Decision on the Builder’s Remedy project postponed again

The City Council on April 16 continued an appeal hearing on a “Builder’s Remedy” application for construction of a 19-story mixed-use project at 125-129 S. Linden Drive until May 21, after extensive opposition from neighbors.

On October 13, 2023, staff determined the application was incomplete and the applicant, 9300 Wilshire LLC, appealed that decision. Staff have since scheduled two appeal hearings, and representatives of 9300 Wilshire LLC have each requested the hearings be continued to a later date.

According to a staff report, the 19-story, 200-foot-tall proposal includes a commercial portion consisting of a 73-room hotel and restaurant on the first through fifth floors, and a residential portion consisting of 165 apartments starting from the sixth floor. up to and including the 19th floor of the building. Units range from studios to two bedrooms, with 20% of units reserved for lower-income rentals.

The proposal also includes a four-level underground car park accessed via an alleyway adjacent to the rear of the property, providing parking for 126 vehicles. The project site consists of two vacant lots with a combined lot area of ​​approximately 21,676 square feet located along the west side of the 100 block of South Linden Drive, according to the staff report.

Under the Builders Remedy Act, developers can bypass local zoning laws if their project includes a certain number of affordable units and is proposed in cities that have failed to meet state housing goals.

The California Department of Housing and Community Development indicated March 18 that it is ready to certify the Housing Element of Beverly Hills, after years of the city’s failure to meet state housing regulations. However, since this project was proposed when the city’s housing element had not yet been certified, it is still eligible to move forward under the Builder’s Remedy Act.

In a written commentary, Ken Goldman, president of the Southwest Beverly Hills Homeowners Association, said the association “remains strongly opposed to this proposed overdevelopment, which will negatively impact our quality of life and traffic at Linden’s main intersection (Drive) and Wilshire (Boulevard). ), … traffic on Charleville (Boulevard) and Gregory (Way), … and many other aspects of our residents’ lives.”