Beverly Hills City Council Discusses Housing Ordinance and Tree Plan

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Beverly Hills City Council discusses housing development and community feedback.

News Summary

The Beverly Hills City Council convened to discuss a proposed ordinance to streamline housing development and reviewed other pressing agenda items. Public feedback led to the establishment of an ad hoc committee to further assess the ordinance. The council also approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Friends of Greystone regarding naming conventions for a historic estate, and discussed a plan to replace eucalyptus trees. Additionally, two developers have filed lawsuits against the city over the denial of their housing projects, citing violations of housing laws.

Beverly Hills – The Beverly Hills City Council convened on June 3 to explore a proposed ordinance aimed at creating a streamlined ministerial permit process for Builder’s Remedy housing projects. This initiative is intended to facilitate residential development that aligns with specific development, performance, and affordability standards amid ongoing controversies surrounding such projects.

The proposed ordinance garnered significant public feedback, with comments from local residents and representatives from UNITE HERE Local 11, a union representing hospitality workers. In response to community input, Mayor Sharona Nazarian put forth the idea of forming an ad hoc committee to further assess the public comments and the ordinance itself. The City Council unanimously endorsed the establishment of this committee and will consider the matter again at a future, yet-to-be-determined date.

In addition to the discussions surrounding the ordinance, the Council reviewed other pressing items during the meeting. One notable agenda item included a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the city and the Friends of Greystone (FOG). The FOG aims to formalize its role regarding the historic property while seeking guidance on its naming conventions. The organization expressed a preference for the title “Doheny Greystone Estate,” contrasting with the city’s current designation, “Greystone Mansion: The Doheny Estate.” City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey mentioned that the city’s naming convention was intended to distinguish the estate from other properties related to the Doheny family throughout Los Angeles.

The Council approved the MOU with certain amendments, mandating that FOG incorporate the city’s name in communications and merchandise while also reducing the event cancellation notice period from 180 days to 120 days.

Another significant point of discussion was the Willaman Drive Street Tree Master Plan, where the council proposed the removal of 70 red ironbark eucalyptus trees and replacing them with crape myrtle trees. This decision was prompted by petitions from North and South Willaman Drive property owners, who raised concerns regarding sap leakage, insect infestations, and desired tree uniformity. Extensive outreach to property owners revealed a preference for planting crape myrtles, with financial implications estimated at $200,500. The council moved to approve the plan during the meeting.

Earlier in the day, the council received presentations regarding work plans for the upcoming 2025-26 Fiscal Year. This included a proposed budget of $4.7 million by the Beverly Hills Conference and Visitors Bureau (CVB), which plans to focus on various marketing strategies, public relations, event organizing, and digital analysis. Key highlights from the CVB’s FY 2025-26 initiatives include addressing tourism challenges, collaborating for the Route 66 Centennial, launching new marketing campaigns, and improving market forecast accuracy. The Rodeo Drive Committee presented a work plan of $185,000 that aims at enhancing digital marketing and organizing two events, “Rodeo Drive Celebrates Fashion” and “Rodeo Drive Celebrates Timepieces and Fine Jewelry.” Both the CVB and Rodeo Drive Committee plans will be submitted for council voting in the upcoming months.

Beverly Hills is currently facing scrutiny as two developers, 8800 Wilshire Associates, LP, and 8820 Wilshire Associates, LP, have filed lawsuits against the city due to what they claim is the unfair denial of their Builder’s Remedy applications. The lawsuits allege that the city violated the Housing Accountability Act and the Permit Streamlining Act. The proposed 8800 Wilshire project is designed to include 139 units, with 17 set aside for affordable housing, while the 8820 Wilshire project plans for 134 total units with 16 affordable units. These preliminary applications were submitted in December 2023, a time when the city did not have an approved housing element.

The city has declared the projects ineligible due to significant changes that purportedly increased the construction area beyond 20% of the approved limits. However, developers argue that state law permits project changes and that their applications were timely. Currently, there are 14 Builder’s Remedy projects under review by the city, with seven applicants having been informed of incomplete submissions and five in dialogue concerning Environmental Impact Reviews. The city has yet to respond formally to the lawsuits regarding Wilshire Boulevard, with trial-setting conferences scheduled for early July.

Under the Builder’s Remedy, developers can circumvent local regulations if their projects include at least 20% affordable housing, especially when a municipality’s housing plan is found non-compliant. Beverly Hills faces a mandate to produce 3,104 new housing units by 2029, as part of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation.