Beverly Hills | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photo by Adrian Scott Fine

Beverly Hills

The City of Beverly Hills’s amended historic preservation ordinance was fully implemented in November 2015, reversing much of the great progress that earned the City a grade of A+ on our 2014 Preservation Report Card.  The Conservancy has correspondingly revised the city’s grade to C- by reducing some point totals and introducing a new demerit system which subtracts points from the overall total.  The revised grade reflects both the reversal in protections to historic resources and our desire to hold communities accountable if they weaken local preservation planning tools.

On July 21, 2015, the Beverly Hills City Council made its amended Historic Preservation Ordinance official. The 3-1 vote represented a significant backslide in the City’s preservation efforts, with far-reaching changes that fundamentally limit the number and type of places that qualify for historic designation and protection. The vote followed lengthy deliberations and discussions at a June 16 hearing, which ended with an initial 3-2 vote by the City Council to approve the amended ordinance.

In late 2013, members of the City’s Planning Commission launched efforts to review and suggest amendments to the Beverly Hills Historic Preservation Ordinance. Despite opposition and suggestions by the Conservancy and Beverly Hills Heritage to address some of the most egregious amendments, the City Council ultimately voted on the latest draft ordinance with no meaningful revisions.

(March 2014): Beverly Hills has made exceptional progress in preservation over the past few years.

Sometimes, the threats to a specific historic building—and the efforts to save it—galvanize support that leads to something much bigger. Beverly Hills is a prime example.

In the wake of some high-profile demolitions, the city catapulted ahead with a strong and active historic preservation program. The city adopted an innovative and strong historic preservation ordinance in 2012 and has implemented the Mills Act program, a powerful preservation incentive.

The city has also hired a dedicated historic preservation planner and created a Cultural Heritage Commission. Now celebrating its centenary, Beverly Hills is conducting a comprehensive update to its citywide survey and has already designated more than a dozen local landmarks.

The scoring details for this community appear below. To see scores for all communities, compare specific communities and categories, and learn more about the Report Card, visit our Report Card microsite.

Category (points available)
Score
Total Score (out of a possible 245, plus Extra Credit): 
172
Historic Preservation Ordinance (150) / Honorary Ordinance (10): 
150
Dedicated Historic Preservation Commission (5): 
5
Dedicated Preservation Staff (15): 
15
Ability to Designate Historic Districts (15): 
7
Notes: 
Single-family residences not eligible for inclusion in local historic districts.
Active Landmark Designation (at least annually) (5): 
5
Survey of Historic Resources: Citywide (15) / Partial (10): 
15
Notes: 
In progress, not yet adopted.
Survey Updated Within Past 5 Years (5): 
5
Mills Act Incentive Program (10): 
10
Additional Incentives (5): 
5
Certified Local Government (5): 
0
Notes: 
A pending application was withdrawn after city’s 2015 ordinance revisions rendered it ineligible for CLG status.
Historic Preservation Element or Plan (5): 
5
Extra Credit (1-25): 
0
Demerit: 
-60
A Certificate of Ineligibility can be obtained without objective assessment and at sole discretion of the Director (-20). Landmark designation criteria for nominated properties without owner consent have hard to attain or exceedingly high thresholds (-20). Landmark designation criteria for nominated properties without owner consent have hard to attain or exceedingly high thresholds (-20).

If you'd like to get involved in preservation in Beverly Hills, we suggest the following resources:

City Representative

Reina Kapadia
Associate Planner
rkapadia@beverlyhills.org
310-285-1129

Local Groups

Beverly Hills Heritage
bhheritage@gmail.com
(310) 770-3246

Beverly Hills Historical Society

 

If any of this information is out of date, or to suggest additional resources, please contact us at info@laconservancy.org or (213) 623-2489.

Most of the following resources are specific to Beverly Hills. For general resources related to local preservation and our Preservation Report Card, please visit our Report Card microsite.

Historic Preservation Ordinance

Designated Local Landmarks 

Historic Resources Survey

Mills Act application process 

Guide to CEQA (Conservancy website)

If any of these links are broken or incorrect, or if you would like to suggest other resources for preservation in Beverly Hills, please let us know by emailing info@laconservancy.org. Thank you.