Straight Talk with Sharona on Oct. 16 dealt with one of the city’s most contentious topics: Builder’s Remedy. Mayor Sharona Nazarian was joined by the Director of Community Development, Michael Forbes, for a public discussion about building projects, the city’s permitting process, and the challenges of balancing local control under state regulations. The conversation then evolved to the impact of housing shortages, Builder’s Remedy, and density around transit stops, which have all prompted concerns and questions from the community.
Pursuant to state law, Beverly Hills was required by 2021 to demonstrate its ability to build 3,100 new housing units, divided into various income categories. The city worked with the California Department of Housing and Community Development from 2021 to 2024 to produce a housing element satisfactory to the state.
“During that period, state law has a provision called Builder’s Remedy, which says if the city has not had its housing plan certified by that deadline, developers can submit applications for projects, and those projects do not have to comply with the general plan or the zoning,” Forbes told the public. Certain developers were paying very close attention to this three-year window of time, during which the city received 16 applications. Those applications have now been reduced to 14. Of those, five have been approved by the Planning Commission so far. “We do have various lawsuits pending on some of those as well … but we’re now at the point where we have to start bringing these projects forward,” Forbes added.
Nazarian noted, “I don’t think that anybody is denying that we need housing. We need affordable housing. We are facing a housing shortage in California … it’s taking away local control, which is the issue.”
Builder’s Remedy has succeeded in removing “control” from Beverly Hills as it relates to the applications in question. The city is essentially mandated to approve the projects. The city has pursued various legal paths to stop these projects from getting approved, to no avail. Courts have ruled in favor of the developers’ Builder’s Remedy applications.
Many community members also had questions regarding SB 79, a California law titled the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act. This law requires the city to increase the density of development allowed within a quarter-mile ring of the new Canon and La Cienega subway stops, regardless of zoning. “So, even single-family properties and neighborhoods within a quarter mile of these subway stations, if a developer wants to propose a multifamily project in those areas, the city would be compelled to approve it under that law,” Forbes said. While the Century City subway stop is outside of the city border, the quarter-mile ring around that station extends into Beverly Hills. In addition to a streamlined permitting process, parking is not required if the development is located within a half mile of a major transit stop.
“We want to support the state; it’s important,” Nazarian said. “Since they want to encourage public transit and the use of it, then we want to support that as well.” As far as parking permits are concerned, the City Council is exploring an ordinance that would prohibit residents of SB 79 units from participating in the city’s preferential and overnight parking.
Forbes also described significant projects in the planning stages and under construction, and how they will benefit the city. Scheduled to be completed in 2028, the biggest is One Beverly Hills, which will consist of two condominium towers, a luxury hotel, and roughly five acres of public park area. Per the project’s development agreement, the city will receive tax revenue and public benefit contributions, which are both estimated to be substantial. The Planning Commission also recently approved the new Louis Vuitton flagship store on Beverly and Rodeo Drives, which construction is expected to begin next year. Designed by Frank Gehry, the flagship store will be roughly 100,000 square feet and will house a museum exhibition space as well as a café. The third major project is the Saks Fifth Avenue project, which is going through the entitlement process. “The development agreement is being negotiated right now, as far as what public benefits will be provided,” Forbes said.
Forbes also spoke about a new system that the city is working on to streamline permitting and expand the building permitting process online, using artificial intelligence.
The conversation also touched on short-term rentals, reminding the public that the City Council recently adopted an ordinance making them illegal in single-family and multifamily neighborhoods. Across the city, the minimum required lease period for all units is 12 months.
Lastly, after renewed concern about coyotes in the community, people were reminded not to leave food or water out on the street, including around trash cans. “We’re actually putting up cameras in a couple of locations to try and identify who is feeding them, because there are some regular locations where food is getting put out,” Forbes noted. Leaving food out for wildlife attracts coyotes to the neighborhood and violates the municipal code. The city has a contract with Los Angeles Animal Services, which can assess a property or neighborhood and flag potential coyote attractants.
The next Straight Talk with Sharona will be held on Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m.
