Beverly Hills : Development Limit Proposed

The Planning Commission decided this week to recommend that the City Council make permanent a temporary ordinance limiting development on residential lots to 55% of the area of the lot.

The commission said it is not happy with that limit, but that some permanent measure must be taken because the temporary ordinance is scheduled to expire June 17. The commission hopes to later amend the ordinance to better address the different needs of homeowners on small lots and those on larger lots.

The commission had been considering a staff proposal that would have limited development to 1,100 square feet plus 35% of the lot area. On a 10,000-square-foot lot, for example, development would have been limited to 4,600 square feet. Under the current 55% limit, development could take up to 5,500 square feet.

Residents living on both small and large lots have complained about the 55% rule and the staff’s proposed limit, saying that they have a drastic effect on small lots while not going far enough to restrict development on large lots.

The matter is expected to go before the City Council on May 3.