Merv Griffin Way will travel underneath the One Beverly Hills project. (rendering © DBOX for Alagem Capital Group)

The mixed-use One Beverly Hills project took a major step forward on April 22, as the Beverly Hills Planning Commission gave the project most of the approvals it needed to move ahead to the City Council for consideration. Only a development agreement still needs to be considered by the Planning Commission, which is scheduled for the May 5 meeting.

The City Council is expected to consider the project on May 20, 25 and 27. The three meetings will begin at 7 p.m.

The project was approved with the proviso that the commission retain control over future “material” changes to the project, which will include hotels – including the existing Waldorf Astoria and the Beverly Hilton – residences, retail and restaurant space, and botanical gardens on both sides of Merv Griffin Way.

“Things happen in construction, and things certainly happen in the financing of construction,” Vice Chair Lori Greene Gordon said. “I just think the Planning Commission deserves to have the ability to say, ‘This is the project that we will appreciate going forward, that we would vote for going forward.’ I’m not trying to say the project would be canceled; I’m just trying to say it needs to be looked at again.”

The project received praise from the commissioners, but there were some troublesome elements, including a proposed amenity access club and a plan to allow fractional ownership of condominiums on the site. Chair Peter Ostroff and Commissioner Myra Demeter expressed concern about the topics, which Demeter said “could be more fully developed and come back” for consideration, “but not at this time.”

“I think at this time, there are too many questions, and the specifics of the program still need to be worked out,” Demeter said.

“Come back when you’re ready to show specifically what you’re going to do, and we can address whether it’s a good thing for the city,” Ostroff added.

The One Beverly Hills project includes residences, hotels, restaurants, retail space and botanical gardens. (rendering © DBOX for Alagem Capital Group)

Gordon and Commissioner Andy Licht, however, expressed support for allowing the topics to move forward to the council for consideration.

“It seems like something great for the city and for the residents and for the residents of the property,” Licht said.

As Commissioner Thomas Hudnut recused himself from discussions regarding the project due to “an equity investment in property adjacent to the project,” the commissioners were unable to break the 2-2 deadlock on the items.

After some discussion, Ostroff expressed concern that the commission was “essentially punting this to the City Council,” a characterization his fellow commissioners disputed.

“We have 100-plus conditions, and I think that since we’re in agreement on most of them – if not virtually all of them – I can’t imagine not approving the project based on this,” Gordon said. “I think this is a very appropriate action to send this directly to City Council. They’ve gotten our take on everything, and this is a decision they’ll have to make.”

Ostroff agreed to let the project move ahead with the commission’s discussions noted, but without a final decision being reached.

“I’m significantly impressed by this project, and I wouldn’t want to do anything to unduly slow this down,” Ostroff said.