Local News in Brief : ‘Compatibility’ Code Enforced

Palos Verdes Estates’ new “neighborhood compatibility” ordinance received its first test Tuesday when the City Council rejected plans for an almost 16,000-square-foot house, saying the dwelling would be too large for the neighborhood.

The ordinance, adopted as an urgency measure this month, allows the city to determine whether new or remodeled homes are compatible with their neighborhoods.

Neighbors of the lot on Via Zurita, where the proposed structure was to be built, told the council that the 10-bedroom home would look out of place in a neighborhood where homes range from 4,000 to 8,000 square feet.

“It’s more the size of an apartment building than the size of a house,” said one neighbor.

Residents said the house, proposed to be built on a bluff near a dangerous curve, would obscure views and could cause traffic accidents because its size would attract gawkers unfamiliar with the curve.

Tei-Fu Chen, who has been trying to build the house on his 1-acre lot since 1986, argued that the house complies with every city code and that the proposed home would benefit the neighborhood by increasing property values.

But the council voted unanimously to deny his plans.

“It’s larger than what you’d expect for a home. As it stands it just about bowls you over. It’s incompatible,” Councilman Edward Ritscher said.