Douglas Emmett Inc., the company that owns Barrington Plaza, is pushing tenants out using the Ellis Act, which is a law used by property owners who plan to leave the rental business.
"Douglas Emmett has said very clearly that they intend to keep this vacant for a certain period of time, upgrade the places and then move tenants in at higher prices," former L.A. City Council member Mike Bonin said. "And that certainly violates the spirit of the Ellis Act." The 25-story apartment complex had gotten away with not having a sprinkler system since it was built in the early 1960s and sprinklers were not mandated until 1974.
According to Randy Roxson, a fire consultant for the Sprinkler Fitters Local Union 709, adding fire sprinklers to the building would not cost nearly $300 million and it would not require the displacement of tenants.Douglas Emmett declined an on-camera interview, but a spokesperson said in part: "... These fire and life safety improvements cannot be installed without vacating all three towers since building systems are shared among all three towers, and structural changes, including changes to ceilings and walls, need to be made to carry the weight of the sprinkler system..."