Marking the end of a two-year process, the Beverly Hills City Council passed an ordinance allowing for mixed use development in certain commercial areas of the City at a Nov. 10 combined Regular Session and Study Session. Developments within the new overlay zone can include both residential and commercial uses. The amendment to the general plan was met with resistance from some residents who worried about the impact of mixed use on their quality of life. Even after the City began considering the zoning change, the measure took on added urgency with steep demands by the State to create new housing in the City. The ordinance passed 4-1, with Councilmember John Mirisch voting no.
“I think that we’re at a critical time in this City’s history,” said Councilmember Julian Gold. “This is a decision that is really important not so much for us, but for our kids and for our kids’ kids, because this is really going to define the Beverly Hills of the future.”
