The Beverly Hills Planning Commission at its Dec. 11 meeting voted to approve a request for a conditional use permit that will allow a vehicle showroom at 499 N. Canon Drive.
It also voted to recommend that the City Council adopt a general plan amendment, a zone change to amend the land use map, and land use element, and zoning map and a draft ordinance amending sections of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code to adopt a transit-oriented development alternative plan.
The showroom on North Canon Drive will feature AFEELA electric vehicle models and will allow customers to review model specifications.
According to the applicant, Sony Honda Mobility of America, Inc., which owns the newly created AFEELA brand, approximately 90% of sales transactions happen online. The showroom, which will have frontage along North Canon Drive and North Santa Monica Boulevard, will be used for appointments, consultations and test drives.
The showroom will keep up to three display cars and two test-drive cars on-site. The company’s additional inventory is stored in Torrance, according to a staff report.
Customer deliveries will also happen off-site, as will vehicle service, maintenance and repairs.
Test drives will begin at the showroom’s valet area, and continue in a loop along North Canon Drive, South Santa Monica Boulevard, South Moreno Drive, North Santa Monica Boulevard and back onto North Cañon Drive.
The project site will provide three dedicated employee parking spaces on-site, with two additional parking spaces reserved for test-driving vehicles.
At the Dec. 11 meeting, J. Thongnop, the senior director of marketing for Sony Honda Mobility of America, Inc., explained that AFEELA is a joint venture between Sony and Honda.
“AFEELA is meant to bring together two brands that have backgrounds in both intelligence and mobility, but also we’re adding in entertainment as we’d expect from the Sony side of things,” he said. “We’re really excited to be opening up our location in Beverly Hills. We want to consider it our flagship, and we understand the importance of being a good citizen.”
The company also has a pop-up location in Century City.
The commission spoke favorably of the proposal in its discussion of the request.
“For me, in terms of land use and in terms of economic viability, this is a desirable tenant with a desirable product and a desirable location,” said Commissioner Gary Ross.
Commissioner Terri Kaplan thanked the applicant for “playing by the rules.”
“I’d like to acknowledge the applicant and thank you for … coming to the city for a special event permit as opposed to just showing up and starting to do what you wish to do,” she said. “Thank you. I hope you set an example for others.”
The permit was unanimously approved, with Commissioner Myra Demeter absent from the meeting.
In its vote to recommend that the City Council adopt a general plan amendment, a zone change to amend the land use map and land use element, and zoning map and a draft ordinance amending sections of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code to adopt a transit-oriented development alternative plan, the commission addressed requirements set forth in California State Senate Bill (SB) 79.
SB 79, which was signed into law in October and goes into effect in July 2026, increases the allowable density, floor area ratio and height for certain housing development projects located within certain distances from transit-oriented development stops.
In its report, city staff outlined three possible scenarios for alternative plans that would allow the city to exert some level of local control over the requirements of SB 79. The commission did not agree on which scenario to support; however, it did support the creation of an alternative plan.
The recommendation passed 3-0. Commissioner Terri Kaplan recused herself from the discussion due to a conflict of interest.
The proposed plans will now go to City Council for review.
