site inspection report — 16 properties, 6 routes — 2026-05-12
Field inspection plan
16 HCMs with visible structural distress, grouped into 6 efficient driving routes. each stop has specific guidance on what to look for in person, plus fresh Google street view + satellite deep links so you can pre-visualize and so the on-site phone can pull up the right view. routes 1, 2, and 3 are clustered enough that one trip per route is feasible. route 4 (san pedro) is ~25 miles south and is its own trip. routes 5 and 6 are standalone singletons that can be added to any other la trip.
document every stop with: at least 3 photos (front facade + each visible elevation), the APN (visible on the per-HCM detail page link), the address sign visible in frame, and any posted notices. observe from public right-of-way only; do not enter private property. report concerning conditions via la dbs substandard / unsafe building complaint process (LAMC 91.8902) — do not knock on doors.
Route 1 (8)Route 2 (2)Route 3 (2)Route 4 (2)Route 5 (1)Route 6 (1)
download kml ↓ open in Google earth, Google my maps, gaia gps, organic maps, or any kml-capable app on your phone. all 16 stops appear as color-coded pins grouped by route folder, with full inspection notes in each popup. lines connect stops in suggested order.
Route 1 — Westlake / Pico-Union loop
8 stops, ~5.5 miles total within-route drive. The densest concentration of distressed HCMs in LA — three pairs of adjacent or co-located properties.
-
824-826 S Bonnie Brae St · designated 1990 · 34.05302, -118.27579
vision found: tarped roof · vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: The tarped roof is the strongest single distress indicator in our vocabulary. Verify whether the tarp is recent (storm damage) or has been there for years (chronic abandonment). Look for the carriage house behind/beside the main residence — that's the outbuilding worth photographing too. Sagging eaves, missing shingles, peeling stucco, visible water staining on exterior walls.
-
1036-1038 S Bonnie Brae St · designated 1972 · 34.04968, -118.27801
vision found: vegetation overgrowth · fence collapse
look for in person: Two-block walk from HCM-491. Fence collapse signals long-term neglect — physical barrier failures usually mean the owner has stopped maintaining the property. Check if the fence is replaced by chain-link/temporary fencing (common municipal intervention). Look for mail accumulation, dead lawn in a green neighborhood, vehicles consistently absent.
-
1135-1141 S Alvarado St · designated 1987 · 34.04927, -118.28190
vision found: boarded windows · plywood patches · vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: ADJACENT to HCM-328 — one walk covers both. Boarded windows + plywood patches over other openings = building is being sealed against weather and trespass. Photograph each elevation. Check if the boards are recent (clean, with screws) or weathered (long-term). Look for evidence of squatting (cardboard, sleeping bags visible through gaps).
-
1147 S Alvarado St · designated 1987 · 34.04919, -118.28196
vision found: boarded windows · plywood patches · structural sagging · vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: The strongest individual distress verdict from the field-recon sweep — 4 indicators including structural_sagging. Sagging means the foundation is failing or the framing is rotting. Look for: one side of the building sitting lower than the other, doorframes that don't look square, windows that look out of alignment with their frames, vertical cracks in masonry with horizontal offset between the two sides. Note the relationship to HCM-327 next door — same condition, likely same owner.
-
1353 Alvarado Terrace · designated 1971 · 34.04530, -118.28172
vision found: chain link perimeter · boarded windows
look for in person: Different street ("Terrace" not "Street") — slight detour. Pre-1971 designation = pre-Sylmar earthquake code era. Chain-link perimeter on a single-family residence is unusual; usually means the property has been formally fenced off for safety or pre-litigation reasons. Look for posted notices (substandard, unsafe building, intent to demolish). Photograph any building permits in windows.
-
2801-2803 Hoover St / 1102-1114 W 28th St · designated 1972 · 34.04024, -118.27551
vision found: boarded windows · vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: Corner lot on Hoover + 28th — drive past both elevations. The carriage house is a separate structure behind the main residence; photograph both. Hoover Street is busy, so park on 28th. Vegetation overgrowth + boarded windows is a classic abandonment pair.
-
1615-1631 S Grand Ave / 303-311 W 17th St · designated 1987 · 34.03529, -118.26703
vision found: chain link perimeter · boarded windows
look for in person: Multifamily — much larger building than the SFR stops. Check for boarded windows on multiple floors, count units (typical Young Apartments has 20+ units). Look for "for lease" signs, leasing office, mailboxes (names taped over = no tenants). If the property is fenced off entirely, photograph the gate notices. This is the operational-closure pattern from the Burnside cluster.
-
2218 S Harvard Blvd / 2216-... · designated 1973 · 34.03576, -118.30592
vision found: vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: Weakest indicator set in this route (only one indicator from vision). Verify whether the vegetation overgrowth is genuine abandonment or just an unkempt yard. If you only see signs of abandonment from this single stop, deprioritize for tier-3 inspection. If you see structural signs vision missed, escalate.
Route 2 — Lincoln Heights pair
2 stops, ~1 mile drive. Includes HCM-587 Lincoln Heights Jail — the top Type-1 case in the entire audit.
-
401-449 North Avenue 19 · designated 1993 · 34.07733, -118.22519
vision found: chain link perimeter · rail spur remnant · loading dock · boarded windows · vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: THE primary case in the entire audit. 1.7-acre vacant municipal facility, 12 code complaints in 24 months, sits on a tract with 98th-percentile CalEnviroScreen burden + 4 EnviroStor cleanup sites within 500m + liquefaction zone. Vision found 5 indicators. Walk the entire perimeter (Avenue 19, the LA River side, the rail-adjacent side). Photograph: south facade with retained jail entry, the loading dock infrastructure, any visible rail tie remnants, the LA River frontage, all sides of the chain-link fence with any posted notices, the parking lot interior visible through the fence. Note the relationship to the LA River — adjacent industrial / port-of-entry corridor explains the contamination overhang.
