Beverly Hills : Large Hilltop House OKd

The City Council on Tuesday approved a controversial proposal to build a 7,000-square-foot house on a hilltop above the city despite objections from neighbors who complained that the structure was out of scale with the surrounding area.

The council’s 3-2 vote overturned the Planning Commission’s denial of the project at 1041 Summit Drive. During a three-hour public hearing, neighborhood representatives said they would not oppose the project if the applicant, Murray Ozer, agreed to move the house 10 feet back from the street.

However, Ozer’s representatives said moving the house would detract from the design of the project and argued that Ozer had already agreed to numerous compromises requested by the neighbors. Mayor Allan Alexander and Vice Mayor Vicki Reynolds voted against the project, saying the house would be too visible to neighboring hillside homeowners.