At its Sept. 26 meeting, the Planning Commission reviewed a request from Four BJD, LLC for a density bonus permit to construct an 8-story, 56-unit mixed-use building at 8811 Wilshire Blvd. The proposed project would exceed the maximum height allowed under the Beverly Hills Municipal Code, as well as the maximum number of stories, but it would provide 10 new affordable housing units, making it eligible under state law for a 100% density bonus. The state of California has recently scrutinized the city of Beverly Hills for rejecting the construction of affordable housing on Linden Drive, and the California Housing Defense Fund wrote a letter that was read at the meeting to remind the commission of the laws they must abide by when reviewing the proposal and the request for a density bonus. The commission ultimately approved the permit as well as the accompanying concessions and waivers that were requested.
At the meeting, Associate Planner Alexandria Smille presented the proposal for the project, to be located on a 15,000-square-foot lot at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Robertson Boulevard. The applicant, Four BJD, LLC wants to replace the existing residential retail building with a much larger mixed-use building that would include residential units and commercial office space. The proposal includes plans for 7,644 square feet of ground retail use, 20,092 square feet of commercial office space on the second and third floors, and 56 new dwelling units on the fourth through eighth floors. These dwelling units will include seven studio units and 49 one-bedroom units, with five units designated as very low-income housing, and five as moderate-income housing. Under the Beverly Hills Municipal Code, the maximum height for a building is 45 feet, with a maximum of three stories, but according to California density bonus laws, the addition of 10 affordable housing units makes the property eligible for a 100% density bonus.
