I have lived in Benedict Canyon for over forty years. Many of those years were spent on the executive board of the BCA trying to protect everything that is valuable about this canyon. To date this ranks high as the most egregious proposal yet to threaten the sanctity of our canyon.
I can only hope that Rodney’s article will be heeded and this proposal to change the zoning in order to build a hotel will be stopped in its tracks.

I agree with the writer of the letter concerning the action of the PLUM Committee. This project is totally inappropriate for the community, the Santa Monica Mountains and the City of Los Angeles. The proposed zone change is not only outrageous, it is likely illegal.

There is enormous community opposition to this project. Nearly 12,000 people have signed a petition opposing the project. Every major environmental organization opposes this project. Both Rick Caruso and Karen Bass oppose the project. Both Katy Young Yaroslavsky and Sam Yebri, candidates for CD 5 oppose the project.

It is difficult to understand why the PLUM committee won’t vote on the Motion made by Paul Koretz. It certainly makes one wonder whether something happened behind the scenes that should be brought out in the light of day.

Definitely. My house butts up against the old Kirk Krekorian property. My life will be hell if they build up there, not to mention what it will do to Oak Pass and Wana Da Park. Thanks for writing this.

Hear, Hear,
Or do I need a blow horn Councilmembers?
Fed up of hearing this is a NIMBY story. The entire Santa Monica Mountains IS Los Angeles’ back yard – everyone’s – from the ocean to Griffith Park.
You don’t need to a special zone to build a hotel. You want labor and income? Fine, build it where it’s properly zoned. If the PLUM committee’s action of inaction allows this to continue then one can only think that six people, not one person, is benefiting some how. How else do you explain continuing Mr. Koretz’s motion in front of his face?
Inexcusable.
Welcome to Chinatown.

Mixing business with your home life is always a dicey prospect. In this case, you’re talking about taking an iconic canyon and inviting an unprecedented number of outsiders to traverse it. The inevitable is likely to occur: soul-crushing traffic, avoidable accidents and the defiling of an otherwise pristine, natural space. This space doesn’t call for a hotel. It calls for respect. It calls for supporting the vision of those that created the homes there. Enough is enough. Do not grant special privileges to the developer – no matter how shiny and pretty the hotel may be. Let the canyon be as it was originally intended.

How can anyone in good conscience consider overriding the the current zoning that was set in place to protect the environment ?
Instead to increase the wealth of the the individual developer as well as LVMH, the parent company of Bvlgari? Worth by the way valued at just under $300 Billion, the CEO of which was named as the wealthiest person in the world in 2021.
Please , anyone with a conscience, stand up for the preservation of the natural environment and safety of the Los Angeles Hills. Why would our LA City Council vote otherwise? Why?

Everything in Rodney Kemerer’s letter is correct. Anyone who has lived in this canyon would understand the danger of adding more traffic and more people who have no stake in the safety and wellbeing of the people in the surrounding homes. I keep thinking about a day when I was following a car up the canyon and saw the driver throw a lit cigarette out the window. I looked at the license plate and noticed it was from out of state. I thought, of course that person would have no sensitivity to the fire danger, of course that person would pay no attention to the signs – he doesn’t live here so he doesn’t know and he doesn’t care. Multiply that driver by the hundreds or thousands of builders and workers and hotel guests and diners and spa-goers and bar patrons who would be driving in and out of the canyon with no personal stake in its safety, beauty, security and peacefulness. The fire danger alone should be enough to stop this proposed project. Also, anyone who’s tried to drive from the valley into the basin via Benedict Canyon in the morning knows that the bumper-to-bumper traffic can start as far away as Ventura Boulevard. Anyone who’s tried to drive in the other direction in the late afternoon knows that the bumper-to-bumper traffic can start as far away as Sunset Boulevard. Anyone who’s been unlucky enough to get behind a trash truck knows how dangerous it can be when someone who doesn’t understand the canyon thinks it would be OK to go around the truck on a blind curve. It’s outrageous to allow a developer to try to add to this already untenable traffic situation. There’s a reason that certain areas are zoned for residents only. The residents know the environment and care about it and know how to behave in order to take care of it. The Planning Committee must not allow this area to suddenly be invaded by people who are not residents. It would be unconscionable to do so.

Thank you, Rodney, for always voicing your wisdom in words. It is disappointing that this project was even allowed to be considered and that it has gotten as far as it has. I stand with you and all the residents of Benedict Canyon in opposition of the company and the lawyers working to try to destroy the peaceful gem that Benedict Canyon is.

A hotel in Benedict Canyon destroys the residential area and wrecks havoc on the environment. I can’t understand this move by the council… there is nobody who currently lives in or near the canyon who wants a hotel in an area that is clearly not designed for it. I try not to be pessimistic about local government but when I see politicians following the money instead of their conscience it’s very difficult.

Thank you Mr. Kemerer for so accurately expressing the feeling of thousands of homeowners in the Benedict Canyon area who moved there for the peace and tranquility the area provides.

A project of this kind only benefit an egregious developers and the Bulgari hotel at the expense of thousands of residents. The city officials should be mindful of residents wishes and safety instead of special interest groups and egregious business people.

This project is illogical and clearly wrong. It is pure greed on the part of a developer and a luxury brand. And the PLUM committees refusal to take up Koretz’s motion is concerning and weirdly mysterious. What is going on here? Are the environmental regulations that protect the city being overturned in the shadows just because of some ridiculous politics? What are the priorities of the people who serve this city? Why are decisions being made outside of the public’s view? This is idiotic hotel starting to seem like a very real problem for the city, and an embarrassment for anyone who supports it or tries to covertly let it slide through the “process.”

Bravo Rodney. City council members do your job and protect the well-being and wishes of your constituents. We will remember your decision come election time. We will organize. If our peace and quality of life has a ticking clock on it so will your job.

Thank you to our neighbors who truly are invested in this community and reach out to everyone to let them know what the issues are, and in this case it is a large and dangerous proposal that will impact us all. As a homeowner here in the canyon I am completely against the hotel development proposed by the Bvlgari company! I hope there is a swift vote against the plan, and city council members side with the voters who elected them.

Thank you Rodney! I couldn’t have said it better myself. Reading your article and the comments below really speaks to the power of the canyon community. The environmental impact a project like this could have is disturbing to think about. The reason we have zoning laws are to prevent situations like this from happening. To my city council members, please stand by your constituents and put a stop to the Bulgari development project.