(Vianney Le Caer / Invision/Associated Press) “And the city negotiated, from my perspective, a measly $28 million.” “We’re effectively doubling the value of their land,” Mirisch said, referring to the zoning amendment approved by the council, which will allow the developer to more than double the square footage that it would otherwise be able to build on the site. “I think what people need to understand is the quality of life of Beverly Hills, in terms of our three-minute response time of our Police Department … the best public schools, the best quality of life, being a safe city, a beautiful city - that revenue mostly comes from the business community,” Bosse said.īut Councilmember John Mirisch, an iconoclastic former film executive and fourth-generation Beverly Hills resident who cast the lone “no” vote against the project, hardly sees the Cheval Blanc as a good deal for the city. It’s money that Councilmember Lili Bosse, who served as mayor when the project came before the council last year, and other proponents see as key to securing the long-term future of Beverly Hills as a place synonymous with the good life. The hotel would vary from four stories to a partial ninth-story penthouse, taller than current zoning rules allow, according to the final environmental impact report.Īccording to the city’s analysis, the hotel is expected to funnel about $725 million into city coffers over the next 30 years, with the bulk of that coming from the combined 19% bed tax. ![]() The proposed hotel complex, designed by star architect Peter Marino, would replace a number of buildings, including the Richard Meier-designed site formerly occupied by the Paley Center for Media on North Beverly Drive around the corner from Rodeo. The city would also receive an additional 5% surcharge over its regular 14% transient occupancy tax. The city’s development agreement with LVMH dictates that the company contribute $26 million to the city’s general fund, in addition to $2 million for art and cultural programs. The union local also has been instrumental in recent policies in West Hollywood, but its influence is relatively nascent at Beverly Hills City Hall. Unite Here Local 11 carries tremendous political heft nine miles east, at Los Angeles City Hall, where it has pushed legislation and where one of its own, former organizer Hugo Soto-Martínez, now sits on the City Council. They also vociferously object to the fact that the development agreement does not specifically earmark any money for affordable housing. Representatives of the union argue that cities like Beverly Hills often change development rules to make it easier to build commercial luxury projects, but don’t always do this for housing. Triggering a referendum election in Beverly Hills requires the signatures of 10% of registered voters, meaning that just 2,193 signatures were necessary at the time. The hotel - replete with a members-only club, restaurants, retail and a spa - would rise at the northernmost of those three blocks, abutting Little Santa Monica Boulevard.Īfter raising numerous objections during the planning process, Unite Here Local 11 began gathering signatures to challenge the project shortly after the development agreement and zoning amendment were approved in November. When most people think of Rodeo Drive, they tend to focus on a specific portion of the roughly two-mile street: a three-block business district that doubles as an international symbol of luxury retail, where the streets are lined with palm trees and vast sums of capital.
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