Dirt is being poured into the excavated Melrose Triangle. (photo by Rance Collins)

Work has begun on refilling the Melrose Triangle pit nearly two months after the West Hollywood City Council ordered the Charles Company to fill it with dirt.

For more than a decade, a largescale development had been planned for the site, which would have brought 225,000 square feet of office space and 80 residential units to the corner of Melrose Avenue, Santa Monica Boulevard and Almont Drive. It also included 526 subterranean parking spaces, which is why the lot had been excavated.

After a series of setbacks, which included a prison sentence on bribery charges for the Charles Company’s Arman Gabaee, the project stalled. Currently, there are no known development plans for the Melrose Triangle. “The property is not for sale,” a Charles Company representative said in February.

It is also unclear how many tons of dirt will be required to fill the pit, and the Charles Company has not responded to further requests for comment.

The City Council made the directive to fill in the hole after the pit became what community members dubbed the “Melrose swamp” last year. In addition to the site’s physical appearance, flies and mosquitos were attracted to the pit and a putrid smell had radiated. As such, residents demanded action from the city.

“The Melrose Triangle project received its entitlements over 10 years ago,” Councilwoman Lauren Meister said. “All the city has to show for it is a giant hole. I hope the developer can come up with a good project that the community can support, and sooner rather than later.”

Vice Mayor John Heilman suggested that the project was part of a larger issue with development in West Hollywood.

“We have several large development projects which have stalled,” Heilman said. “Leaving these properties vacant hurts our business community. These sites also become magnets for undesirable activity. We need to work with the property owners to get these sites re-entitled with proposed projects which can be built.”

Both Councilman Danny Hang and Mayor Chelsea Byers remained optimistic about the location’s future.

“I’m glad the site is finally being filled in,” Hang said. “It’s been an eyesore and a safety concern for way too long. The space has so much potential, and I’m hopeful to see it eventually transformed into a vibrant space that brings people together and supports local businesses.”

“The Melrose Triangle site presents incredible opportunity to build something of value to the city including housing and new retail opportunities,” Byers said. “I’m hopeful the property owners understand the city’s interest and are bringing plans together to meaningfully contribute to the future of the city.”