The owner of the Beverly Hilton is once again reworking plans for a condominium tower at Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards. Beny Alagem’s latest vision: five acres of open space, a public garden on Wilshire, and a single 23-story condo tower, reports the Beverly Hills Courier.
Alagem already has approval from the city to build two shorter towers on the site.
But he’s been trying to build one taller one instead. In 2016, he put a measure on the ballot in Beverly Hills that, if approved by voters, would have allowed him to combine the two condo buildings into one 26-story tower. Voters rejected that plan.
Trying again to build one tall building instead of two smaller ones is exactly what Alagem had said he wouldn’t do.
He told The Planning Report in October 2016 that if the ballot measure didn’t pass, he would “go forth with the original plan to build both an 18-story building and an eight-story building.”
But a spokesperson for the project tells the Courier that while some residents who voted against the project thought the 26-story version was too tall, most of the opposition to the measure disliked the use of the measure itself. (If the ballot initiative had passed, it would have allowed Alagem to sidestep the public planning process the project would normally be subject to.)
Aside from its shorter height, the other new change to the project appears to be the size of the units, which will be smaller, allowing the developer to add 30 more than originally proposed.
- Beverly Hilton, Waldorf Astoria Submit Revised Plans For Single-Building Condo Project [Beverly Hills Courier]
- Beverly Hills votes down 26-story tower, ending bizarre development saga [Curbed LA]
- Beverly Hilton owner says he’ll scrap plans for 26-story condo tower if ballot measure fails [Curbed LA]
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