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According to the lease, BHUSD is the
andlord, and Murakawa-Leopard was listed
as the contact.
Goldberg did not return a phone call from
he Weekly before deadline.
City Council designatesCity’s first historiclandmark: The Beverly HillsHotel
The Beverly Hills City Council voted
unanimously Tuesday night to designate
The Beverly Hills Hotel as the City’s first
ocal historic landmark and to declare Sept.
12, 2012 “The Beverly Hills Hotel Day.”
“Tonight this city council is about to
make history by designating The Beverly
Hills Hotel as the first historic landmark on
he City’s register of historic properties,”
Cultural Heritage Commission Chair Noah
Furie said prior to the vote on the hotel,
which is celebrating its 100th anniversary
his year.
In May, the Cultural Heritage Commissiondetermined the hotel, which represents the
work of master architects Elmer Grey and
Paul Williams, met the criteria for desig-
nation, meaning it has maintained historic
value, has retained integrity from its period
of significance, and met at least two out of
six additional criteria.
The commission determined the hotel
met more than the minimum criteria—it
satisfied four of the six additional crite-
ria—but Vice Mayor John Mirisch sug-
gested indicating The Beverly Hills Hotel
also fulfilled criteria related to the hotel’s
association with “the lives of significant
persons important to national, state, City or
ocal history.”As an example, Mirisch said the hotel was
he location for some of actor and producer
Harold Lloyd’s work.
“It’s quite amazing [about a year] ago we
were considered to be the model of what
not to do when it came to honoring our his-
ory and protecting our [historic resources],”
Mirisch said. “It seems to me [we’ve] gone
n the exact opposite direction. It really is
something for this council, the entire com-
munity, and the entire city to be proud of.”
Prior to the vote, manager Christophe
Olivro said the hotel would be honored to be
he City’s first historic landmark.
In January, the City Council approved the
City’s historic preservation ordinance, which
involved establishing the Cultural Heritage
Commission to maintain the City’s register
of historic properties, make recommenda-
tions on designation of historic landmarks
and Mills Act contracts, review alteration
and demolition applications, and oversee any
subsequent historic resource surveys.
Parent-teacher book groupto discuss Steve Jobs inOctober
Beverly High English teacher Julie Goler
has a summer reading assignment for
BHUSD parents: Pick up a copy of Walter
Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography and par-
ticipate in a PTSA-sponsored BHUSD com-
munity book group on Oct. 15 at 7:30
“It’s a community building ac
more than anything else,” Goler said
designed to expose the BHUSD pa
teachers and students to the best nonf
book of the year and arguably one o
best of the last decade. [This activity
also] provide us an opportunity to di
the future of technology in BHUSD.”
Page 4 • Beverly Hills Weekly
briefs cont. from page 3City Council consensus on Gateway Project:Not yet
Councilmembers expressed varying views Tuesday night of
plans to establish an overlay zone for the development of the
City’s gateway at Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards, but a
majority agreed on at least one point. The City Council was not
ready to move forward with the zone-change proposal that would
allow redevelopment of the former railroad right-of-way.
The City Council picked up where it left off with the Gateway
Project public hearing, which opened June 19. During that
meeting, the City Council heard from all three property owners
involved and public comment from residents. Councilmembers
Julian Gold, Lili Bosse and Barry Brucker had the opportunity toask questions before Brien announced the hearing would be con-
tinued to Tuesday night so Vice Mayor John Mirisch, who was
absent from the June meeting, would also have the opportunity
to ask questions.
The Planning Commission spent months developing param-
eters for the overlay zone, ultimately recommending a list of
14 objectives project proposals must meet, while still allowing
flexibility. All projects would be required to include elements
for public benefit, such as greenspace and/or pedestrian and bike
paths.
In order to encourage development of the neighboring C-3
commercial properties, which can be built up to a 2.0 floor area
ratio (FAR) with three stories of up to 45 feet, the Planning
Commission proposed allowing greater height and density of T-1
parcels when developed in conjunction with C-3 parcels.
Under the proposed overlay zone, property owners developing
T-1 parcels alone would be allowed to build one-story structures
up to 18 feet tall with a 0.5 FAR, or 500 square feet of building
for every 1,000 square feet of developable land. If property own-
ers jointly developed T-1 and C-3 properties, the T-1 property
adjacent to the C-3 property could be built up to three stories at
a maximum of 45 feet with a 1.5 FAR.
Any T-1 property adjacent to C-3 properties not involved in the
joint development could not be built upon in order to leave open
the possibility of future joint development.
Under “extraordinary” circumstances, Planning Commission
Chair Craig Corman said the commission might consider projects
up to 60 feet tall at Parcels 1 and 2, but FAR could not increase.
The commission did not recommend this possibility for Parcel
3, because of its location across from a residential neighborhood
and Beverly Gardens Park.
