Local News in Brief : House Rejected as Too Big for Area

In the first use of Palos Verdes Estates’ new “neighborhood compatibility” ordinance, the City Council rejected plans for an almost 16,000-square-foot house, saying the dwelling would be too large for its 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 for which the mansion was proposed complained to the council that the 10-bedroom home would look out of place, with one saying “it’s more the size of an apartment building than the size of a house.”

Residents also said that building the house 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 his plans comply 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.