The Beverly Hills City Council is tentatively scheduled to vote June 30 on levying fees on construction companies operating large vehicles in Trousdale Estates to pay for a new traffic safety program aimed at preventing deadly collisions in the hillside community.

A truck with faulty brakes collided with a police car driven by LAPD Officer Nicholas Lee, killing the officer. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

The city’s plan to recoup costs from construction firms comes a year after fatal collisions involving large trucks caused the death of two Los Angeles Police officers.

A consultant hired by Beverly Hills to investigate construction traffic reported five collisions involving large trucks in the Trousdale Estates area from October 2013 to when the new safety measures were implemented in June 2014. There have been no significant accidents involving construction trucks since, said Therese Kosterman, public information officer for Beverly Hills.

The owner of a dump truck company has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter for allegedly failing to maintain and inspect a truck that was involved in a March 2014 collision that killed officer Nicholas Lee of the Los Angeles Police Department. Lee and a fellow officer were responding to a call when their patrol car collided with a truck that had faulty brakes.

LAPD Det. Ernest Allen was off-duty in May 2014 when a cement truck crashed into his pickup and killed him 25 yards from where Lee died.

“We’re pleased that the city is responding to a situation where they recognized a need for upgrading public safety,” said Officer Jack Richter, spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department and an academy classmate of Lee.

If the city council passes these new fees, construction companies will be required to pay approximately $250 per vehicle for an annual inspection by a city contractor, Truckspect, prior to entering Trousdale Estates. Inspectors look at a vehicle’s tires, suspension, air brakes and steering.

Vehicles requiring inspection will include those weighing more than 26,000 pounds, vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds with three or more axles or those towing trailers weighing more than 10,000 pounds.

“Inspecting a vehicle is part of the industry,” said Bill Velez, owner and coordinator at Truckspect. “The response from the carriers was pretty positive.”

In addition to the individual truck fee, there is a proposed $119.86 fee for every building permit issued in Trousdale Estates to cover the cost of administering the new regulations.

Construction managers must stick to designated haul routes for construction vehicles, have secondary brakes on all trucks, abide by a 15 mile per hour speed limit and give the city 24-hour notice for deliveries of vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds, as designated by the new safety program.

Steven Price, author of “Over the Top: the Architectural History of Trousdale Estates, Beverly Hills”, said the 535-home neighborhood is undergoing a renaissance following renewed interest by developers and wealthy buyers.

Trousdale Estates was built in the 1950s and 1960s and became a showcase for famous architects. The area was undervalued for years, compared to the neighboring luxury community known as the Bird Streets, and fell out of fashion, Price said.

Once developers recognized the value of large lots with protected views within Beverly Hills, a rush of teardowns started. Now, a new home with a view in Trousdale Estates starts at $20 million, Price said.

“What people want today are the bigger bathrooms, the bigger kitchens and the bigger entertainment rooms,” he said.

Price expects only 10 to 15 of the original architectural gems to be left in two years. Kosterman said there were approximately 55 Trousdale building projects in the past year that required the use of one or more vehicles over 26,000 pounds.

Price isn’t surprised by the amount of construction traffic with developers bringing in tons of steel for new construction and excavating earth to accommodate gyms and pools.

“I’m not going to say it was bound to happen, but it needs special insight,” he said.

Frieda Berlin, a spokeswoman for the Trousdale Estates Homeowners Association, also described the neighborhood as an up-and-coming area.

“I think it’s because the older generation is moving out and the younger generation is moving in and buying them,” Berlin said.

She hasn’t had any close calls with construction trucks and is happy with the city’s new regulations.

“Obviously, it’s better that they have stricter rules in the area,” Berlin said.