-
3537 Griffin Avenue · designated 1975 · 34.08610, -118.21060
vision found: boarded windows · vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: After the jail, drive ~1 mile north up Griffin. Pre-modern-code SFR with boarded windows. Look at the relationship between the building and the topography — Griffin runs along a slope; check for foundation issues consistent with hillside settlement (one side sitting lower than the other, retaining wall failure, soil slippage signs).
Route 3 — South LA / W 55th pair
2 stops, ~0.1 mile — basically the same intersection.
-
5426 Budlong Ave / 1157 W 55th St · designated 1991 · 33.99261, -118.29566
vision found: boarded windows · structural sagging · vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: Corner lot at Budlong and W 55th — drive past both elevations. Structural sagging signal is what makes this the priority stop on this route. Look at the rooflines from across the street — they should be horizontal. Look at the doorframes and window frames — they should be square. Photograph the entire perimeter; the sagging may be visible from one elevation but not another.
-
1100 W 55th St · designated 1991 · 33.99208, -118.29399
vision found: vegetation overgrowth
look for in person: Neighbor of HCM-510 — same block. Weaker individual signal but the cluster pattern (two distressed HCMs same block, same designation year) is significant. Compare condition with HCM-510. If 511 looks materially worse in person than vision suggested, escalate.
Route 4 — San Pedro waterfront pair
2 stops, ~1.9 miles within San Pedro. ~25 miles from Downtown LA — plan as a separate trip.
-
4020-4026 Bluff Place · designated 1992 · 33.70731, -118.28620
vision found: structural sagging · vegetation overgrowth · fire damage
look for in person: THE rarest find in the entire vision sweep — the only "fire_damage" verdict across all 416 classifications. Verify the fire damage in person: look for scorched siding, blackened openings, fire-resistant ratings on what looks like replacement materials. Note where the fire was concentrated (kitchen? bedroom? exterior cause?). Photograph from multiple angles. "Bluff Place" suggests a hillside location — also check for any geotechnical signs (slope failure, retaining wall problems). The fire-damage + structural-sagging combination is textbook Type-2 trapped pattern.
-
324-324 1/2 W 10th St · designated 2005 · 33.73541, -118.28410
vision found: vegetation overgrowth · structural sagging
look for in person: Recent designation (2005) but visible structural sagging — distress would have developed since designation, suggesting the HCM-related laws are preventing the owner from addressing it. "Danish Castle" suggests distinctive architecture; the structural sagging signal is more concerning on an unusual structure where typical repair patterns may not apply.
Route 5 — West LA / Bel Air
1 stop — standalone visit.
-
914 Bluegrass Lane · designated 2001 · 34.07490, -118.48557
vision found: vegetation overgrowth · structural sagging
look for in person: Recent designation in a high-resource area where distress is unusual. The structural sagging signal in a wealthy neighborhood usually means specific structural failure (foundation, framing, water damage) rather than general neglect. The owner may be in a financial position to fix it but blocked by HCM-related alteration restrictions. Photograph the building and immediate site context; note whether neighboring properties are clearly well-maintained.
Route 6 — Hollywood
1 stop — standalone visit, could be paired with HCM-406 Magic Castle if doing a Hollywood drive.
-
1775-1781 N Orange Drive · designated 2005 · 34.10377, -118.34228
vision found: boarded windows
look for in person: Multifamily designation in Hollywood — likely Spanish Colonial Revival typology. Boarded windows on multifamily in Hollywood is unusual; the area is dense and rental demand high. Investigate operational status — check rental listings for the address, mailboxes for tenant names, any "for lease" signs.
Photo documentation checklist (per property)
- address visible — frame includes the street number on the building or curb. proves the photo is of the named property.
- front facade — full-frame shot of the main entrance / street-facing wall from public sidewalk.
- each visible elevation — additional shots showing any side or rear that's visible from the public right-of-way.
- specific indicators — close-ups of every vision-flagged indicator (boarded windows, tarped roof, structural sagging, fire damage, etc.). these become evidence in any subsequent CHC petition.
- posted notices — building permits, substandard notices, demolition notices, foreclosure notices, any official paperwork visible in windows.
- context shots — the adjacent properties on both sides + across the street. shows neighborhood character; cluster patterns require context.
- not in frame — do not photograph identifiable people, vehicles with visible license plates other than from clearly-public angles, or interior shots through open doors / windows. observation only.
What to do with your findings
if a property's in-person condition is materially worse than vision suggested (interior damage visible through open doors, foundation cracks with offset, fire damage extending into structural elements, etc.), the next step is to escalate to the tier-3 site visit queue with a structural engineer or environmental scientist. the queue is at /HCM-1200/site-visits — append a hitl_review note to the relevant yaml entry with your findings + photos.
if you discover a property in clear public-safety risk (visibly collapsing, fire-damaged with active danger, occupied-but-unsafe), report immediately to la dbs at LADBS.org via the substandard / unsafe building complaint process (LAMC 91.8902). dbs has authority to inspect; you do not.
if you find a property is genuinely well-maintained despite vision flagging it as distressed (vision false positive), note it and downgrade priority in the site_visit_queue.yaml. vision saw what it saw from street view; in-person trumps vision when the two disagree.