A Architectural Review: The Council hereby finds that Beverly Hills is internationally known and has become a worldwide synonym for beauty, quality, and value; that by far the largest area of the community is zoned for single-family residences, but a significant part is zoned for apartment, commercial, and industrial uses; that most persons who travel through Beverly Hills or do business in and with Beverly Hills do so in its apartment, commercial, and industrial areas; that there is a tendency of some owners and developers in these areas to disregard beauty and quality in construction and a consequent serious danger that construction of inferior quality and appearance in the apartment, commercial, and industrial areas will degrade and depreciate the image, beauty, and reputation of Beverly Hills with adverse consequences for the entire City, including single-family residential areas as well as apartment, commercial, and industrial areas; and that poor quality of design in the exterior appearance of buildings erected in any neighborhood or in the development and maintenance of structures, landscaping, signs, and general appearances affect the desirability of the immediate area and neighboring areas for residential and business purposes or other uses and, by so doing, impair the benefits of occupancy of existing property in such areas, impair the stability in value of both improved and unimproved real property in such areas, prevent the most appropriate development of such areas, produce undesirable conditions affecting the health, safety, comfort, and general welfare of the inhabitants of the City, and destroy the proper relationship between the taxable value of real property in such areas and the cost of Municipal services provided therefor. It is the purpose of this article to prevent these and other harmful effects of such exterior appearances of buildings erected in any neighborhood and thus to promote and protect the health, safety, comfort, and general welfare of the community, to promote the public convenience and prosperity, to conserve the value of buildings, and to encourage the most appropriate use of land within the City.
B. Design Review: The council finds that the scale and massing of buildings in the Central R-1 zone is of concern to the community at large. Beverly Hills residential neighborhoods have traditionally been renowned for their beauty, quality, and value and provide the city's residents with an unparalleled quality of life. The characteristics are the product of generous setbacks, gracious architecture, and careful attention to detail. However, since the late 1980s emerging trends have led some owners and developers in residential areas to disregard prevailing styles and neighborhood character in an effort to maximize development and density. The council finds that this trend has led to homes that greatly overpower the general local "lot to house size" ratio ("mansionization"). The mansionization of the city's residential neighborhoods poses a serious danger that such overbuilding will degrade and depreciate the character, image, beauty, and reputation of the city's residential neighborhoods with adverse consequences for the quality of life of all residents. The bulk and mass of such homes, as well as their general appearances, affect the desirability of the immediate area and neighboring areas for residential purposes and, by so doing, impair the benefits of occupancy of existing property in such areas, impair the stability in value of both improved and unimproved real property in such areas, prevent the most appropriate development of such areas, produce undesirable conditions affecting the health, safety, comfort, and general welfare of the inhabitants of the city, and destroy the proper relationship between the taxable value of real property in such areas and the cost of municipal services provided therefor. It is the purpose of this article to prevent these and other harmful effects of such overbuilding in residential neighborhoods and, thus, to promote and protect the health, safety, comfort, and general welfare of the community, to promote the public convenience and prosperity, to conserve the value of and to encourage the most appropriate development within the city's residential neighborhoods.
(Ord. 24-O-2896, eff. 7-1-2024)