The overlay zone would provide guidelines for property own-
ers to develop projects, but all projects would have to comebefore the Planning Commission for its review.
Mayor Willie Brien, who said he agreed with most of the
Planning Commission’s recommended standards for developing
the three T-1 transportation zoned parcels and adjacent proper-
ties, assigned the City Council planning liaisons—himself and
Bosse—to work to develop a revised proposal based on council-
members’ feedback.
“Going forward, I think a lot of this has to do with planning
and the vision and the character of what we see that this area
should be,” Bosse said. “I think right now that area is definitely
not what it could be and it should be and I think the problem has
been an issue of parking. None of those properties have been able
to provide for parking. When you’re looking at all the parcels,
they’re all really important parcels in terms of where they’re situ-
ated in our community.”
Bosse pointed out Parcel 1 is the gateway into Beverly Hills
for people coming from Century City; Parcel 2 is located directly
across from the Peninsula Hotel, views of which could be impact-
ed by development; and Parcels 2 and 3 are located at the major
Santa Monica and Wilshire intersection.
Bosse requested additional traffic studies to address areas not
covered by the project’s environmental impact report. Bosse a
said the overlay zone should be more specific in terms of
amount of parking projects are required to provide.
Gold agreed the overlay zone objectives should be more s
cific with respect to items including setbacks and provide cle
definitions of items like public benefit and “iconic architectu
to provide for consistency to the projects.
The majority of the council expressed concern about the pot
tial for projects to be built up to 60 feet. Mirisch and Bruc
each proposed a reduced FAR for the parcels. Mirisch sugges
0.7 FAR in order to prevent the “significant and unavoida
impact” the proposed overlay zone would have on traffic at Sa
Monica and Wilshire boulevards, which Mirisch pointed
is already one of the most congested intersections in South
California.
Brucker suggested permitting 1.0 to 1.25 FAR and up to
feet of height for Parcels 1 and 2, and up to 45 feet at Parce
Brucker, who said Parcel 3 is part of the Triangle and abuts a
story building, suggested considering different zoning standa
for each of the three parcels.
“I think it’s really unfortunate for all three parcel owner
be tied at the hip together,” Brucker said. “I look at [Parcel] 3
completely different to 1 and 2.”
Brien said he thought three stories for the overlay zone
appropriate. He also said he thought the 14 objectives needed
provide for flexibility.
“I think redevelopment needs to occur in this area,” Brien s
“I think to leave it as surface parking is not going to rejuven
improve or give any benefit aesthetically to the area.”
When asked if it would be possible to propose financiviable projects with the reduced FAR proposed by Brucker
Mirisch, Parcel 1 owner Maynard Brittan said, “absolutely no
“They’re asking for 14 different objectives, and those are
costly and will cut into the floor area ratio and create a situat
where we won’t have the income-producing ability to prod
anything even close to being iconic or special, with all the gr
space, open space and extra parking,” Brittan said. “Those are
costly amenities. They’re just taking away all the incentive
all the motivation.”
At the time Brittan and the owners of Parcels 2 and 3 purcha
the T-1 properties in 1999, Brittan said then-City Manager M
Scott set up a meeting with the property owners, indicating
City was interested in working with them to redevelop the pr
erties.
“This was an extraordinary effort on everyone’s part to
this far and obviously there are some of the council people w
didn’t appreciate or understand the virtues of the overlay, b
have confidence in the process and we will hopefully go back
discuss it, re-write it, explain it, clarify it and hopefully hav
better result the next time around,” Brittan said.
Gateway Project site
P h o t o : M i n n a e r t , W i k i m e d i a C o m m o n s
7/31/2019 Parent-teacher book group to discuss Steve Jobs in October--Beverly Hills Weekly, Issue #669
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/parent-teacher-book-group-to-discuss-steve-jobs-in-october-beverly-hills-weekly 2/2
The book group, which will take place at
a private home, will include a conversation
for parents and teachers about technology
specific to BHUSD led by Chief Academic
Officer Jennifer Tedford and Beverly
High teacher Steven Rubenstein, who is
BHUSD’s technology TOSA (teacher on
special assignment).
“The response from my students and
parents and also my private book group to
this book has been overwhelming,” said
Goler, who facilitates book groups. “I really
had to sell the book because of its length,
but everyone says they can’t put it down
[because Jobs’] life was so compelling, hor-
rifying and inspiring.”
Goler said leadership will also be a topic
of the book group discussion.
Sarah Gallop, PTSA executive board
member in charge of programs, is coordi-
nating the event.
“What I enjoy
most about it is
bringing together
the parents with
the teachers to
talk about some-
thing other than
academics or their
children’s grades,”
Gallop said. “It’s
something that
everyone can have
a discussion aboutand have it not be about their particular
child.”
