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. 04-O-2444, eff. 5-21-2004; amd. Ord. 05-O-2487, eff. 11-7-2005; Ord. 06-O-2494, eff. 2-17-2006)