Re “Luxury resort comes to Beverly Hills,” Oct. 21 issue, and “Luxury resort doesn’t have support” by Rodney Kemerer, Letters to the Editor, Oct. 28 issue

The Beverly Press article states that luxury hotels are less common in those residential enclaves, like Benedict Canyon, and there is good reason for this.

Our canyon does not have bad cell phone service and we are not all silly rich, but we are united in our desire to prevent commercial enterprise from ruining the beauty and tranquility of where we live. Kudos to Mr. Kemerer for pointing this out.

Joanne Savage

Beverly Hills

Could not have said it better Mr. Kemerer! NO to this zoning change.

Michael L Chasteen

Beverly Hills

I believe Rodney speaks eloquently for all of us residing in our canyon. Part of what makes Benedict Canyon so great is that there are no commercial businesses here.

All of us living here, including Rodney, intend to do our best to keep it that way in spite of whatever jargon commercial developers may come up with in their attempt to change that.

Vera Dunn

Beverly Hills

Had your publication investigated more thoroughly you would have discovered that there is a tsunami of community opposition to this ill-conceived project. More than 10,000 people have signed a petition opposing the project. Every major environmental organization opposes the project. Councilmember Paul Koretz publicly opposes the project. Virtually every one of the neighbors that will be most affected opposes the project.

The opposition to this project is based on the belief that this project will be an environmental disaster, that it will create a dangerous precedent by opening up the Santa Monica Mountains to unbridled commercial development, that it will create life-safety hazards in a severe fire danger zone and that the commercialization of this entirely residential area is totally inappropriate.

I believe that this commercial developer will and should fail in his effort to obtain a change to the general plan and the Bel-Air Beverly Crest specific plan, both of which expressly prohibit commercial development in Benedict Canyon.

Our community stands against this outrageous proposal and is committed to ensuring that it will not be approved. For nearly 100 years, Benedict Canyon has had no commercial development. Our community intends to protect that legacy.

Robert S. Mann

Los Angeles

The entire community of Benedict Canyon and beyond has been fighting this abhorrent project for years. It requires a never before done spot zone change which would be an amendment to the community plan and the Los Angeles city general plan.

It would set a precedent for such zoning changes in every inch of the Santa Monica Mountains and completely change the only major greenspace in the middle of our city. That doesn’t even begin to address the life threatening hazard of a huge project meant to house and employ hundreds of people (and their cars) in a Very high fire hazard severity zone.

How to evacuate our canyon’s current residential population is scary enough without adding 700 more people to the mix. Do we even need to discuss the fact that a hotel never sleeps? Three different work shifts, catering trucks, maintenance, visitors, parties, weddings and this all to be built by 2025? Try 10 years of construction and another 25 to get those trees to look like they do in the promo photos. Oh, before a wildfire from some cigarette butt sparks the next big one. Please … stop the madness.

Elizabeth Cooper Parry

Los Angeles