A permit application to rebuild the Lineage cold-storage warehouse has been met with fierce backlash from politicians and residents, who are enraged the company would think about resuming business while the community contends with putrid odors and health concerns from the ongoing cleanup.
On Monday, a representative for Lineage filed a permit with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety to rebuild the 491,000-square-foot warehouse to its “original, pre-fire condition.”
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass decried the application as “a slap in the face” to the families of Boyle Heights.
“I can’t believe they [Lineage] would even think about starting the rebuilding process while they haven’t cleaned up the mess they’ve created,” she said in a statement Tuesday.
More than a month after a massive fire swept through the warehouse, Lineage is still working to remove more than 85 million tons of weeks-old food, which has brought rancid odors, flies and rats to the surrounding area.
Lineage said in a statement Tuesday that the permit application “will not impact or distract us from the important work of cleanup,” which remains the company’s top priority.
The permit, which has yet to be approved, seeks to repair and rebuild fire-damaged portions of the building based on the approved drawings on file with “no change to building footprint, square footage, height, use, or occupancy.”
“The application is for a permit to repair the damage from the fire, which was not caused by the cold storage operations at the facility,” the company stated. “This is normal course in the repair process.”
The company also noted that cold-storage facilities are critical infrastructure that keep food moving to grocery stores across Los Angeles.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado said it was “outrageous” for Lineage to apply for permits to rebuild while the disaster it created had not been cleaned up and the surrounding area “remains in shambles.”
Lineage has racked up fines from both the county health department and the South Coast Air Quality Management District over the last several weeks as residents file complaints over ongoing odor issues.
“Given the conditions residents are still enduring and the company’s failure to make this community whole, rebuilding is not even a conversation I am prepared to have,” Jurado said.
Bass has previously said that residents should have a say in whether the company returns to the area. On Tuesday, her office said it was working on a revision to its executive orders that would reflect concerns about Lineage’s intent to rebuild. Last month, Bass issued ordersmandating Lineage remove all food waste within 45 days and mobilizing resources to assist the community.
Since the fire, the residents in Boyle Heights and the surrounding area have made repeated calls for Lineage not to return to the area, calling the presence of the facility a future and current health risk.
At the beginning of July, about 50 protesters gathered outside of the warehouse and called for the warehouse operator to “pack up and leave” after cleaning up its mess.
“We don’t want Lineage to rebuild now, or ever again,” protester Maria Jauregui, 62, said at the rally.
Times staff writer Salvador Hernandez contributed to this report.
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