Beverly Hills : Hearing on Home Reviews

The City Council has begun hearing public comments on a proposed 1-year extension of an ordinance that allows the city to review plans for new homes north of Sunset Boulevard.

The year-old Interim Hillside Ordinance requires all prospective homeowners in the area to submit plans to a city panel, which recommends to the Planning Commission whether a public hearing should be scheduled on the project. The board determines whether new homes will be compatible with the area, whether they will block views and whether they will create safety hazards.

The law was passed last December in response to complaints by residents that new homes were too big and were blocking neighbors’ views.

The Planning Commission is recommending that the board, which has been criticized for taking too much time to review plans, be replaced by an administrative review that would not include public hearings. The public hearing on the extension of the law began Tuesday and will continue before the City Council on Dec. 6 in a meeting 7:30 p.m. at the city’s temporary offices at 336 N. Foothill Road.