Commission Vice Chair Jeff Wolfe pointed out that in the renderings, the development is shown only slightly taller than the building to its north (pictured to the right). However, the development would be almost twice as tall – 86 feet compared to 45 feet. (rendering courtesy of Kevin Tsai Architecture)

The Beverly Hills Planning Commission on March 13 approved a development plan review and density bonus permit for a seven-story mixed use building at 55 N. La Cienega Blvd. After a discussion that lasted almost four hours, the commission approved the project in a 3-2 vote, with added conditions.

The site – currently a vacant building and parking lot – is across the street from the Metro Wilshire/La Cienega subway station, which is under construction and scheduled to open later this year. The lot was previously home to The Stinking Rose, a garlic-centered restaurant.

The project was proposed by developer Abraham Assil and designed by Kevin Tsai Architecture. It includes 140 residential units with 19,055 square feet of ground floor commercial space for retail and restaurant use. A three-story underground parking structure will contain 172 spaces.

Housing within the project includes four studio apartments, 111 one-bedroom units and 25 two-bedroom units. While a building at the site would usually be limited to 70 units, the project makes use of the state’s density bonus permit which allows more units in exchange for the inclusion of affordable housing. The project includes 22 affordable housing units, with 11 reserved for low-income tenants and 11 reserved for those with moderate incomes.

The rooftop level will have an outdoor lounge and living area, outdoor bar and kitchen, pool, sun deck and restrooms. According to a city staff report, the rooftop open space would not have a direct line of sight to single-family residences to the west due to structures lining the rooftop’s western side.

Assil submitted various iterations of a similar project at the site since 2016. In 2021, the planning commission rejected plans that would have brought a 216-room hotel to the location. In 2023, the planning commission approved Assil’s plans for a six-story project with 105 housing units. However, the state’s density bonus law was amended in January 2024 to allow additional units. Assil reworked the project to include more affordable housing, for a total of 140 units.

The final project approved by the planning commission is approximately 20 feet taller than the version approved in 2023. Additionally, the new version has 11,200 less square feet of outdoor space.

Assil described the project as a “catalyst for change” in the southeast neighborhood of Beverly Hills. He said the development is targeted toward the next generation of Beverly Hills residents.

“The [adult] children of this town do not have the ability to rent or have a location to call home because of not being able to afford it,” Assil said. “They cannot afford a house that’s $2 or $3 million, even much higher, or they cannot rent because there is no available units for this size that we’re proposing – 600-700 square feet. Those who want to stay within the city near their parents who are older, and they want to be remaining and be part of the community going forward, these units were designed for them.”

The project abuts single-family properties on Le Doux Road to the west – an aspect that raised many concerns from neighbors. Several residents opposed the project in public comments.

“All of this is too much. Everything should be done within reason, that’s all we’re asking,” Le Doux Road resident Sherol Manavi said. “Development is absolutely fine, but keeping this to a much lower level of development would mean a lot to us.”

Additionally, 19 Le Doux Road residents signed a letter to the planning commission opposing the project. Residents asked that the commission enact several conditions on the project, including no balconies on the side of the building facing the backyards of the homes on Le Doux Road, increased setbacks and limiting the use of the rooftop space. The letter also stated that some residents were hesitant to sign it due to fear of retaliation.

“The last time residents on North Le Doux Road publicly commented on this project, some felt harassed,” the letter read.

Assil strongly opposed the letter, which he called a “character assassination.” He stated that if he were to agree with the requests, the development would be a “prison.” He also denied harassing residents on Le Doux Road, and said he did not reach out to neighbors in the recent development process out of fear it would be seen as harassment.

Some planning commissioners took issue with Assil’s behavior toward residents.

“I have some problems,” Ross said. “I have some problems with the way that this applicant team comes to us without doing any outreach to the neighbors, with a complete – in my mind – disregard for the neighbors and no empathy.”

Commission Vice Chair Jeff Wolfe brought up a visual discrepancy in the renderings provided by the applicant. In the renderings, the development is shown only slightly taller than the building to its north. However, in reality, the development would be almost twice as tall – 86 feet compared to 45 feet.

Assil and the architect Tsai insisted that the discrepancy was a mistake, and that they created the renderings without finding exact measurements of the adjacent building.

“We eyeballed the building adjacent to our proposed development,” Tsai said.

“It just seems to me odd than an architect would make such a dramatic mistake when it comes to something like height of a building,” Wolfe said. “I can think of another reason why that was drawn this way, and that was to intentionally mislead the relative height of this building to the surrounding buildings. That would also be another reason to do it – to mislead this commission, to mislead the public and make it seem as though this building was only slightly higher than the building next door when in fact it’s almost double in size.”

Tsai denied intentionally skewing the height of the development in the renderings, calling the error an “oversight.”

The commission ultimately voted to approve the project with added conditions, including: a 20-foot privacy hedge will be planted to the building’s immediate west to provide privacy for the residents on Le Doux Road; amplified sound will be prohibited on all outdoor spaces – including the rooftop and balconies; a six-foot sound barrier must be installed on the western side of the rooftop; a four-foot translucent barrier must be installed on each balcony on the west side of the building to prevent sight into nearby properties; and the use of barbecue grills is prohibited on each balcony and on the rooftop.

Ross and Wolfe voted against the project. Each stated that they believed the conditions were not sufficient in addressing further concerns, including a rooftop kitchen and the height of the project.

The development will replace a parking lot and vacant building that was once The Stinking Rose restaurant. (photo by Tabor Brewster)