \u201cWe like to call it our graffiti tower of Silver Lake. \u2026 that\u2019s sort of how it looks.\u201d Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n

Work began in 2017 with construction kicking into gear in 2019 before the wood framing was added back in 2023. Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n

Neighborhood activist Debbie Slater told The California Post: \u201cWe like to call it our graffiti tower<\/a> of Silver Lake. It\u2019s obviously not quite as much of an icon or whatever you want to describe it, but that\u2019s sort of how it looks.<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, the project has seen little to no progress, according to the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council.<\/p>\n

Slater told The Post the building process essentially stalled<\/a> just after COVID. She continued: \u201cNeighbors were concerned about some vagrancy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey filed complaints with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety and they would come by and would resecure the property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last few years, the project has seen little to no progress, according to the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n

The owner is Hardy Wronske, head of Everelle Build Co, a developer who has sprung up dozens of other builds. Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n

The property sits in LA City councilmember and mayoral candidate Nithya Raman\u2019s district. Katie Avery for CA Post<\/p>\n

The owner is Hardy Wronske, head of Everelle Build Co, a developer who has sprung up dozens of other builds across the city while Glendale Blvd. remained gutted.<\/p>\n

The Post visited the site this week and saw the wood framing of the three units covered in graffiti.<\/p>\n

Wronske did not respond to repeated requests for comment but in response to an email from the council in January 2025, his wife Regina O\u2019Brien Wronske insisted they were still working on the project.<\/p>\n

She wrote: \u201cDespite the challenges of the beginning of the year, and while workers can be seen doing smaller work on the exterior, we are very much very busy at that job site- attempting to finish rough MEP inspections within the next several weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment we have multiple trades there daily plumbers, electricians, structural steel, sandblasters, etc. We anticipate major changes to the appearance by late March\/April.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for checking back- as we head towards the next round of inspections, we appreciate your offer of assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slater says her biggest worry is safety: \u201cPotentially structurally, but health wise, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be safe.\u201d Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n

Slater says her biggest worry is safety: \u201cMy biggest concern is if you look at it, it doesn\u2019t look safe any longer. Potentially structurally, but health wise, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to be safe,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Nikos Constant, a Silver Lake Neighborhood Council board member, criticized the City\u2019s failure to properly vet projects while acknowledging the red tape can make it difficult<\/a> for developers to navigate.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of these people have big dreams, and then you kind of think, well, OK, you\u2019ve got a big dream, you\u2019ve got a big vision, but do you have the sophistication level to back it up?<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, I don\u2019t think that the city really vets on sophistication level,\u201d Constant\u2019s said, adding that the city has a \u201cton of rules\u201d that can make it difficult for people to follow.<\/p>\n

The property sits in LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman\u2019s district, whose office told The Post they\u2019ve \u201cbeen working closely with the Department of Building & Safety (DBS) to address the delayed project.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDBS issued an Order to Comply to the property owners last month, giving them 30 days to remove visible violations from the property, such as rubbish, debris, and graffiti, as well as apply for a supplemental permit to complete the work on this project,\u201d Councilmember Raman\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDBS will now conduct a re-inspection to determine compliance, and we remain in contact with residents in the area to keep them informed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Post reached out multiple times for comment from DBS for the status of that inspection.\u00a0 CA Post<\/p>\n

A source told The Post DBS did in fact visit the site and issued a noncompliance fee to the owner. Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n

Realistically, Slater believes it\u2019s more likely to drag out for years with Wronske \u201cplaying the shell game with the City.\u201d\u00a0 Pedro Colo for CA Post<\/p>\n

The Post reached out multiple times for comment from DBS for the status of that inspection and what is being done to address the concerns from residents, but have not heard back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A source told The Post DBS did in fact visit the site and issued a noncompliance fee to the owner as well as referred the property to the investigation division.<\/p>\n

But Slater said the process to get any real action from DBS is broken, and developers know how to exploit loopholes that allow a construction site to sit unfinished and in disrepair for years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe loophole with building and safety is if you at least make some kind of strides and continuation on the property, then the project is considered still in process,\u201d Slater told the Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you don\u2019t have to reapply for permits and et cetera \u2014 they can throw in some windows and be like, look, we\u2019re working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Constant wants the City to take more aggressive steps to remedy the situation he described as a \u201cblight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe we need to threaten the developer with eminent domain,\u201d he said, adding that \u201dthere are other legal avenues to go that the city doesn\u2019t seem to want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Realistically, Slater, believes it\u2019s more likely to drag out for years with Wronske \u201cplaying the shell game with the City and doing the bare minimum they need to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly don\u2019t think this project will ever be finished,\u201d She added. \u201cIt will either just continue in this round robin or eventually the lender will own the property.\u201d<\/p>\n

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