The billionaire real estate developer whose support for President Trump sparked calls for a consumer boycott is also behind one of the flashiest redevelopment projects coming to downtown Los Angeles.
Protesters in West Hollywood and elsewhere called last week for customers to cancel their memberships with luxury gym Equinox and SoulCycle studios after learning that Stephen M. Ross, chairman and founder of the Related Cos., was planning a Trump fundraiser at his home. Ross has a minority stake in Equinox and SoulCycle, said Related spokesman Glenn Gritzner.
In L.A., Related has a major project under construction called the Grand, which is expected to house a 20-story Equinox Hotel. That development, which will also include a 39-story residential tower, is slated to receive more than $198 million in financial help from the city, according to a report issued last year.
The Grand won’t be completed until 2021, when either Trump will start his second term or the country will have a new president. But one longtime L.A. politician said he is already “deeply conflicted” about whether to attend the project’s opening.
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