It appears that after weeks of negotiating, a brutal battle regarding private-property rights vs. economic redevelopment has been avoided.
Attorneys for Americana at Brand developer Rick Caruso — the billionaire Goliath in this story — and Golden Key Hotel owner Ray Patel told a judge in court this week that the two parties had settled on terms that would allow the 15.5-acre mall to expand its reach and overtake the entire block along Colorado Street.
But it would be a misnomer to give Patel the title of David for what has turned out to be a public tussle that included dramatic public staging and the resources of private-property-rights groups — all employed by a scrappy hotel owner who in December rejected Caruso’s $6-million buyout offer in favor of what is expected to be a far sweeter deal.