At its Oct. 1 Regular Meeting, the Beverly Hills City Council unanimously moved forward with a motion to prepare an ordinance amending the Beverly Hills Municipal Code (BHMC) to prohibit developments with reduced or zero parking permits from using preferential parking permits. The move stems from concern over projects that have permitted developers to bypass BHMC parking restrictions, which may have put a strain on on-street parking availability.
City staff recommended the council consider two potential options regarding the prohibition of preferential parking reductions:
The first would be to amend the BHMC to prohibit projects using state-law parking reductions/exemptions, including those located near major transit stops, from obtaining preferential parking and overnight parking permits. This is especially relevant in light of the Metro stations set to open in the city.
The other option would add the prohibition as a project-specific condition to projects that use state-law parking reductions/exemptions.
In 1977, Beverly Hills established a preferential parking program to accommodate the demand for on-street parking, especially in higher-density, multi-family areas of the city. Obtaining a preferential parking permit allows for on-street daytime/evening parking beyond normal restrictions posted on a block. According to city staff, the majority of all residential units south of Santa Monica Boulevard are preferential parking zones.
Recently, California lawmakers have pushed to reduce car dependency in major urban areas, especially those located within major transit stops. AB2172, for example, specifically prohibits the city of Los Angeles from providing preferential parking permits to projects located within a half-mile radius of major transit stops and to residential projects with more than 20 units.
Certain considerations for the city’s prohibition of preferential parking include an overall goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase the use of public transit. However, the city noted the difficulty in determining the true demand for parking and the effect of available parking on car ownership.
To move forward with drafting an ordinance to amend BHMC, the Council agreed that parking permits should be prohibited for those moving into a building with no parking and for future ADU developments. Additionally, the Council agreed to require landlords to disclose that tenants will have no parking (including on-street parking) in their lease.
This is also the last city council meeting before the Jewish High Holidays. But this year, it’s also the first anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7. The day before the meeting, 1,400 flags representing over 30 different nationalities were installed across Beverly Gardens Park commemorating Oct. 7 as a statement to the world of the city’s “unequivocal support for Israel.”
At the Aug. 20 meeting, the Beverly Hills City Council voted to temporarily install the flags and rename the Beverly Gardens Park to “October 7th Memorial Square” until Oct. 14. The day of the installation also happened to be the same day that Iran launched an attack into Israel.
In light of the anniversary, the city has also tightened security around places of worship so “everyone can practice safely”, said Vice Mayor Nazarian.
