LA PALMA : Houses to Be Razed at Affordable-Housing Site

A proposed affordable-housing project advanced this week when the City Council unanimously approved a contract to raze seven houses on the site.

Acting in its role as the La Palma Community Development Commission, the council voted to accept the $25,165 low bid of LDL Engineering Inc. of San Pedro. LDL’s bid was only about half of what the city engineer had predicted the demolition would cost.

The City Council purchased the houses at La Palma Avenue and Denni Street last year.

Ismile H. Noorbaksh, director of public works, has said about 350 people will be able to live in the housing complex. It is scheduled to be completed in late 1995. Noorbaksh has said the project will consist of 65 townhouses, 35 senior-citizen apartments and 20 single-family dwellings.

In a report to the council Tuesday night, Noorbaksh said the bidding for the demolition contract proved to be good news.

“The engineer’s estimate (for the demolition) was $49,000,” the report said. “The low bid . . . is 48.64% under the (engineer’s) estimate.”

A total of 13 companies bid for the contract.

For some on the council, the low bid was almost too good to be true.

Councilwoman Charlene Hatakeyama asked Noorbaksh if he believed the low bidder would do a good job. Noorbaksh replied that three other demolition companies also made bids in the range of LDL’s. Noorbaksh said he had checked LDL’s references and “found they have performed satisfactorily for other public agencies in California.”