Plans for the store on Rodeo Drive were first approved in 2018, but were delayed several times. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

The Beverly Hills Planning Commission approved a development plan review for a three-story building at 370 N. Rodeo Drive, the site of the next Cartier store in Beverly Hills.

The development – designed by Foster and Partners – will be 45 feet tall, with three levels devoted to retail for the luxury jeweler. It will also include a basement and an outdoor terrace along the perimeter of the third floor – a “limited use lounge for VIP customers,” according to a city staff report. The store will not include parking or a valet service.

Fernando Beauchamp, architect and head of store planning for Cartier North America, presented the project to the planning commission during the meeting. He said the new store will be among the luxury brand’s most important locations.

“This location for us means everything,” Beauchamp said. “Beyond the Cartier structure and segmentation, it’s what we call a Cartier ‘temple’ … That explains the importance and the magnitude of what it means for the international network as well.”

According to the Cartier website, additional “temples” include its locations in Paris, London and New York City.

The Planning Commission did not receive any public comments in support or opposition to the project.

While the planning commission lauded the project’s overall design, some commissioners expressed concerns over the lack of parking included in the plans.

The project is not required to include parking under Assembly Bill 2097, which prohibits a public agency from imposing parking requirements on any development located within a half-mile of a public transit stop. The future Cartier store will be a few blocks away from the Wilshire/Rodeo Metro Subway station, which is under construction and expected to open in 2026 at the southwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Reeves Drive.

“I was a little concerned about where are your employees going to park, and where are those people coming in to buy a $20,000 necklace going to park,” Commissioner Myra Demeter said. “I know there are plenty of public structures but I still would like to know what, if any plans you have for servicing. They’re certainly not going to take bicycles to make these purchases.”

Beauchamp said the store expects most customers to be dropped off by chauffeurs, based on the clientele of the current Cartier store located at 411 N. Rodeo Drive, which also does not have parking spaces. Additionally, he said Cartier expects most employees to use public transportation.

The project was initially approved in 2018, however, several delays occurred due to “regulatory changes” in building code and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Beauchamp said. The previous building at the site was demolished in 2024. Beauchamp said the current project is “99% the same” as the project approved in 2018.

Deborah Quick, a representative of the project, said that some of those “regulatory changes” were the result of a 2018 remapping of the Santa Monica fault by the California Geological Survey, which discovered that the earthquake fault zone runs directly below Rodeo Drive. After the fault zone was discovered, the site underwent geological testing, which resulted in a unique structural feature in the new building.

“The city’s geologist recommended to the building official that there be imposed a modest structural setback in the corner of the parcel that’s on Rodeo,” Quick said. “There was very minor evidence of secondary faulting found there that had happened historically. If there were ground movement in the future in that area, the intent is that the building be structurally supported only in the area outside of that corner. Cartier nonetheless was very dedicated to Foster and Partners’ design, and wanted the building to look as it had originally been envisioned from the street. The façade was redesigned to not rely on any structural support there, but from the street it will look continuous, and you won’t be able to see that there’s any difference.”

Beauchamp said Cartier hopes to open the new store between July and September 2027. He said excavation is set to begin in August.

The commission unanimously approved the project, with the added condition that “no amplified sound that is noticeably audible beyond the property lines shall be permitted on the outdoor terrace on the third floor.”

“I think this is a fantastic project,” Commissioner Gary Ross said. “It’s not just a beautiful project, it’s an important project for the Golden Triangle here in Beverly Hills. It’s a brand that we consider to be an important part of our community and a partner in the city.”