Steve Jobs will also be the first featured
title for the BHUSD staff book club, Goler
said.
Look for more specifics about the pro-
gram in the PTSA’s September newsletter.
E-mail [email protected] with any ques-
tions.
Concerts on Canon seriescontinues tonight, Cluelessscreens Sunday
The City of Beverly Hills will continue its
free Concerts on Canon series tonight with
two performances by gypsy jazz combo IcyHot Club at Beverly Canon Gardens at 6
p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
The City’s new series of free Sunday-
night movie screenings continues Sunday
with an outdoor showing of Clueless at
Beverly Canon Gardens at 8 p.m. Later
in the summer, film selections include
Casablanca and Mirror, Mirror .
Free parking is available to patro
the shows: Get a coupon at the c
or movie and redeem it for parking
Beverly Gardens parking structure
gardens feature plentiful seating and a
grassy area for picnic blankets. Table
chairs will be available on a first-
first-served basis. Patrons are encou
to enjoy outdoor dining at Bouchon o
Montage, enjoy special pre- and post
discounts at Beverly Hills restaurant
bars and pick up custom “to-go” boxe
a selection of local restaurants offerinnic options in connection with this ser
For more information, call (310)
6830.
Board of Education maysubmit “self-qualified”budget to LACOE
Confronted with a list of potentia
that Board of Education Vice Pre
Jake Manaster described as “unpalat
Manaster proposed sending a messa
the Los Angeles County Office of Edu
(LACOE) and the state of California b
proposing budgetary cutbacks and in
considering submitting a “qualified” in
budget to LACOE this fall.According to LACOE, a qualified c
cation means that school districts “m
be able to meet their financial commit
in the current or two subsequent years
Manaster made the proposal a
Thursday’s budget study session,
July 26 - August 1, 2012 • Pa
briefs cont. on p
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Measure E’s $300-million blank check, and
d) is just about the dumbest idea since the
non-renewal of the oil lease.On the bright side, the new Hawthorne
will be a monument to good feelings,
obscene spending, and local big govern-
ment trying its best to emulate federal big
government. A proper tribute to our age.
Steve Spitz
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills has a proud past. So much
of that pride is because of our schools. We
simply have a great educational system and
students both past and present are aware of
hat. We also have memories of growing up
n schools that are a part of who we are as
ndividuals and as a city. There has never
been a school system like BH.
To even think of tearing down one of hese historic schools is awful. To actu-
ally do it is shameful. While we are taking
steps to preserve our history, we must also
realize that our schools are a part of that
history. Maybe even more so than Rodeo
Drive because we learned in buildings
named Hawthorne and were taught how to
make the world a better place. We should
hink about changing our history grades to
an F if we allow any of our schools to be
destroyed. After all, if we can’t protect our
past, then what have we learned?
George Vreeland Hill
Beverly Hills
“Fine Art Commission tests sites for
placing public art” [Issue #662]
This is in response to a Letter to the
Editor in the June 14 edition of Beverly
Hills Weekly. The Fine Art Commission
(FAC) did not decline Guy Dill’s sculpture,
Egalmah, The Great Palace. The donation
of the Guy Dill piece was accepted by the
City Council in 2000, bypassing the approv-
al process of the FAC. At the time, the Fine
Art commissioners expressed concern as to
the appropriateness of the work, given its
size with regard to it potentially overpower-
ing any other work that might be installed
on the Burton Way median. Again, please
note, there was never a point at which it was
“turned down.”
Mr. Dill has agreed to reconfigure the
components of the original sculpture to
form two new tableaus that will not over-
power, but enhance the site; he has alsoagreed to allow the City to sell the remain-
ing components to any interested party.
Since the City took possession of this
work in 2000, it has never been installed
anywhere and now must soon be removed
from its storage place to make way for
improvements to the City’s water services
for the residents of Beverly Hills.
The Fine Art Commission believes that
this option is the lease expensive, least
intrusive and most timely solution.
Terri Smooke
Fine Art Commission Chair
Beverly Hills
letters cont. from page 2
BHPD honors Rosenstein, MazoPlanning Commission Vice Chair Brian Rosenstein (center) was honored with the
Lawrence I. Shapiro Memorial Award at Tuesday afternoon’s study session for his
volunteer involvement with the Police Department’s Disaster Communciations System
program. BHPD Chief David Snowden (left) and Mayor Willie Brien (right) presented
Rosenstein with the award, which was created in 2004 to recognize meritorious and
dedicated service by Police Department volunteers. Esther Mazo, who passed away in
2009, was honored with the award posthumously for her 12 years of volunteer work
with the Police Department. Her son Neil Mazo accepted the award.
P h o t o : C i t y o f B e v e r l y H i l l s