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15.5 Acres of Americana Shopping Not Enough for Caruso
Photo by Atwater Village Newbie via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Photo by
Atwater Village Newbie
via the
LAist Featured Photos pool
on Flickr
Don't we have enough tricked-out, over-the-top, strangely Disneyland-esque malls in L.A. to last...a lifetime? Rick Caruso has a different vision for Los Angeles malls and wants to expand the 15.5 acre
Americana at Brand
to two additional properties,
according to the Glendale New-Press
.
Caruso is hoping to expand his soulless mall empire by acquiring the Golden Key Hotel at 123 W. Colorado Blvd. and another property nearby. The two properties combined would add another 60,000 to 140,000 square feet to the already large outdoor Americana mall and would cost roughly $50 million.
Caruso's reason behind the mall-expansion-madness? "It really rounds out that corner there." He also believes it would remove blight and create jobs and is careful to point out that Americana would foot the bill for the changes.
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Ray Patel, owner of the Golden Key Hotel sees it differently and is not going down without a fight. He views the potential Americana expansion as "just another hurdle" in an ongoing list of grievances and lawsuits against Caruso Affiliated.
The owner of the other property in question is willing to sell to Caruso if he's offered a reasonable price. Caruso isn't talking terms, but says "We're not looking to get a deep discount or take advantage of anyone."
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
